Comelec sees violation of Fair Elections Law from Major Candidates By: Zephora Jane A. Lingahan

Commission on Elections (Comelec) spokesperson James Jimenez confirmed yesterday that several candidates from the presidential, vice-presidential and senatorial posts were found violating the Fair Elections law in the case of following the right size of posters and streamers.

It was indicated in the rule that the posters should be 2 to 3 feet while the streamers should only be 3 feet by 8 feet. But from the inspection of the poll body, they have found out that many have violated these size limits. Also, most of these posters seem to be out of place and were posted in public infrastructures.

Presidential candidates, Sen. Noynoy Aquino (Roxas Blvd. cor Vito Cruz); Gilbert Teodoro (Edsa Southbound); Joseph Estrada and Jejomar Binay (Edsa North Ave., Philam); Sen. Richard Gordon; and Sen. Manuel Villar (Edsa cor. Reliance St.) has been identified in offending the rule in streamers.

Other posters that were seen as violators of the said rule belonged to vice-presidential candidate Bayani Fernando (Edsa Cubao, and Shell North Luzon Tollway, Burol Balagtas, Bulacan); senatorial candidates Sen. Lito Lapid (Edsa cor. Reliance St.) JV Bautista (Edsa near Nepa Q-Mart) and Rey Langit (in front of the MMDA office near Edsa Guadalupe).

Jimenez said that candidates cannot blame their supporters for putting up the posters and disown the violations.

“They must be reminded that according to the implementing rules of RA 9006, a candidate will also be held liable for the violations committed by his supporter,” he said.

According to him, some candidates have been littering the provinces with their propaganda materials. These candidates have three days from receiving notice to remove the materials.

Imprisonment up to six years, disqualification from public and government office, and revocation of the right to vote can be the punishment for those who will be found guilty of an election offense.

Bishop Odchimar reminds public to be more cautious in voting By: Zephora Jane A. Lingahan

Tandag Bishop Nereo Odchimar of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) told voters to be more cautious in choosing the next leaders of the country and not just believe in the candidates’ promises.

“We have to be mature as voters. We have to be wise in our choice of candidates,” Bishop Odchimar said.

The president of the CBCP said that politicians have been making promises which are mostly failed.

“If candidates [in the past elections] had the political will to comply with their promises, the Philippines would be in a better position now,” Odchimar said in an interview posted on the CBCP website.

He also convinced the voters to participate in the May 10 elections for he claims that this will be the best way to make change in government.

“An election year [gives us] an opportunity to change people in the executive branch as well as the legislative,” Odchimar said.

Tandag was not the only CBCP official urging voters to choose their candidates wisely.

Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales have already warned the public against candidates with flashy and expensive political propaganda last week. He said voters should be more looking for the candidates’ anti-corruption and anti-poverty agenda.

Aquino visits Ilocos by: Zephora Jane A. Lingahan

Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III claimed that his first visit to Laoag and Vigan in Ilocos with his sister Kris turned out to be warm and successful which was far from what he had expected.

He said that the Ilocanos welcomed them with open arms which was not what he thought would happen because of the feud between the region’s most famous son, former President Ferdinand Marcos, and their father, former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.

“Even my mother would have been surprised if she were able to witness it,” he said.

Aquino said that he would be happy and satisfied if the people would just listen to him. But it seems that the people didn’t just listen, they actually became friendly to the presidential candidate.

“The people waited for me, mingled with the crowd and asked me to come back. Up to now, I feel like I’m floating on air,” he added.

Aquino’s running mate, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, was also surprised of the Ilocanos’ behavior toward them. The people were very interested in seeing the Aquinos in person.

The vice-presidential candidate narrated that the people actually went out of their homes and offices to catch a glimpse of the visitors.

On the other hand, Aquino confirmed that he and his family is no longer holding any grudge against the Marcos family. He said that don’t even see the Marcos children are involved in the assassination of their father in 1983.

Villar- not worried by Kris campaign for Noynoy

by Mary Ann G. Jocson



Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manny Villar Jr. downplayed news that TV host Kris Aquino is actively campaigning for her brother, Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III, in LP sorties.

Las Piñas City Rep. Cynthia Villar, Villar's wife, said Kris's presence in Aquino's campaign sorties will be an asset for the LP bet, whose lead in presidential surveys has been dipping. She said that their camp can counter Kris's fame with their own assets. "Every campaign has its assets and liabilities. I think she will be an asset, and we have many assets also. So it's fair," Mrs. Villar told Headstart's host Karen Davila.

The ABS-CBN talk show host joined her brother's campaign sorties in Zamboanga City for the first time after recent presidential surveys showed Aquino potentially losing votes. "It would be hypocritical not to admit that we are worried but we're confident that we will be able to regain the big lead," Kris told reporters at the Zamboanga airport.

Kris said she took time off from a TV show after her sister, Pinky, asked her to join the Zamboanga City sortie to satisfy the persistent demand of the city's supporters for her presence. Kris said she is scheduled to fly to Davao and Iloilo to join her brother's campaign rallies. "If you will overwhelmingly vote for Noy, definitely I will return with Baby James. I will return with Noy and we'll meet again," she said before leaving the airport.

Mrs. Villar, meanwhile, denied that her family had spent close to a billion pesos for TV ads during the pre-campaign period. A Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism report earlier said Villar spent about P475.4 million on ads from November 2009 to January 2010. "Sometimes it's registered, but it's not the price you [really] pay. There are discounts to that," she told ANC. When asked if Villar has already reached the P1.2 billion mark in campaign spendings, the congresswoman flatly said "No."

Mrs. Villar said that she was "very surprised" that her husband was able to cut Aquino's double-digit lead in presidential surveys. She said her husband's infomercials allowed him to present his platform and accomplishments. Villar is running on an anti-poverty agenda in his campaign for the presidency. “He has an affinity to the poor, which is very important because our country is composed of 92% poor. A president should understand what it is to be poor and how to get out of poverty so he can help these people get out of poverty,” she said.

Noynoy challenges Villar and Gordon to undergo lie test

by Mary Ann G. Jocson



Liberal Party standard bearer Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III dareed both Sen. Manuel Villar (Nacionalsta Party) and Sen. Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan Party) to undergo lie detector test to determine who among them is telling the truth last Wednesday, March 3.

This statement came after Gordon disclosed last Tuesday that, through an emissary sent “about three days before the Senate ended its session” on Feb. 3, Villar offered him a Cabinet post and reimbursement of his campaign expenses in exchange for joining a plot to unseat Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and pulling out of the presidential race.

“I will eagerly await the results should they decide to undergo a lie detector test,” Aquino said.

Meanwhile, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, Aquino's running mate, said that he sees a modus operandi in the alleged offer made to Gordon to back out from his presidential bid and instead support Villar. “I can see a pattern of a modus operandi wherein some candidates are employing different tactics in their campaign,” Roxas said.

Also, Former President Joseph Estrada earlier claimed he received offers from a contender to back out of the presidential race in exchange for the withdrawal of his bid. Unlike Gordon, Estrada declined to name who the candidate was. Additionally, Estrada said an emissary had gone to his house in San Juan City on at least three occasions since about nine months ago. He said each visit came with the offer for him not to run anymore.

This was the first time a senator other than Enrile had tagged Villar as the one behind the ouster plot.

Erap removes Villar from second place -Ernesto Maceda

by Mary Ann G. Jocson



Former President Joseph Estrada has now moved to second place with 21.5 percent, dislodging Villar who dropped to 17 percent according to a survey commissioned by another political party.

Erap has been consistently rating in third place following Liberal Party presidential contender Noynoy Aquino and Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar.

“The latest survey I saw which is commissioned by one of our opponents came out with this: Villar was already in number 3 with 17 percent. To complete the result, Noynoy got 25 percent and 21.5 percent for Erap,” Maceda said.

According to Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) campaign manager, former Ambassador Ernesto Maceda, the said political party would not want to disclose who among the presidential contenders financed the pollster. “I cannot tell you, I will be burning my source,” Maceda said, adding that the PMP might be able to pull a surprise in Cebu. He explained that Cebu, which is predominantly pro-Arroyo, is changing with some administration candidates and considering Estrada.

Mayor Duke Frasco of the Municipality of Liloan, Cebu and his wife, Christina Garcia-Frasco hosted a lunch yesterday at the Amara Resort in Liloan, Cebu. “This (lunch) is to show our gratitude to him,” Frasco said. And Estrada, in a gesture of appreciation for the warm welcome raised the hand of and endorsed Mayor Duke Frasco as a guest candidate of the PMP for mayor in Liloan.

Asked if he was endorsing Erap, Mayor Duke Frasco replied, “Well I can’t really decide on what the people will do but I’m sure if the people will know and realize that President Erap through Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile was able to give Liloan P23 million in terms of financial assistance for the public market of Liloan, that will help them decide whom to vote for president in the coming elections.”

Additionally, maceda said that the survey was conducted among 5,000 respondents. Also, he claimed that the drop in Villar’s rating could have been intensified by the negative publicity brought about by the controversies surrounding his alleged involvement in the C-5 scam and his alleged attempt to bribe other presidential candidates into backing out of the race.

Bagong Bayan standard bearer Sen. Richard Gordon claimed that Villar had tried to bribe him out of the presidential race. Enrile also admitted that there were “overtures” from Villar for him to shelve the Senate report on the C-5 investigation.

Noynoy Regains His Throne; Pulse Asia Survey

by Mary Ann G. Jocson


According to the latest Pulse Asia Survey, Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III has regained the lead in the presidential race with a 7 percentage point lead leaving Nacionalista Party (NP) presidential bet Manny Villar's percentage drop by 6 points.

Pulse Asia said, "With less than three months before the May 10, 2010 elections, Sen. Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III (LP) again takes the lead in the presidential race, garnering 36% of voter preferences," during it media release last March 5.

Pulse Asia also added,that compared to the January survey, voter support for Senator Aquino is virtually unchanged. On the other hand, voter preference for former President Estrada improves (by 6 percentage points) while that for Senator Villar declines (by 6 percentage points).

The Pulse Asia survey was conducted after the Senate committee of the Whole recommended the censure of Villar for unethical conduct and allegations of bribery against Villar in connection with the C-5 road project. Their results are as consistent with the January 28 to February 3 Taylor Nelson Sofres (TNS) survey showing Aquino regaining the lead following the Senate report recommending Villar's censure.

Also in the February 21-25 Pulse Asia survey, administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro got 7%, a 2 percentage point increase from the January 2010 survey and Bangon Pilipinas standard-bearer Bro. Eddie Villanueva, Sen. Richard Gordon, Sen. Jamby Madrigal, Nick Perlas, Vetallano Acosta, and John Carlos 'JC' de los Reyes were statistically tied at the bottom between 0-2%.

"As in the previous survey, about the same number of voters with a presidential preference says that they opted for their candidate because he/she is not corrupt (26%) as cites his/her caring for the poor (22%). Other reasons cited for preferring a candidate are that he/she can do/is doing/will do something (14%); helps/is helping others (11%); is a good person (10%) and is used to governing/has experience 7%)," Pulse Asia said.

There's a total of 1,800 respondents that are asked who would they vote for as the president and 6% of it refused to answer or were undecided or gave no answer. The survey has a margin of error of plus/minus 2%.

Villar takes the more opposition side in GMA issues By: Zephora Jane A. Lingahan

When asked about the many issues with the President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her administration, Manny Villar stated in a radio interview that he is more an opposition than other candidates.

“Hindi ako dumadaldal laban sa oposisyon, laban sa administrasyon. Hindi lang ako madaldal. Pero ang totoo niyan, pagka ang usapan sa speeches ay sinasabi ko naman talaga hindi ako sumasang-ayon sa Pangulo [I don’t talk against the opposition, the administration. I’m not just talkative. But the truth is, in speeches, I really say that I don’t agree with the President],” Villar said.

Villar defended his term back when he was still the Senate president and indicated that it was the most independent Senate. The presidential candidate also said that he disagreed with President Arroyo a number of times.

He resigned from the Senate presidency in November 2008 after losing the support of the majority of his colleagues.

Despite his silence against the President, he said that he and his political group, the Nacionalista Party, have initiated a number of investigations against corruption and other alleged irregularities in government.

Villar also said that Liberal Party has been the most outspoken among the Arroyo issue but if the people will judge with what they do, Villar’s party is the real opposition.

The standard bearer of Nacionalista party also noted that many of his senatorial candidates like Bayan Muna Representative Satur Ocampo, Gabriela Representative Liza Maza, jailed Colonel Ariel Querubin and Ilocos Norte Representative Ferdinand “Bong-Bong” Marcos were known oppositionists.

He has been suspected of having a secret alliance with Arroyo since he declared his presidential bid. But he constantly denied this.

“If it was true that I was an administration candidate, then I should not be spending my own money for my candidacy and I should not be running under my own party,” said Villar.