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Estrada pulls a big surprise in Gloria’s Cebu bailiwick By Gerry Baldo 04/16/2010

Friday, April 16, 2010

Estrada pulls a big surprise in Gloria’s Cebu bailiwick


By Gerry Baldo
04/16/2010

LAPU-LAPU CITY — When it’s Cebu it must be an administration bailiwick, but the old tradition did not seem to live up in Lapu-Lapu City Thursday night when at least 20,000 persons attended the rally of opposition Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino led by former President Joseph Estrada.

Pointing to the massive crowd, Estrada told reporters: It is here where it is clear that I will be getting a big chunk of votes in Cebu. This is the biggest crowd so far in all my visits.”

Estrada believes that Thursday’s rally could be the start of a domino effect that will pervade the PMP campaign.
“The way I see it, this is the last stretch of my campaign here in Cebu, and the turnout, as you can witness, is really overwhelming. Even in Compostela, the crowds were massive,”Estrada said of the crowd here and in the nearby town of Compostela in Cebu’s 4th district.

He said that the “Erap magic is definitely back.”... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100416hed3.html

US solon fears poll fraud in RP elections By Michaela P. del Callar 04/16/2010

Brings up issue of cheating, disenfranchisement with Gloria

US solon fears poll fraud in RP elections

By Michaela P. del Callar
04/16/2010

A United States lawmaker has expressed concerns on the upcoming nationwide automated polls in the Philippines, expressing fears of fraud and massive disenfranchisement of voters during election day on May 10.
California Rep. Ed Royce (Republican) raised the electoral fraud issue with President Arroyo during dinner in Washington DC on April 14.
Royce said he was able to take up with Arroyo his concerns over electoral fraud and the new electronic voting machines, a problem that he also raised with Assistant Secretary of State, Kurt Campbell, when he testified before the Asia Subcommittee.
“As problems arise with voting machines rejecting ballots and failing to transmit results, many are concerned that their voices won’t be heard on Election Day,” Royce said in his website. “We need to do what we can to make sure the results in May represent the will of Filipino voters.”.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100416hed1.html

Old faces, new party EDITORIAL 04/16/2010

Old faces, new party



EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
04/16/2010

Albay Gov. Joey Salceda’s jumping ship is nothing of the type that creates shock and awe that his new patron, Liberal Party (LP) bet Noynoy Aquino, had hyped up as an earth trembling event that would be followed by many more defections from the ruling party.

And it seems the fence-jumping from the Lakas-Kampi-CMD is giving the administration party an improved image, something like trimming, even accidentally, a long untended bush. 

With the way the Aquino had thrown open the gates of his party to all former allies of President Arroyo, the Lakas-Kampi-CMD is now considered the more “principled” party since staying in the party is becoming an uncomfortable choice as opposed to the LP and also the Nacionalista Party (NP) of Manuel Villar Jr. which two parties would like to assume the role of a monolith.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com1.html

Yellow: The color of hypocrisy FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 04/16/2010

Yellow: The color of hypocrisy



FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
04/16/2010

In a bid to squelch talk that he is a trapo politician through and through, as he has finally started to show his real color — which is the color of hypocrisy — there went Noynoy Aquino, claiming that while hordes and hordes of members of Lakas-Kampi-CMD, now his political partner, are defecting to his side, he also says that even as many Lakas members came to him and offered to support his campaign, he and his group only opened their doors to those who will be following his principles and programs, while his rival, Manny Villar, has been taking in those whom Noynoy and his yellows have rejected.

Naturally, he failed to identify even one Lakas reject who has gone over to his rival’s side. 

Apparently, to him, Lakas stalwart and Goria Arroyo loyalist Albay Gov. Joey Salceda is one whom he says is a “principled” Lakas politico. An oxymoron that. A politician without a word of honor is principled? (Duh, how dumb can the Yellow bet be?)

So how does Noynoy explain the fact that Salceda is a man without a word of honor — which can certainly be proved as it was he who had gathered a host of governors with the battle cry of palabra de honor in their pledged support for administration bet Gilbert Teodoro, just a few weeks ago?... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com2.html

Top prelate’s pedophilia-gay link ‘one gaffe too many’ FEATURE 04/16/2010

Top prelate’s pedophilia-gay link ‘one gaffe too many’



FEATURE

04/16/2010

VATICAN CITY — Remarks by a top Vatican prelate linking clerical pedophilia to homosexuality deepened the public relations crisis facing the Roman Catholic Church, commentators said Wednesday.

The Belgian daily La Libre Belgique — generally friendly to the Church — called the remarks “one gaffe too many,” adding: “To stigmatize the homosexual community with groundless talking points is not the way to calm the waters between Rome and public opinion.”

Bertone said during a visit to Chile on Monday: “Many psychologists, many psychiatrists have demonstrated there exists no relationship between celibacy and pedophilia, but many others have demonstrated... that there is a link between homosexuality and pedophilia.”.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com3.html

Erap vs Aquinorroyo’s VATmen DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 04/16/2010

Erap vs Aquinorroyo’s VATmen



DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
04/16/2010
It’s the same old oligarchic strategy: Field multiple presidential choices representing one and the same economic-political interest. In 1998, their clique, along with Fidel Ramos, positioned eight political personalities ranging from Joe de Venecia to Manoling Morato and the usual religious leaders. But the people, in their wisdom, eventually narrowed down the issues — which candidate would really care for them — and voted overwhelmingly for President Joseph Estrada.

The 2010 elections follow the same pattern, with the oligarchs fielding eight candidates to confuse the voters anew. But in the end, the issue will still boil down to the people vs the oligarchs.
As more and more people realize this, they will turn to President Estrada once more in droves. In the Magdalos’ latest March-April pre-election survey, Estrada has already begun to tie Aquinorroyo in NCR, and soon in all major regions of the country.
The Magdalos, the original Bagong Katipuneros, have been conducting their own surveys since 2007 when then Lt. S/G Antonio Trillanes IV ran for the Senate. Not intended for publicity purposes and strictly for internal guidance, the Magdalo polls, conducted by an AIM management professional, have been very reliable.
I initially doubted the group’s capability when it predicted Trillanes to land between number 7 and 11 in the senatorial race, as the SWS and Pulse Asia were still saying that he would only manage number 17 at best. But Trillanes and the Magdalo poll organization proved better than the two. And since the same team is behind this latest survey, I find it more credible and reliable.
RMN’s Jake Maderazo first reported on this Magdalo survey late last week and President Erap’s second place standing in the three regions surveyed. I got hold of a copy and was startled to see that in NCR, Erap at 33 percent was only a few points behind Aquinorroyo’s 35.6 percent; hence, a statistical tie.
Consolidating Regions 3 and 4, Erap is second to Aquinorroyo while Villarroyo was a close third to Erap. Taking the regions individually, Erap was weakest in Region 3. The Magdalo could not make a nationwide survey because of budgetary constraints but they promised to do a complete one by mid-April.
The Magdalo survey confirms what we have reported of other small surveys in Manila and Quezon City done by Atienza and Mathay, where Erap is number 1 and 2, respectively, as in most of the metropolitan cities.
We are elated that Lakas-Kampi stalwarts and close advisers to Gloria Arroyo are jumping like the proverbial rats from the old to the new ship — flying the same Jolly Rogers flags of Edsa I and II, with black skulls and crossed bones on the Yellow background of privatization, liberalization, globalization, and the unending expansion of value-added tax (VAT) and other taxes.
Vat-man Ralph Recto jumped from Gloria’s ship to the LP; now Gloria’s 17-percent VAT sponsor Joey Salceda joins him. As anticipated, when FVR jumps, the LP will be the latest VAT-party solidified. And this will be a boon to the genuine opposition which has criticized VAT since its inception by Cory Aquino’s Executive Order (intended to fast track onerous indirect taxes by skirting public discussion) to both Fidel Ramos and Gloria Arroyo’s time.
This “jump ship” syndrome isn’t new; GMA defense chief Avelino Cruz jumped from GMA to Aquinorroyo earlier. Bert Romulo and Silvestre Bello in January expressed their intention to join Aquinorroyo while still serving Arroyo; and they weren’t even chastised by Gloria.
This is the Yellows’ style: Opportunism par excellence, urged on by the oligarchs. They did it to the Marcos Cabinet, and then in Edsa II, Angie Reyes, Orly Mercado, Alfredo Lim and others betrayed the duly-elected president and Commander-in-Chief.
But the rats do not get away unscathed as the people condemn opportunism and treason. Mercado, Recto and others lost in subsequent elections; Angie Reyes can’t get confirmation; while Lim had to grovel before Erap to get reelected (only to betray him again). The rats and VATmen’s defections will help in the defeat of Aquinorroyo and the Liberal Party.
Finance Secretary Gary Teves, a.k.a. the finance mafia’s Vat-man, at the Makati Shangri-La “called for a higher value-added tax rate, lower corporate and income taxes, and approval of proposed reforms such as the rationalization of fiscal incentives.”
What?! More consumer taxes but lowered corporate taxes when, as Joey Salceda says, “the top 1,000 corporations never had it so good,” with P3 trillion in profits the past nine years? This is simply criminal.
Worse, Teves was even backed by some UP economists such as Medalla, Diokno, Balisacan and Fabella. I can’t help but note that none of these finance and economics “experts” does anything that employs workers or produce goods and real services; yet their economic impositions burden and cripple both producers and consumers who are the true drivers of economic growth.
Estrada must lash out at this new VAT expansion, the VATmen and the VAT party. That’s the last song he must pitch. Then the masa and the people will deliver Erap the mandate for a second time to stop the oligarchs’ continuing oppression and exploitation of the people.
(Tune in to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Global News Network, Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m.; also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)


(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu Laurel)


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com4.html

MVP defender LETTER 04/16/2010 Dear Editor:

MVP defender



LETTER

04/16/2010
Dear Editor:

In her April 7 Frontline column, “The new Ateneo way,” Editor-in-Chief Ninez-Cacho Olivares castigated Fr. Bienvenido Nebres for his reaction to businessman Manuel V. Pangilinan’s admission of guilt over the plagiarized sections of his speech before Ateneo graduates.

From where I stand, Ms. Olivarez may have been too harsh in equating Pangilinan’s lapse in judgment with what President Arroyo did in the “Hello Garci” scandal.

In Pangilinan’s case, he readily admitted his mistake and even tendered his resignation as chairman of the board of an Ateneo Foundation. While the speech was apparently written in part by subalterns, the fact that Pangilinan took full responsibility for it showed genuine contrition.

In the case of Mrs. Arroyo, she never acknowledged that she took part in any lying, cheating and stealing in the 2004 elections. She admitted to a “lapse in judgment” and looked so sorry and crestfallen on TV when she said it, but went on to do more lying, cheating, stealing — and killing, to boot — since then. .... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com5.html

Spat over Polish president’s tomb hits streets, cyberspace focus 04/16/2010

Spat over Polish president’s tomb hits streets, cyberspace



focus

04/16/2010

ARSAW — Debate over laying Polish president Lech Kaczynski to rest in a cathedral alongside monarchs, heroes and even a saint has spilled onto the streets and cyberspace, rupturing national unity since his death.

Kaczynski — in life a highly divisive figure — and his wife Maria are to be buried Sunday in the cathedral of Wawel castle in the southern city of Krakow. US President Barack Obama leads a host of world leaders set to attend.

The couple have lain in state in Warsaw since Tuesday, drawing tens of thousands of mourners to pay their respects.

But hundreds also gathered for protests nationwide Wednesday. An opposition group on social networking site Facebook meanwhile had drawn over 38,000 fans.... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com6.html

Iran and Saudi push Iraqi influence as US draws down focus 04/16/2010

Iran and Saudi push Iraqi influence as US draws down



focus

04/16/2010
BAGHDAD — Iran and Saudi Arabia are bolstering their influence in Iraq weeks after a closely-fought election while the United States becomes increasingly focused on ensuring a smooth military exit, analysts say.

The composition of Iraq’s next government remains unclear after a March 7 ballot ended in stalemate but the clout of key neighbor countries has seen Baghdad politicians journeying to regional capitals to obtain their blessing.
“The effective and psychological withdrawal of the US opens the way to other actors,” Peter Harling, a Damascus-based analyst with the International Crisis Group, which studies conflict-torn nations, told AFP.
“Until now the negotiations for the formation of the government were done in the Green Zone, the symbol of the American occupation. Now it is being done, in part, in the capitals of neighboring states,” he said..... MORE


SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100416com7.html

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