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Test ballots for misaligned ovals, poll body urged By Marie A. Surbano 05/04/2010

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Test ballots for misaligned ovals, poll body urged


By Marie A. Surbano
05/04/2010

With barely six days before the May 10 polls exercise, another poll watchdog has called for the testing of the 50.7 million ballots to be utilized for the coming polls to guarantee that they would be read and counted by the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines.

Roberto Verzola, secretary general of Halalang Marangal, made this call as he disclosed that the ultraviolet security marks in the ballots were misaligned during the printing of the ballots. This in turn means that the ovals to be shaded by voters could also be misaligned as they have been printed using the same high-speed printing process.

“The misalignment affected the UV badly so it is possible that the scanners cannot reliably read the shading,” Verzola told reporters at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

Therefore, Verzola said it is possible that the PCOS machines might give inaccurate readings.

“If the ovals were misaligned, even if you carefully shade the ovals, the PCOS machine would not be able to count the votes accurately,” he said.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

  URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100504hed3.html


Erap resumes upsurge, cuts Aquino lead in new poll 05/04/2010

Erap resumes upsurge, cuts Aquino lead in new poll


05/04/2010

A new survey confirmed former President Joseph Estrada, the presidential contender for the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), to be in a consistent path toward regaining the presidency in the national elections a week from now.

In the April 25 to 27 survey conducted by broadsheet Manila Standard Today, Estrada has overtaken Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manuel Villar Jr. for second place in the presidential race with a preference of 22 percent against Villar’s 20 percent.

Liberal Party (LP) bet Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s lead over Estrada was also cut to 16 points with Aquino’s leading 38 percent preference. 

The poll had a margin of error of plus or negative two percent from 2,500 respondents nationwide.

A survey conducted by the Magdalo group of incarcerated Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and released a day earlier showed Estrada with a 24.8 percent preference against Villar’s 23.6 percent. The survey was conducted from April 19 to 24.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100504hed2.html


Gibo camp basks in Quiboloy ‘nod’; Mar wants pastor to rethink decision 05/04/2010

Gibo camp basks in Quiboloy ‘nod’; Mar wants pastor to rethink decision


05/04/2010

The camp of administration presidential candidate Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro is singing hallelujahs over his endorsement by religious leader Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, saying the “anointing” of him by the influential evangelical group head has certainly provided a big boost to his “already surging” campaign as the endorsement translates to millions of votes for Teodoro.

Teodoro’s spokesman, former press secretary Mike Toledo, expressed elation over Quiboloy’s endorsement of the Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer, which he said has substantially made Teodoro inch closer to the presidency.

Toledo, director of the G1BO 2010 Media Bureau, said “apart from his two secret weapons – the youth vote and the formidable grassroots machinery of the ruling party – Gibo can now count on another facet of Philippine electoral politics that will further spell his poll victory, and this is the command votes of certain leaders outside of the political mainstream.”... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100504nat1.html


‘Crazy’ EDITORIAL 05/04/2010

‘Crazy’



EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
05/04/2010

Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales, asked by reporters if the leaders of the Catholic church would call for, or support, another people power revolt -- following calls from Liberal Party (LP) standard bearer, Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, that should he be cheated out of his presidential victory, he would mount street protests that would be worse than the undeclared civil war in Thailand — called this position taken by Noynoy “crazy. Crazy. Crazy,” adding that issuing out calls like these is irresponsible.

Of all the presidential candidates, it is only Noynoy who has been threatening to mount a people power revolt.

His reason for waging an Edsa l type revolt is even crazier and more irresponsible as he claims that, being a consistent survey frontrunner, Malacañang is already his, and only electoral fraud will deny him his seat in Malacañang. Ergo, if he loses the presidential elections, the loss can only mean one thing: He was cheated out of his victory.

That truly is crazy thinking, but then again, just what can be expected of him?

Noynoy’s spokesman, realizing that this statement coming from the Archbishop of Manila was quite damaging to Noynoy, since it is only the LP bet who issued this threat of mounting people power many times over, quickly tried to change the earlier statements from Noynoy which had earlier been picked up by the media.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com1.html


Questioning surveys FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/04/2010

Questioning surveys



FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
05/04/2010
It’s amazing how, this late in the survey game, the firms that conduct these surveys admit that surveys are not predictive of the results of the presidential elections — nor for that matter, the senatorial polls, which incidentally, they hardly get right, as far as the last four to six bets’ rankings and getting into the Magic 12, go.

It’s just as amazing that there is today an admission that, even a week in campaign politics can change the standings of the surveyed candidates.

One polling official even admitted that survey frontrunners usually take advantage of the survey numbers for funding purposes.

This was hardly the attitude these polling officials took in the past elections, always claiming accuracy — even at times boasting that their surveys end up exactly the same as the official count, without, of course, admitting that they are almost always off in their survey numbers of one’s lead percentage over the other.

Some months back, a Pulse Asia analyst, interviewed in a Lopez network radio show, even claimed that, given the very low survey numbers of Erap Estrada, and the high numbers of Manny Villar and Noynoy Aquino, that it was almost impossible for Estrada to catch up.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com2.html


Questions over ‘Broken Britain’ in election debate focus 05/04/2010

Questions over ‘Broken Britain’ in election debate



focus

05/04/2010

FULL — Smoking a cigarette outside the Market Place job center in Hull, a dejected Dave Howell says the faded British port “needs knocking down and rebuilding.”

The 18-year-old’s disillusionment is shared by many young people in the post-industrial city, which bears the hallmarks of “Broken Britain,” a controversial concept at the heart of the election debate.

“I come out of school early. In two years had no job, got one, that ended and I’m back on the dole. You need experience for just about any one of the jobs they’ve got,” he told AFP.

The main opposition Conservatives have put fixing what they call “Broken Britain” at the center of campaigning for next Thursday’s legislative elections.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com3.html


My vote for mayor NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 05/04/2010

My vote for mayor



NO HOLDS BARRED
Armida Siguion-Reyna
05/04/2010
I’ve explained why I’m for Joseph Estrada and Jojo Binay as president and vice president, respectively. And that for my senators, I have Juan Ponce-Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Ompong Plaza, Kit Tatad, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Gen. Danny Lim, Joey de Venecia, Risa Hontiveros, Ruffy Biazon, JV Bautista and Bongbong Marcos.

From the national level, let’s now get into the “local.”

I’m going all the way for Team Binay.

My congressman in the first district will be Monique Lagdameo, whose family has been close to ours for as far back as I can remember. Her father Riquit is the brother of Tonet, the father of Anton, the husband of my dear Dawn Zulueta. Monique has been a Makati City councilor for nine years and is immensely popular among her constituents. She’s young and energetic, hindi masasayang ang boto ko sa kanya.... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com4.html


The blind drunk leading the blind AN OUTSIDERS VIEW Ken Fuller 05/04/2010

The blind drunk leading the blind



AN OUTSIDERS VIEW
Ken Fuller
05/04/2010

In a piece published in this newspaper over two years ago, this outsider referred to Fox’s American Idol show as “increasingly tired-looking.” Well, it hasn’t perked up over the last two seasons (yes, yes, I still watch the damn thing!), but the edition last April 22 was, for reasons wholly unintended, quite interesting.

This featured the annual “Idol Gives Back” item, in which big names (the Obamas kicked off this year’s show) urge viewers to donate to worthy causes in the USA and elsewhere. Simon Cowell (net worth over $250 million and counting), the normally curmudgeonly Brit, visited West Virginia, where a family of six was squeezed into a disintegrating two-room trailer. During the course of the piece, surprise was expressed regarding the horrendous levels of poverty and hunger in the world’s richest country.

The really surprising thing is that anyone is surprised, given corporate behavior in the USA since the Reagan years (or, for that matter, in the UK and much of the world since the days of Thatcher). For example, take a look at a couple of the corporate sponsors of “Idol Gives Back.”... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com5.html


An Apology DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/04/2010

An Apology



DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
05/04/2010

The task of independent, critical and responsible journalism is not an easy one. It is a task of the newspaper I write for. The Daily Tribune has taken this task very seriously, serving the public with information that is vital to its knowledge and welfare. This task has been performed at great sacrifice by all members of the Daily Tribune management and staff, its reporters and its writers. The greatest sacrifice is borne by the publisher of the newspaper from countless legal and other pressures and threats.

Now comes before the newspaper and myself a demand for damages from Mr. Oscar M. Lopez, Mr. Jose P. de Jesus and Manila North Tollways Corp. for particular terminologies in my opinion column in the newspaper, DieHard; terminologies used in dramatizing issues and sentiments related to the toll expressway services, toll fees and business methods. These terms have caused legal action to be taken by the subject personalities. These parties felt my actions to be unwanted and overboard, reactions that I do not contest.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com6.html


Pakistan Taliban chief ruthless and theatrical FEATURE 05/04/2010

Pakistan Taliban chief ruthless and theatrical



FEATURE

05/04/2010

PESHAWAR — Hakimullah Mehsud, Pakistan’s Taliban chief who is seemingly back from the dead, has wielded a ruthless ambition to oversee a dramatic escalation in bloodshed and ally with al-Qaeda.

After months of silence since his reported killing by a US missile on January 14 in North Waziristan near the Afghan border, Hakimullah has threatened revenge attacks on major US cities in two purported new videos.

Under his leadership, Tehreek-e-Tailban Pakistan (TTP) has been blamed for some of the most audacious attacks in a three-year Islamist bombing campaign, cementing its reputation as Pakistan’s premier national security threat.
Young, energetic and with a penchant for the limelight, he took the helm after winning a bitter leadership struggle when a US drone attack killed the faction’s founder, Baitullah Mehsud, in August..... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com7.html


Old buses become new schools in quake-ravaged Chile FEATURE 05/04/2010

Old buses become new schools in quake-ravaged Chile



FEATURE

05/04/2010
CONSTITUCION — Seven old buses that once shuttled commuters around Chile’s capital Santiago have found a new life as makeshift classrooms in this quake-devastated coastal city.

About a third of the buildings in Constitucion, located some 275 kilometers (170 miles) south-west of Santiago, were destroyed by the powerful 8.8-magnitude quake that struck south-central Chile early Feb. 27.
The quake killed 486 persons and caused an estimated $30 billion in damage across Chile.
This fishing and resort town, with a pre-quake population of some 50,000, is located at the mouth of the Maule river, a short distance from the epicenter of the February quake.
Giant tsunami waves pounded the waterfront after the quake struck, destroying much of the downtown area.... MORE  

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100504com8.html


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