Election 2010 begins

Photos of Erap-Binay, Villar-Loren and Noynoy-Mar

As of today, more than 50 have filed certificates of candidacy for president in the 2010 elections.

Photo by Rez Cortez

Photo by Rez Cortez

Today, in the morning, the Commission on Elections office in Intramuros turned orange. former President Joseph Estrada, his running mate, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay and their senatorial candidates filed their certificates of candidacy wearing orange shirts, the color of Partio ng Masang Pilipino.

Erap came driving a jeepney, reviving his 1998 “Jeep ni Erap” motif, with the senatorial candidiates as passengers. His senatorial candidates include his son, re-electionist Jinggoy Estrada, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jose “Joey” de Venecia III, Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, former Negros Occidental Rep. Apolinario Lozada.

NP proclamation rally in Tondo

NP proclamation rally in Tondo

But orange is also the color of the Nacionalista Party. Before the Erap-Binay team, the NP’s Mannyl Villar with running mate Loren Legarda and their senatorial candidates filed their certificates of candidacy.

Among those in the NP senatorial ticket are Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, re-electionist Pia Cayetano, Adel Tamano, Susan “Toots” Ople,Gwendolyn Pimentel.

Earlier, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos filed his certificate of candidacy as the common candidate og NP and his party the Kilusan ng Bagong Lipunan. Re-electionist Miriam Santiago is in the NP ticket as guest candidate.

Last Sunday, the NP held a rally in Moriones, Tondo where Villar grew up. Crowd drawr guests were TV host Willy Revillame and comedy king, Dolphy.

Photo by Mario Ignacio

Photo by Mario Ignacio

The Liberal Party’s Benigno Aquino “Noynoy” Aquino III and vice-presidential candidate Mar Roxas did their filing of COCs last Saturday.

The LP’s senatorial candidate include Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, TG Guingona III, Nereus Acosta, Alex Lacson.

Also in the LP ticket is detained officer, Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim who filed his certificate of candidacy last Friday.

The LP reserved a slot of Sergio Osmeña III, who left the LP ticket over the inclusion of Recto.

Bangon Pilipinas’ Bro. Eddie Villanueva also filed his COC for president today with former Securities and Exchange Commission chair Perfecto Yasay as vice president.

Villanueva’s senatorial candidates include TV broadcasters Alex Tinsay and Kata Inocencio.

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Gloria Arroyo to file certificate of candidacy tomorrow

Gloria Arroyo’s declaration of her candidacy for second district of Pampanga.

Mga kababayan, lubos na karangalan at pribilehiyo sa akin na maglingkod sa taongbayan bilang Pangulo.

Gumawa ng malalaking pagsulong sa bagay ng ating economy, education, foreign affairs and job creation. While I’m very much looking forward to stepping down as president at the end of my term, I have been mulling different ways to stay involved.

Tiningnan ko ang pagbalik sa pagtuturo. I have also examined ways of working with non-profit organizations on issues ranging from the environment to women’s issues. After much contemplation, I realized I am not ready to step down completely from public service.

As you know, people from my hometown in the second district of Pampanga have been asking me to remain in public service. So after my soul searching, I have decided to respond affirmatively to their call.

To that end, I will file my candidacy for Congress in order to serve the hardworking people of my province.

Ang paglingkod sa publiko ay banal na trabaho. At a very young age, it was emblazoned in my DNA. Umaasa akong ipagpatuloy ang pagkampiyon ang pangangailangan ng mahihirap, ipaglaban ang mas malakas na economy at tiyakin na nasa kaabutan ng karaniwang pamilyang Kapampangan ang education, kalinga sa kalusugan at trabaho.

Binibigyan ako nito ng pagkakataong ituloy ang paglilingkod mula sa puwestong mas malapit sa taong bayan.

Hayaan niyong linawin ko, I will be firmly in control of our national government until the last day I am in office. As president, my first commitment is to the nation we all love. My bid for Congress will be spirited but secondary to my duties as president. We have come too far and too much is at stake for me to waiver these last few months from my commitment to the people of the nation. I will keep a steady hand on the tiller of the ship of state.

Our nation is entering a crucial election year at a time when our economy has just survived a global recession. Though the lead in ensuring free, fair and open elections belong to the Comelec, now more than ever, it is is important for me to focus on the Executive’s duty to help the Comelec perform its role. I will ensure the resources required by the Comelec to see the elections through and then I will work cooperatively with the incoming administration so that they can hit the ground running.

Her lawyer, Romulo Makalintal said, Arroyo will continue performing her duties as president until June 30, 2010 even as she campaigns for a congressional seat.

She will run as representative of the second district of Pampanga being held by her son,Mikey.

Makalintal said a representative of Arroyo will file in her behalf her certificate of candidacy in Pampanga tomorrow in San Fernando after a 9 a.m. mass in Lubao.

Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo, an Arroyo loyalist, said Arroyo will be a runaway winner.

UP Professor Randy David has backed out of his threat to run against Arroyo if she decides to run. David said he does not want to subject his family to the pressures of politics.

Political observers said once elected in the House of Representatives, Arroyo and her cohorts are expected to work for a change of the Constitution and shift to parliamentary system of government so she can return to power as prime minister.

Arroyo made the announcement over Radyo ng Bayan, the government radio station. Following is the transcript of the question and answer portion:

Q:Matamis na oo. Paano na yung tatakbo kayo, how will you run the country?

A. My primary obligation will be my constitutional duties as president. Malaking karangalan sa akin maging Pangulo. I look forward to stepping down but I will remain firmly in charge of the nation. Our economy, defense, and foreign policy till the last day I am in office. Konting-konting panahon lamang ang gagamitin ko sa kampanya para sa Congress.

Q:Some say running for congress at this time is irresponsible.

A: Alam ng lahat kung gaano kasipag ako bilang Pangulo ng ating bansa. I will continue with that level of commitment until my last day as president. I believe in public service. I want to continue to the welding of the nation in some ways. I am completely confident that I will perform the duties of president with the same level of intensity and commitment as I always have. I will be steadfast and responsible to the nation until my last day in office.

Q:People saying that maybe you want to run to hide in congressional immunity.

A: The only congressional immunity is from libel suits, from utterances made in a congressional session. Hindi ‘yon and hinahabol ko. This move reflects my ongoing commitment to public service. I have given careful consideration to a number of options that I could pursue upon leaving office. But I have come to the conclusion that I can best serve the nation from a seat in Congress should I be elected. Habang nagiginhawaan akong bumaba bilang Pangulo sa susunod na taon, I was looking for the best way for me to continue to contribute to public life. This campaign w and a seat in Congress will satisfy the call of my constituents and my desire for public office.

Q:Other options, life after the presidency.

A: Oo. pinagisipan ko ang maraming opportunity. One day I hope to pursue them. Halimbawa, balang araw puwede akong bumalik sa pagtuturo. Or work for causes near and dear to me, like the fight against climate change, improvement of education and the cause of women. Lahat ng mga pagkakataong ito ay bukas pa sa mga darating na panahon but now, the best way to continue to champion the things I love is in Congress.

Q:Another concern, there are allegations that you just want to bide your time until chacha succeeds and you become Prime Minister.

A: That situation is so hypothetical I won’t even bother to speculate about it.

Q:Maguindanao.

A:What happened in Maguindanao shocked me. It’s a black mark on our nation. I worked every day in office to bring peace to that region. Ipagpapatuloy ko ang pagsisikap na ito hanggang sa huling sandali ng aking termino. No one will provide a stronger hand on the direction of the nation in the coming months than me. I will do my best to keep our people safe and secure, our economy growing, and to help Comelec perform its duty of keeping our elections free.

Q:Parting message

A: Napagusapan mo ang nangyari noong isang linggo. At may malaking kaalaman yon din sa ating media. No nation can consider itself truly free if freedom of speech, political expression if the press is not supported. Our nation has a history of a vibrant press. what happened in Mindanao, aside from violation of human rights also sent a chill down the spine of journalism. I will be attending the wake of some victims as a modest expression of the nation’s outrage and my personal shock. Men and women, Muslim and Christians have drawn the line. The men and women who represent the media are part of the essential fabric of this nation. The press is one of the vital institutions in a democratic society. It’s importance is indicated in the allusion to it as the fourth estate, virtually a fourth branch in our democracy together with the legislative, executive and judicial branches. If there is a silver lining to this dark cloud, I hope it is to dedicate our nation to freedom of the press, freedom of political expression and freedom from political violence.

Media groups to GMA: swift justice or resign

Media groups and journalists call for the resignation of Gloria Arroyo if her government fails to the catch the perpetrators of the Maguindanao massacre and make them accountable for the crime.

Statement of the Nov. 23 Movement

A Challenge of Conscience

The brutal, indiscriminate mass murder on Monday in Ampatuan town, in Maguindanao province, raises the ultimate challenge of conscience. It carries the culture of impunity at work in this country to such levels of horror that, if it remains unpunished for long, can send the nation into an inexorable descent into absolute dehumanization.

The crime thus calls for swift justice, which can only be achieved through a credible and independent process, which in turn can only be achieved without the hand of this government – a government justly mistrusted generally and openly friendly precisely to the very members of the clan accused in the massacre.

We, ourselves colleagues of the more than a score journalists who were killed, demand the following:


One, the creation of a commission outside the government to investigate the crime;

Two, the arrest and prosecution of all the people involved in it in any way, as murderers themselves or their protectors;

Three, the formation of a special court to try the case;

Four, fully guaranteed protection for the witnesses;

Five, the disarming and dismantling of all private armies, such as those evidently employed in the massacre.

Six, the enlistment of persons of unquestioned probity in the whole process;

And finally, the resignation of the government if it fails to deliver such basic satisfaction – indeed, the very same government that has encouraged, by partisanship and conspiracy, the culture of impunity of which the massacre has been the most abominable manifestation.

Signed:

Business World
Center for Community Journalism and Development (CCJD)
Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR)
College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP)
Freedom Fund for Filipino Journalists (FFFJ)
National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP)
Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI)
Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project (PHRRP)
Philippine Press Institute (PPI)

(The Nov. 23 Movement was formed last Nov. 28 to seek justice to the victims of the Maguindanao massacre. It is composed of media organizations, newspaper publishers, and journalists. For more information, please contact the secretariat: Rorie Fajardo of PHRRP (0905) 3154986 and roriegirl@yahoo.com; Sonny Fernandez (0908) 3259620 and freetosay@gmail.com; Trina Federis of CEGP, (0910) 4803098 and cegphils@gmail.com; and Sweet Cawicaan of CCJD 376-5550)

Names of 31 journalists killed in the Maguindanao massacre of 57 people. But there are unconfirmed reports that there is still one from UNTV that was also killed. That would make the total number of journalists killed in that horrible incident 32.

1. Adolfo, Benjie, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City

2. Araneta, Henry, Radio DZRH, General Santos City

3. Arriola, Mark Gilbert “Mac-Mac,” UNTV, General Santos City

4. Bataluna, Rubello, Gold Star Daily, Koronadal City

5. Betia, Arturo, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

6. Cabillo, Romeo Jimmy, Midland Review, Tacurong City

7. Cablitas, Marites, News Focus, General Santos City

8. Cachuela, Hannibal, Punto News, Koronadal City

9. Caniban, John, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

10. Dalmacio, Lea, Socsargen News, General Santos City

11. Decina, Noel, Periodico Ini, General Santos City

12. Dela Cruz, Gina, Saksi News, General Santos City

13. Doheilo, Eugene, UNTV, General Santos City

14. Duhay, Jhoy, Gold Star Daily, Tacurong City

15. Gatchalian, Jun, Davao City

16. Legarte, Bienvenido, Jr., Prontiera News, Koronadal City

17. Lupogan, Lindo, News Media Gazette, Davao City

18. Maravilla, Ernesto “Bart,” Bombo Radyo, Koronadal City

19. Merisco, Rey, Periodico Ini, Koronadal City

20. Momay, Reynaldo “Bebot” Momay, Midland Review, Tacurong City

21. Montaño, Marife “Neneng,” Saksi News, General Santos City

22. Morales, Rosell, News Focus, General Santos City

23. Nuñez, Victor, UNTV, General Santos City

24. Perante, Ronnie, Gold Star Daily correspondent, Koronadal City

25. Parcon, Joel, Prontiera News, Koronadal City

26. Razon, Fernando “Rani,” Periodico Ini, General Santos City

27. Reblando, Alejandro “Bong,” Manila Bulletin, General Santos City

28. Salaysay, Napoleon, Mindanao Gazette, Cotabato City

29. Santos, Gatchalian, Davao City (media affiliation not known)

30. Subang, Ian, Socsargen Today, General Santos City

31. Teodoro, Andres “Andy,” Central Mindanao Inquirer, Tacurong City

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Spending a day in Taal… Batangas, and not the Volcano!

When one mentions the word Taal, what immediately comes into people’s mind is the Taal Volcano which is one of the popular sights when in Tagaytay City. But there is another Taal that only a few is aware of, and it is even more interesting as it houses several National Cultural Landmarks!

taal embroidery

Last month, I was invited to join a media event/tour in the Heritage Town of Taal, Batangas. It was my first time to go here, that is why I was just so excited to join the tour!

From Manila we had a private shuttle that brought us to Taal. Upon arrival our first itinerary was a quick snack at Escuale Pia. One of the Heritage structures in the town. Escuela Pia used to be a convent San organized by the congreagation of Jose of Calansanz, during the 17th century. It was then converted into a school and was then ran by the Augustinians for the underprivileged youth of the town.

taal escuela pia

At the Escuela Pia, we locals were there to show to us the local products Taal and the province of Batangas is known for, like the Embroidered cloths, walis tingting (broomsticks), Sawali (bamboo mats), and tasty delicacies like panutsa and espasol.

From Escuela Pia, we then climbed the stairs which led us to what is known to be one of the largest churches in the Philippines: the church of Saint Martin of Tours. I was awestruck at its massiveness. Grabe, ang laki nya talaga! It was just a quick visit, not even 10 minutes long.

taal church

From there we then head to the Villavicencio house for a sumptuous buffet Filipino lunch. I love the Nilagang baka and the fish cooked in gata!

taal villavicencio house

After the lunch we then took a short walk along its historic streets lined with heritage houses which finally led us to the Church of Our Lady of Caysasay.

Inside the church we got to see how the prayer dance called Subli is performed. It’s only know that I learned that Subli is a prayer dance, pala. It’s like the Sinulog of Cebu, but of course done differently.

taal our lady of caysasay

From the church we went to the other side of the church where a well can be found. It is said that its waters is miraculous and can cure any illnesses.

villa tortuga

From the well we then moved to another bahay na bato, known as Villa Tortuga. At first, I thought that the family owners of the house have Tortuga as its Family name. But I was wrong. The house got its name from the large pieces of collector’s items hanging on its walls: large turtle shells.

We had a very filling late afternoon snack here before finally bidding goodbye to the heritage town of Taal.

It was a quick tour, but I have learned so much. Details of itinerary will be posted soon.

Check out some of the exciting events coming up!

  • World Pyro Olympics 2009
  • Giant Lantern Festival 2009
  • Sinulog 2010
  • Dinagyang 2010
  • Clark Hot Air Balloon 2010
  • Panagbenga 2010
  • List of Philippine Holidays 2010
  • Spending a day in Taal… Batangas, and not the Volcano!

    The importance of correct handling of evidence

    Last April, I attended a very informative lecture by Peruvian forensic anthropologist Jose Pablo Baraybar on investigating extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances.

    Sponsored by the Center for International Law chaired by Harry Roque, the US Department of State and the American Bar Association, the seminar in General Santos City had prosecutors, members of the military and the Philippine National Police assigned in Mindanao as participants.

    Baraybar, who has been called on by the Commission on Human Rights to help in the investigation of the Nov. 23 Maguindanao massacre, comes with impressive credentials and solid accomplishment: he helped secure the conviction of former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori for his role in two cases of massacres in the 1990s.

    In a historic decision last April 9, Fujimori was sentenced to 25 years in prison for ordering the killing of 25 Peruvians. Fifteen of the victims were shot at a barbecue stand in the Barrios Altos area of Lima. Another 10 were abducted in 1992 from La Cantuta University and later killed.

    The two massacres were carried out by a government death squad, known as Grupo Colina (Colina Group). In the Cantuta case, nine university students and one professor were abducted in a pre-dawn raid July 18, 1992 and shot in the head. Their remains were later found in an unmarked grave.

    Baraybar’s group, the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) conducted forensic tests and DNA analysis on the remains in 2007 and also gave testimony to the First Anticorruption Criminal Court in Peru. Only four of the 10 victims could be positively identified, but that evidence was sufficient for the court to convict four members of the Colina death squad in April 2008.

    More than 69,000 Peruvians lost their lives during the country’s 20-year struggle between the two insurgent groups, Shining Path and the Tupac Amaru Revolutionary Army, and the government. About 15,000 people disappeared. The majority of the bodies have yet to be recovered and identified.

    In that lecture, Baraybar underscored the importance of the proper way of recovering evidence. “If it’s badly done, it destroys evidence. You will not be able to reconstruct the event.”

    He said “the way we recover things will assist us or define how we will interpret the evidence.”

    He said material evidence recovered from the crime scene is not just “’stuff’. It is ‘fossilized’ human behavior.”

    “The goal of a forensic investigation is to reconstruct and interpret behavior. When human behavior repeats itself and is patterned, it reflects specific activities. Activities are actions with goals; they are not random,” he further said.

    This is important because in many crime incidents, including the Nov. 23 carnage, the public has been witness to the careless handling of evidence.

    Romel Bagares, executive director of CenterLaw, which is a member of the Southeast Asia Media Defense Network, has reported from Maguindanao that, “Official autopsies on the recovered victims remains have been painstakingly slow and an acute lack of sophisticated forensic equipment and facilities, made worse by the haphazard handling by investigators of the crime scene, has made evidence preservation essential to a successful prosecution of the perpetrators doubly difficult.

    “Officials of the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines who visited the crime scene were appalled to see police Scene of the Crime Operatives (SOCO), assisted by government troops, use a backhoe to dig up the remains of victims allegedly buried by their killers in a newly discovered grave in Barangay Salman, Ampatuan town. They arrived just in time to see the backhoe’s claw unearth a woman’s bloodied and broken body.

    “Authorities pulled out from the same mass grave the remains of DZRH’s Henry Araneta, and UNTV’s Victor Nuñez and Mark Gilbert Mac-Mac Arriola, it was subsequently reported.”

    “Families of the victims, frustrated by the disorganized response of government agencies to the tragedy…Five government doctors–three from the National Bureau of Investigation and two from the Philippine National Police Crime Laboratory Service–had been working round-the-clock to conduct autopsies on the recovered remains of the victims. As of noontime Wednesday, they had completed work on only 10 of the bodies brought in from the crime scene 45 km away in Ampatuan town.

    “’At the rate they’re going,’said Elliver M. Cablitas, whose wife Maritess, a reporter connected with the News Focus newspaper based in General Santos City, died in the massacre, ‘the remains of my wife would have long been decomposed before the government doctors get the chance to do an autopsy.’

    “The lack of refrigeration facilities to keep the remains from decomposing is also complicating the grim task of identifying the victims and preserving evidence, according to Benito Molino, a veteran forensics investigator engaged by CenterLaw to assist authorities in investigative work.

    “We have to move faster,” said Molino, who has spent many years in human rights work as a medical expert for the Medical Action Group and the Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearance (AFAD). The government has not fielded enough medico-legal officers to do the autopsies.

    “Molino also said,’I pity the government doctors who had to do the gruesome task. They have so much work with so little.’ As it often happens in the Philippines, government investigative agencies do not have adequate facilities to preserve human remains recovered in crime investigations.”

    Baraybar is accompanied by British Chris Cobb Smith of the London-based Chiron Resources, which specializes on “hostile environment support”

    A former member of the Royal Artillery, Smith has advised and escorted journalists and camera crews covering hostilities in Macedonia, Albania and Kosovo. He has also conducted investigations into a number of high-profile human rights and humanitarian law violations, primarily in the Israeli Occupied Territories and those controlled by the Palestinian Authority. Foremost among these were the deaths in 2000 of a BBC driver/fixer Abed Takkoush and in May 2003 of director and cameraman James Miller in Rafah, Gaza.

    “His expertise is relevant in this case, “ said CHR chair Leila de Lima. Of the 57 killed in the Nov. 23 Maguindanao carnage, 32 were members of media.

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