GMA gunning for House seat


MANILA, Philippines – It’s official: President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for congresswoman of the second district of Pampanga.

President Arroyo formally declared her bid for a congressional seat in Pampanga’s second district, a report from a government-run radio station said today. She will be the first Philippine President to pursue a lower public office.

"I have been mulling different ways to stay involved. After much soul searching, I have decided I will file my certificate of candidacy for Congress
in order to serve the hardworking people of my province," Mrs. Arroyo said in a recorded statement aired over government-run dzRB.

Mrs. Arroyo added that she is not ready to leave public service. She is barred by the constitution from seeking a second term, and said today she'll step down following national elections in May, ending her administration's nine tumultuous years.

Atty. Romeo Macalintal, Mrs. Arroyo’s election lawyer, confirmed her decision to gun for a House seat in the May 2010 polls. He is currently holding a press briefing at the Malacañang Palace to discuss Mrs. Arroyo’s 2010 plans in detail.

The President’s certificate of candidacy (COC) will reportedly be filed by her representatives in Pampanga.

President Arroyo greets her townmates as they troop to Malacañang Palace last Friday to urge her to run in the May 2010 elections. Mrs. Arroyo heeds their call, formally announcing today her Congressional bid in the second district of Pampanga. AP

Comelec: GMA can run

Meanwhile, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reaffirmed that there is no legal impediment in President Arroyo’s planned congressional bid.

"Yung pag-file ng Pangulo, walang problema dun, walang legal impediment," Comelec spokesman James Jimenez told reporters.

Jimenez said the law does not prohibit the sitting or incumbent President to gun for a lower position in government office.

He noted that elective officials are allowed to return to their duties after filing their COCs.

Mrs. Arroyo's critics have earlier urged her to step down in the event she decides to run for a lower public office. – With Dennis Carcamo, AP

By Dino Maragay (The Philippine Star)

Updated November 30, 2009 03:54 PM

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE 3) Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Manuel “Mar” Roxas II filed their candidacies for president and vice president respectively at the Commission on Elections office in Manila Saturday.

Aquino and Roxas, who will run under the Liberal Party, filed their certificates of candidacy to coincide with the birthday of Aquino’s father, national hero and late senator Benigno Aquino Jr.

With Aquino and Roxas were their candidates for the Senate: former National Economic Development Authority chief Ralph Recto, Anakbayan Partylist Representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Congressman Ruffy Biazon, lawyer Nereus Acosta, Teofisto Guingona III; and Sonia Roco, wife of the late senator Raul Roco.

Aquino was also accompanied by his sisters Balsy, Pinky, Viel, and television host and actress Kris.

Judy Araneta-Roxas, mother of Mar Roxas, and broadcast journalist and Roxas’ wife Korina Sanchez, were also present at the Comelec.

Aquino said his party would “continue to fight for change” by seeking to eradicate corruption, create jobs; and improve the education, health, and judicial systems after nine years of rule by incumbent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, an estranged former political ally of his late mother, former president, and democracy icon Corazon Aquino.

“There are four that we would like to focus on: job generation is first. This is best explained by a father that I talked with before who said, ‘Bigyan niyo kami ng trabaho at kami na ang bahala sa kalusugan [Give us jobs and we will take care of health]’; education is second which is an essential tool for job creation, to start the reform of the justice system and even to advocate concern for the environment; third is health and fourth is judicial reform,” said Aquino.

Aquino also said that the Liberal party has a firm stand on the impeachment of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, whom they believed lacked the power to stop graft and corruption among the country's public officials.

“[The] LP [Liberal party] has taken so many stands on the issues of the day – on impeachment, the North rail project, fertilizer scam. And despite the administration's attempt to stop us, we did not give in to their ways,” said Aquino.

"Its [The Arroyo administration’s] legitimacy is under question. It persecutes those who expose the truth about its legitimacy and corruption. It stays in power by corrupting individuals and institutions," his Liberal Party alleged in paid advertisements on national newspapers on Saturday, referring to allegations of poll fraud by Arroyo in the 2004 elections.

Roxas added that compared to other presidential bets of other parties who were claiming to be reformists, Aquino was the “real reformist” who he said was never involved in under-the-table negotiations, especially in the use of government funds.

“Lahat ng ibang kandidato sabi reformist sila. Ang sabi ko si Senator Noynoy walang kontrata sa gobyerno, hindi nakinabang sa kanyang pagiging opisyal ng gobyerno at hindi pinakialaman ang mga kalye na pinaggagastusan ng taxpayers at walang kaso na anomalya. Hindi lang yan pangako kundi nasa gawa [Other candidates claim they are also reformists. All I can say is this: Noynoy never dipped his hands on funds of government contracts, never used his position for his own gains, he did not get involved in anomalous road projects funded by taxpayers' money and has no charges of graft and corruption. That is a reformist who walks his talk],” said Roxas.

Aquino said they were still finalizing negotiations with two other prospective senatorial candidates, one in Maguindanao and one abroad. He added they wouldannounce by next week the outcome of the talks.

“Dumadaan pa sa masalimuot na pag-uusap pero palagay namin matatapos this afternoon [We still have ongoing negotiations with two other possible senatorial bets for the Liberal Party. We hope we could finalize the talks by this afternoon],” said Aquino.

Aquino added they would use people's campaign for their candidacy by tapping volunteers. Presently, they have at least 200,000 volunteers nationwide and growing.

“Hindi natin kailangang makipagsabayan sa mga infomercials ng ibang kandidato. Dadaanin namin ang pangangampanya sa tulong at sipag ng mga volunteers at gamit ang sapat na pondo para maisulong kampanyang pantay-pantay [Our party does not need to compete with the infomercials being aired by other candidates. We would use the people's campaign though our volunteers and enough funding to launch a campaign that does not level off the playing field],” said Aquino.

He denounced allegations that he was gaining more attention because of his star-studded infomercials available on YouTube, which featured popular actors and actresses in the country. He said they were a group of volunteers whose numbers started growing, three months after he announced his candidacy.

Instead of airing infomercials over television and radio which costs billions, Roxas said a people's campaign would be one that has “a stronger foundation based on the trust of the citizens.”

Prior to the filing, a rally was held outside the Comelec office by LP supporters clad in yellow, the signature color of the party. Seen in the crowd were Father Ed Panlilio and popular actors Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera.

Aquino and Roxas were the first candidates for president and vice president from a major political party to have filed their CoCs. The Comelec started accepting CoCs last Monday.

Retired Brigadier General Danilo Lim, an “adopted” senatorial candidate of the LP, filed his candidacy Friday.

The withdrawn, bespectacled Aquino surged from nowhere to the top of the opinion polls after his mother died in early August from a long battle with cancer.

His main rivals for the presidency – Arroyo's preferred successor and ex-defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro, multi-millionaire developer and senator Manny Villar, and deposed former president Joseph Estrada – are all expected to register before the deadline on Monday.

An October national survey by Manila pollster Pulse Asia found Aquino with 44 percent support, with Villar on 19 percent, and Teodoro at just two percent.

The start of the election season leading up to the May 10, 2010 vote has been overshadowed by the massacre in the south on Monday allegedly by a former Arroyo ally of at least 57 people, including relatives of a local rival but also journalists and motorists who had no known quarrel with the suspects.

By Anna Valmero
Agence France-Presse, INQUIRER.net

Escudero abandons 2010 presidential bid

Updated 3:03 p.m.) Saying this is not the right time, Senator Francis Escudero announced on Tuesday that he would not run in the coming May 2010 presidential elections.

Sen. Francis Escudero, right, with wife Christine talks to the media after his announcement Tuesday that will not run for any position in the 2010 polls. Benjie Castro
"Akala ko madali magdesisyon, hindi pala. Hindi pala presidency at all cost kung lalamunin lang ako ng sistema. I decided not to run as president," Escudero said in a press conference held at the Kalayaan Hall of Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan City.

(I thought it was easy to come up with a decision, but I was wrong. I don't intend to run for president if I would only be eaten up by the system. I decided not to run as president.)

"Marahil hindi ito ang tamang panahon para sa atin (Maybe this is not the right time for me to run as president)," he added.

Escudero said he remains undecided who to support in the presidential and vice presidential race.

In a text message to reporters, Senator Loren Legarda said she respects and welcomes Escudero's decision.

"I hope he can help me in fighting poverty, hunger and climate change," said Legarda, vice presidential bet of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).

In a statement, NPC spokesperson and Valenzuela City Rep. Rex Gatchalian said the party hopes Escudero would now throw his support behind Legarda.

“We are of strong belief that despite his decision to embark on his own political journey, Senator Escudero is still fully committed to seeing and bringing out changes for the betterment of our country, and the best possible way for him to realize his vision is for him to throw his support to Sen. Legarda’s bid," Gatchalian said.

Escudero has long been groomed to be the NPC's presidential bet in 2010, but on October 28, he announced his resignation from the party he joined in 1998. [See: Chiz leaves NPC, defers anew announcement of 2010 plans]

He cited three reasons for doing so: a presidential candidate must not belong to any party, a candidate must not be tied to his party, and that he believes he can perform his job better if he is his own man.

Only last Monday, former senator Sergio "Serge" Osmeña III claimed that Escudero will seek the vice presidency in next year's national elections. [See: Escudero will settle for VP in 2010 - Osmeña]

Escudero's announcement, however, proved Osmeña wrong. - with Jam Sisante/RSJ, GMANews.TV

MANILA, Philippines - Acknowledging the “big and arduous task” ahead for the ruling party, President Arroyo directed yesterday her party mates to work hard to ensure the victory of Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilbert Teodoro and running mate Edu Manzano in the May 2010 elections.

"Hindi po ako natatakot na tanggapin ang hamon na ito ‘pagkat di ko hamon ito, hamon po nating lahat," Teodoro his partymates and stalwarts, led by President Arroyo during Lakas-Kampi convention at PICC, Pasay City.

Mrs. Arroyo gave the order just before she formally relinquished the chairmanship of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD to Teodoro during the party’s jampacked national convention at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.

She said with the party’s selection of “capable, competent, energetic leaders to lead us into the next generation, our national initiative to fight poverty and reach the First World within this generation can succeed.”

“But, first things first. Let us get them elected, elected with as big a mandate as you our leaders in the countryside and urban centers can win from our people, so that they can go beyond building on the gains of the programs of this administration and lead a new reform agenda on pro-people reforms, ever guided by the institutional ideology of our party, the ideology of Christian democracy enriched by your interfaith dialogue with our Muslim brothers and sisters,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“This is a big and arduous task. But our party has been challenged many times before and has won,” she said.

“It is now time to consolidate our ranks and fortify our party for the electoral battle ahead,” she said.

Teodoro continues to rate poorly in surveys but administration officials said the ratings would go up once he goes out and presses flesh. Mrs. Arroyo described Teodoro as “young and brilliant.”

“This is a far-sighted decision and it keeps the tradition of free, democratic, and transparent selection of candidates that our party holds sacred,” the President said.

She said she was heartened by the presence of so many familiar faces and recognizable names that stood by Lakas-Kampi-CMD despite some defections.

“There’s no one here dragged or bused from just anywhere. But all are leaders, genuine leaders who are all here, as many as can fit in this room,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

“So many leaders here from all over the country with a genuine mandate from their own people demonstrates that indeed our party is a party that can win,” she said.

The President stressed that Lakas-Kampi-CMD has been the largest political party in the country for 15 of the last 17 years and that 72 percent of the country’s elected leaders are part of it.

“Think of it: almost three out of every four elected leader is a party member. This overwhelming majority confirms that our party is the true party of the people,” she said.

She also said the merger of Lakas-CMD and Kampi has been upheld by the Commission on Elections despite the “legal challenges thrown our way by those whose personal interests were prejudiced by the merger.”

“May each and every party leader and each and every party grassroots member work hard and work together for the victory of our party, our party’s standard-bearers, and all our party’s candidates in 2010,” Mrs. Arroyo said.

Rule of law

“Our engagement in politics is to serve the people in the context of a peaceful Filipino society built on the rule of law that enables every citizen to pursue his dreams and renders to each citizen what is his due,” Teodoro said in his speech.

“We shall protect the life of each and every citizen. This respect for life shall be from the moment of conception to the moment of death. The protection of life is guaranteed by our Constitution, and on this principle, there is no compromise,” Teodoro said.

“The human rights of each Filipino citizen shall be guaranteed and promoted at home and protected abroad,” he said.

He also said family would take center stage under his administration.

“The right of parents to bring up their children cannot be violated since the children are the coming generations and on their will rests the structuring of the future of our country and of civilization,” Teodoro pointed out.

Job, education

He also promised to tackle unemployment squarely and complement the effort through enhanced public education and health.

“Every Filipino has a right to be fully employed, because it is in work that a person finds his fulfillment as a human being and gains the means to secure his dignity,” he said.

“And to assure our citizens the exercise of human rights, together, as a nation, we shall address the four faces of poverty: poverty of the mind, poverty of the pocket, poverty of the environment, and poverty of relationships,” he said.

“Education and health are fundamental rights of citizens, thus constitute a duty of the state. Like the IRA (Internal Revenue Allotment) for the LGUs, poor families shall have a direct share of the annual national income to ensure that their children have complete basic education,” he said.

“Access to tertiary education shall be universal and the state shall institute innovative financial arrangements to enable each home to have a college diploma, and in every family, a college graduate,” he pointed out.

“Indigent families shall be automatically and universally covered by state health insurance and shall pay no excess fees for their healthcare and hospitalization,” he said.

Defections belittled

He also belittled recent high-profile party defections

“It’s natural in politics. That’s the way it is. Some leave and some take their oath,” Teodoro said in Filipino, referring to Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos, her husband former senator Ralph Recto and Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte who moved to the Liberal Party.

Teodoro said he still has the backing of 17 regional Lakas-Kampi-CMD leaders who all attended the party’s national convention.

He said he welcomes offers of help, but stressed they should be in accordance with party principles and guidelines, including those coming from his uncle businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.

Malacañang, meanwhile, said President Arroyo doesn’t mind the defections very much, and that she doesn’t see them as acts of betrayal.

“When you get old in politics, you become very understanding, you have to give some leeway to the wishes of other people,” Ermita said in Filipino.

“But when you are still young, your first reaction is the opposite. If you don’t agree with what has been done, your reaction is to pick a fight immediately. When you get to be more matured, you become more understanding,” he added.

Ermita also said that defections are expected in these situations because not all of the aspirants can be accommodated.

In the case of Batangas, Ermita said that Santos’ transfer to the LP has made it easier for Lakas-Kampi-CMD to move.

“Now the battle lines are very defined. That’s what I mean,” Ermita said.

‘Game na’

Manzano said he’s got what it takes to be vice president and that he’s ready to face his opposition rivals who are faring better in surveys.

“In questioning my qualifications for the vice presidency simply because of one of my professions, my detractors virtually made a wholesale condemnation of those in the entertainment industry as being unfit and incapable of providing competent leadership to our people,” Manzano said in his acceptance speech.

He said his being asked to be Teodoro’s running mate was “a daunting challenge that I find most difficult to reject.”

“What they (detractors) do not realize is that in effect, they also question the intellectual capacity of everyday Filipinos to decide who their leaders should be,” Manzano said.

Manzano proudly claimed that he probably had more experience at 54 than any of his opponents from the other political parties.

He served in the United States Air Force during his younger years and was able to take up a course in civil engineering as part of his military service.

When he returned to Manila as a young adult, Manzano studied economics at the De La Salle University and on the side, became a judo black belter and champion.

He became vice mayor of Makati City in 1998. He ran for mayor in 2001 but lost to Jejomar Binay.

Manzano said he sees nothing wrong with a political party bringing in some star power to boost its chances in the polls.

“There’s nothing wrong with that. I think even John McCain did it and many people jumped on the Obama bandwagon,” he said.

“Celebrity appeal is always something that’s a given. Any candidate for that matter always looks for someone who can boost his chances and I can only be so glad to help Secretary Gibo,” he said.

“Sarah Palin’s experience was limited to Alaska. In my case, I’ve been president of the Vice Mayors’ League for a long time. I have been around the Philippines. I had a chance to network with my fellow vice mayors who are now mayors and governors so I think I bring a little bit more to the table than just celebrity appeal,” Manzano said on being compared to former Alaska governor and US vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Palin provided star power to the Republican Party but she had to face ridicule during the campaign for her limited knowledge in foreign affairs.

Doomed

Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. and Sen. Francis Pangilinan said the administration is destined to lose in the elections because of the many controversies that hounded it in the past eight years.

“I don’t think that they are running at all. And the biggest question mark is (Vice President) Noli (de Castro). Why is Noli so quiet? Has he entered into a modus vivendi with (President) Gloria (Arroyo)? So that when Gloria runs for congresswoman in Pampanga she can make an announcement that she resigns and lets Noli become president in the meantime… That is a malicious scenario,” Pimentel said during the Kapihan sa Senado forum.

Pimentel also said Senate Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri’s father, Bukidnon Gov. Jose Zubiri, might also bolt the administration party to join the Liberal Party.

“One thing is certain, the administration has no hope of attracting more followers,” he said.

“If (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) miserably failed to deliver the votes in the 2007 Senate elections despite their machinery, how will they be able to deliver the votes now in an even more challenging presidential race? If they failed then despite being more or less a party intact, how will they deliver now when they are facing massive defections?” Pangilinan asked.

“I don’t know. He’s not here but he has not left the party. I cannot comment on the matter,” Zubiri said on his father’s rumored defection to the LP. The younger Zubiri himself said he would remain with Lakas. –With Marvin Sy, Cecille Suerte Felipe, Jess Diaz, Aurea Calica, Dino Balabo - By Paolo Romero and Jaime Laude (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines - Senators Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) and Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) yesterday formally announced their teamup for the 2010 elections.

“Today, I can face the Filipino people and say that my choice for vice president was not motivated by political accommodation but by a common vision for the country,” Villar told a crowd of supporters at the historic Laurel House in Mandaluyong City.

The announcement ended months of speculation over Villar’s running mate.

He formally introduced Legarda as a candidate who will work for the poor and the environment.

Legarda, for her part, said her pairing up with Villar would not mean she would be abandoning the NPC.

Legarda said she would still remain in the NPC but would support Villar and the NP since they share the same platform of governance.

She said NPC founder Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco Jr. has allowed her to find a good and credible presidential candidate whom she would support.

“We share the same vision of a nation where there is lasting peace and sustained Manny Villar and the Nacionalista Party because I believe our partnership will ensure a new beginning and a better future for all Filipinos,” she said.

Villar added their partnership was not borne out of popularity or any political consideration.

“This tandem was not made overnight. This tandem was made out of the common desire to help uplift the Filipinos from poverty, to protect the environment, uplift the welfare of overseas Filipino workers, promote equality for Muslim brothers and sisters, attain peace in Mindanao and to work for good governance and transparency in the government,” he said.

Villar and Legarda made the formal declaration amid a backdrop of questions surrounding their different political stands in recent years.

Legarda was among the 14 senators who voted to install Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile as Senate president, replacing Villar, exactly a year ago.

Villar was forced to step down amid the accusations that he used his power to make a double insertion in the 2008 national budget to finance the C-5 road extension project that would benefit the housing projects in Las Piñas and Parañaque City that he owns.

Legarda had joined Senators Panfilo Lacson and Jamby Madrigal in calling for the investigation of Villar over the C-5 Road controversy.

She later explained that move was part of her function as a lawmaker and member of the Senate. The senator stressed she had no regrets about it.

“That was my position and this is the Senate, this is democracy and the Senate as an institution,” Legarda said.

“If there were criticisms and harsh words I made against Senator Villar, these are the usual questions in the Senate hearings,” she said.

Legarda also defended her earlier criticisms against Villar, accusing the senator of spending millions to run political advertisements in preparation for seeking the presidency.

“Our team up here, as I have said, is not based on political expediency or just assuming a position of power for the sake of power itself,” she stressed.

Like Clinton against Obama

Legarda even likened her situation to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US President Barack Obama during their runoff in the selection of the presidential candidate.

“Secretary Clinton and US President Obama, during the primaries, had barely speaking words for each other. And now she is the more effective secretary of state supporting (Obama’s) administration,” Legarda said.

Legarda, who called Villar “my president” during the gathering, said there is a need to set aside issues now that they have agreed on a common platform and vision to help the Filipino people.

Legarda is now all praises for Villar, whom she described as being circumspect on the issues despite the criticisms he had been getting from his colleagues in the past.

“I am in all admiration for his character that he does not bear grudge against anyone,” Legarda declared during the press conference after the official declaration.

Legarda stressed she and Villar have both shared concerns for good governance.

“We share the same goal to build a strong and vibrant national economy competitive in a global market, yet ensuring an equitable distribution of wealth and opportunities for all Filipinos,” Legarda said.

Legarda said she shared the humble beginnings of Villar, the son of market vendors in the slum district of Tondo, Manila while she was the daughter of a middle class couple in the perennially flooded town of Malabon.

Villar stepped in quickly and defended Legarda from criticisms.

Villar said he has no problem with the past political differences between him and Legarda, remarking these even “spice up” their relationship.

Villar went on to praise Legarda for her environmental concerns.

Roxas wishes Loren luck

Sen. Mar Roxas welcomed yesterday the entry of Legarda in the vice presidential contest.

“This move by Senator Loren Legarda is an expected political development. Finally the senator found a home with Senator Villar,” said Roxas, who will be the Liberal Party’s vice presidential bet next year.

“We can expect the vice presidential race to be very interesting,” added Roxas, who is the front-runner in recent surveys among vice presidential candidates conducted by reputable polling organizations.

“I believe in the capability of the Filipino people to choose who is the most trustworthy and best qualified among the candidates. I know this election will be anchored on who has the strongest platform,” the senator said.

Malacañang, on the other hand, said the tandem of Villar and Legarda would pose a serious threat to the already divided opposition.

“We wish them well now. They are more a threat to the rest of the opposition than the administration,” Presidential Adviser for Political Affairs Gabriel Claudio said.

He said Villar and Legarda as standard-bearers of the NP ticket would further divide the opposition against the lone administration candidate.

Claudio though admitted Villar-Legarda is “a formidable team-up.”

“The personal chemistry and geographical complementarity are there,” he said.

For the United Opposition, Legarda’s teaming up with Villar would make the vice presidential race in 2010 “very interesting.”

Lito Anzures, spokesman of UNO’s vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay, said the recent results of the Pulse Area survey pointed to the Makati mayor as the third preferable choice at 13 percent.

“We began at near zero preference and the climb has been steady. As the trend continues, it should be a very interesting fight,” Anzures said.

Binay is the running mate of former President Joseph Estrada under the UNO. – With Paolo Romero, Jose Rodel Clapano - By Christina Mendez (Philstar News Service, www.philstar.com)
source

Who is Edu Manzano?

MANILA, Philippines—Eduardo Manzano ran for vice mayor of Makati in 1998, but his citizenship was brought up by his rival's supporter as ground for his disqualification.

Manzano was born in San Francisco, California on September 14, 1955, and acquired US citizenship by operation of the US Constitution. Manzano however insisted his Filipino citizenship as he was born to Filipino parents.

On May 7, 1998, four days before the elections, the Commission on Elections Second Division disqualified Manzano for his dual citizenship.

The next day, in a press conference, he held up his American passport before tearing it up to pieces, asking Makati constituents to vote for him as his camp filed a motion for reconsideration before the Comelec.

Manzano won the May 11 elections, but it was only in August 31 when the Comelec, in an en banc decision, ruled that he is a Filipino citizen as records showed that Manzano asked the Bureau of Immigration to cancel his alien registration in 1993.

During his term, he became the national president of the Vice Mayor's League of the Philippines.

He was awarded the Outstanding and Unblemished Vice Mayor Award by the National Press Club and the Outstanding Vice Mayor Award by the Consumers Union of the Philippines.

In 2001, Manzano ran for mayor, but lost to incumbent Mayor Jejomar Binay.

In February 2004, Arroyo appointed Manzano as chairman of the Optical Media Board, which regulates the production of optical discs and combats piracy. He resigned from the post in August 2009.

The 54-year-old multi-awarded actor is one of the hosts of the morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda" and the main host of the game show, "Pilipinas, Game KNB?", both on ABS-CBN.

Manzano is the ex-husband of Batangas Governro Vilma Santos, who is now the wife of former socioeconomic planning secretary Ralph Recto.

Manzano was also married to actress Maricel Soriano.

By Inquirer Research
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 19:37:00 11/13/2009


source

If the ruling party’s presidential bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. thinks that choosing TV host-politician Edu Manzano as his running mate would ensure a win in the 2010 elections, he could be wrong, a political analyst said.

For Teodoro to choose Manzano only made the Lakas-Kampi-CMD presidential bet look “desperate," because it showed that none of the popular vice presidential bets, whom the administration reportedly courted, wanted to run the race with him, Ramon Casiple explained.

“The fact that he ended with Edu meant nobody wanted to run with him," he said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV on Friday.

Casiple added that it was “debatable" why Manzano was chosen, because the TV host-politician does not even have the “masa appeal" of a celebrity endorser – often the main reason why candidates with poor poll ratings go for popular actors.

It was also one of the “conventional traits," Casiple said, that Teodoro needed to endear himself to ordinary folk to pull up his poor ratings in the presidential surveys. Conventional traits include machinery, money, organization, popularity, among others.

In a recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Teodoro garnered only four percent of the votes when respondents were asked for their most preferred successor to President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

According to Casiple, what made the Teodoro-Manzano tandem look more desperate is that they came from two different sectors – show business and politics. “They might end up not appreciating each other. They may end up having disagreements because they don’t have the same platforms."

Ronaldo Puno, Lakas-Kampi-CMD secretary general, stressed however that choosing the actor was a right move and that he would “never bet on losers."

But Casiple thought otherwise, saying that based on Manzano’s record in the political arena, he does not even have the continuous track record of a winner. A former Makati City vice mayor, Manzano had lost to incumbent Mayor Jejomar Binay in the 2001 mayoral race.

The administration bets “must really do their homework" if they wanted to win next year’s elections, the analyst stressed.

Casiple stressed that the 54-year-old actor would be pitted against Binay once again in the 2010 vice presidential race, along with “more popular candidates" Senators Loren Legarda and Manuel “Mar" Roxas II. – Aie Balagtas See, GMANews.TV

THE Lakas-Kampi Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD) is looking at the possibility of a Mindanaoan as running mate of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

This came up during a meeting yesterday of the Lakas-Kampi national executive committee (NEC) meeting in Malacañang.

"Leaders of the party or members of the execom coming from Mindanao were very vocal and very passionate about the need for the party to consider somebody who will represent the interest of Mindanao," said Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser for political affairs Gabriel Claudio and party secretary general.

He said the NEC members also suggested that the party give "top priority to somebody who belongs not only to the party but to the national executive committee itself."

Lakas-Kampi’s vice presidential and senatorial bets are expected to be known on November 19 when the party holds its national convention at the PICC.

During the national convention, Teodoro will take over the chairmanship of the party from President Arroyo who will assume the post of president emeritus.

Claudio said three prominent personalities are being considered as Teodoro’s running mate but declined to name them.

Among the names earlier floated were Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People’s Coalition, Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. of Lakas-Kampi, former Optical Media Board chairman Edu Manzano, and Tourism Secretary Joseph Durano.

Revilla declined, saying he would be a more effective public servant as a senator.

He also said he could not turn down the appeal of his father, former senator Ramon Revilla, form him to remain a senator.

There are seven Mindanaoans in the NEC. They are Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who is the party’s president for Mindanao; Rep. Simeon Datumanong, senior vice president; Tawi-Tawi Rep. Nur Jaafar, vice president for the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao; and Prospero Pichay, head of the Local Water Utilities Administration.

The three others are regional chairmen -- Surigao del Norte Rep. Glenda Ecleo (Caraga), Gov. Aurora Cerilles (Zamboanga Peninsula) and Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan of ARMM.

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, asked about Zubiri’s chances in the vice presidential race, said anyone the administration chooses is expected to "fair very, very well" in the elections.

Zubiri was elected in 2007 and will serve as senator until 2013. If ever he runs in 2010 and loses, he could resume his position as senator.

Ermita said a Teodoro-Zubiri tandem would bode well for the administration as the two are expected to complement each other, present a balanced team, and eventually boost each other’s chances in the elections.

He added it would show Mindanaoans their interests are not forgotten.

Zubiri is not inclined to run as vice president.

"I cannot abandon my post at this point. I still have a lot of work to do here," he said.


‘DELIBERATE’ SEARCH


Ermita said the administration is not having difficulty finding a running mate for Teodoro. He said the party just wants to be "deliberate" in the search instead of rushing into a decision.

He said the party has a "deep bench" of potential candidates.

Ermita said the party is looking for a vice presidential candidate who was "presidential traits," noting the vice president assumes as acting president when the chief executive is on a foreign trip.

He said the party is also looking for someone who could generate votes not just for himself but for Teodoro as well.

He stressed the party is not closing its doors to candidates who are not from Mindanao or Lakas-Kampi members.

Claudio belied talks the party is having difficulty getting a partner for Teodoro because of Teodoro’s low survey ratings.

He said surveys are "very temporary conditions" and Teodoro’s rating would improve once he steps down form his post as defense secretary, likely next week before the convention, and focuses on his preparations for the elections. – With JP Lopez

Source

Who's Gibo's VP? It's a choice among Bong, Edu, Ace, Loren

Source: GMA News TV

Posted: 11/5/2009

Two male stars, an equally good-looking tourism official, and a "prodigal daughter." One of them could add luster to the candidacy of Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. by becoming the running mate of the administration party's top bet, who remains lagging in presidential preference surveys.

Party president Eduardo Ermita has confirmed reports that Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr., television host Edu Manzano, Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano, and Senator Loren Legarda, are among those being considered as the vice presidential bet of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD party.

“Ace Durano, that’s correct. Si Edu Manzano was mentioned also. Revilla, Ace, Edu," Ermita confirmed to reporters on Wednesday during a press briefing in Malacañang.

However, Revilla earlier expressed reluctance to run for vice president. Last March, Revilla said that his ailing father, former Sen. Ramon Revilla Sr., discouraged him from seeking the second highest post in the land because he could be risking his political career.

No word yet from Manzano's camp. The actor, who resigned as chair of the Optical Media Board last August, is also being considered as among the senatorial bets of the United Opposition.

The chances of Teodoro pairing up with Durano, meanwhile, are unclear, as Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) spokesman Rex Gatchalian said earlier in the day that Durano is part of their senatorial slate.

Durano, who has been serving the Arroyo Cabinet for several years now, was the spokesperson of the ruling party in the 2007 elections. He was appointed as acting general manager of the Philippine Tourism Authority in May 2008. He served as representative of Cebu’s fifth district, the bailiwick of his family, from 1998 to 2004.

Prodigal daughter

Ermita said the ruling party was also considering Legarda as Teodoro’s running mate, adding that the administration was ready to welcome back its "prodigal daughter."

Legarda sought a senatorial seat in 1998 under the administration’s Lakas-NUCD-UMDP party. She received the most votes (more than 15 million) in the race.

In the impeachment trial against former President Joseph Estrada at the Senate in January 2001, Legarda was among those who voted “yes" to open the controversial “second envelope" containing supposed evidence showing Estrada held a secret P3.3 billion bank account under the name “Jose Velarde."

However, in 2004, Legarda shifted loyalty to the opposition, and became the running mate of actor Fernando Poe Jr. in the national elections. The tandem lost to administration bets President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and then Senator Noli de Castro.

In 2007, Legarda remained with the opposition and ran as second-term senator. She became the front runner in the race, receiving more than 18 million votes.

Despite the perceived turncoatism, Legarda is still regarded as an asset of the administration. Ermita said Lakas-Kampi-CMD "is very serious" in forging a coalition with the Nationalist People’s Coalition, the party that will field Legarda as its vice presidential bet.

“Kung saan inaakala na mananalo siya at magagawa niya ang kaniyang gagawin, yun ang napakahalaga (What’s more important is where we think she could win and continue her endeavors)," said Ermita. - GMANews.TV

Source

NOYNOY & MAR FOR US !!! LOVE THE VIDEO AND THE MESSAGE... sana bawat pinoy ay mahalin ang bansa lalo na ang nasa goberno. I believe that Noynoy do love our country and will try his best for us. meron tayong matalino ( Gloria ) , popular ( ERAP ) na presidente pero hindi naman mahal ang bayan , naniniwala ako kung mahal nila ang bayan , hindi sila corrupt at puro sa bulsa nila ang punta. gusto ko dati si Chiz kaso sourgrape at hindi matunong magbigay , Si gibo , tao ni Gloria .
thina75

A star -studded and very touching video but it would have been nice and more convincing to the ordinary people to listen again to the song and ponder what the message in the song means if the video also includes different sectors to send a clear message to us that Filipinos can and should unite and fight for reforms regardless of status in life for the country.

rgsling

galing ng video. Vote for nonoy. Si Tita Cory wala din namang kaalalam alam sa politika e. Pero totoong tao si Cory na ang hangarin nya lang is to make a change in the government. Si Grolia, daming alam sa politika, pero anong nangyari sa tin? maaasahan ba siya? masaya ka ba? di ka ba naloko dahil sa nice and good government na pangako nya? Trapong trapo na yan si Grolia. Gorilla?hahahhaha
bran822

I think people are just glad they finally found a candidate they can actually trust and believe in. The video just helped to drive that point home.

Sentimental? Maybe. But let's not forget that the biggest problem of the Philippines is that the people no longer trust the established institutions of government. Electing a president that is not backed by traditional means (makinarya) seems like the first step to rectifying that. Bring some trust back.
eyestrained07

This is awesome video. We all need to pitch in to solve our country's problems. Although Noynoy will not solve our problems, electing him to the highest office in the country is a good start. What we need is someone we could trust and look up to. We don't need another thief like C5 at Taga (Villar), or Galing at Talino Wala naman Prinsipyo like Gibo. Si Villar magnanakaw lang, si Gibo magaling kuno but look at how NDCC was managed, dumating si Ondoy dadalawa rubber boats, what vision is that?
joeyreyes100

Catchy din yung "Siya Na Nga" campaign ni Noynoy. Si Ogie din ba ang nagsulat nun?

Regarding the suggestiong that Noynoy is "hawak ng simbahan", I've heard him say that he openly supports the Reproductive Health Bill.

That alone is suggestive that he has the BALLS to go against the Church if need be. Villar could not even give a STRAIGHT answer in his Probe Team interview when he was asked by Che-Che on that issue.
eyestrained07