Con men rush their victims DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/14/2010

Con men rush their victims

DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/14/2010 Firstly, the nation’s salute to President Joseph Estrada for entering the political fray to reclaim the country’s political leadership. For Estrada, this sacrifice was his way saying that shirking from his duty and obligation to the nation — especially its impoverished millions — was not an option. As the poor continue to seek a leadership that will deliver them from the deepening quagmire of poverty, hunger, and hopelessness, one text message I got after the elections, which I now translate to English, succinctly expresses what I believe is their sentiment: “Ka Ments, please tell President Erap that we the poor know that he made the sacrifice and exhausted his resources for us. For me only Marcos, FPJ, Erap are sincere. The rich people don’t want sincere leaders who would not do their bidding. Tnx. — EMY” Secondly, the Ang Kapatiran statement issued by presidential candidate JC de los Reyes summarizes the doubtful state of the recently-concluded polls: “Inasmuch as I need to honor my word as I conceded the elections for goodwill, we have factual data on hand which unfolded after my having conceded… that indicates conclusive irregularities in the numbers. If I do not speak against these new findings, then my party’s integrity as well as my own will be at risk. Therefore I withdraw my previous statement of conceding the elections. We are putting a formal paper together which shall explain this in detail at the soonest possible time.” This is in stark contrast to the haughty boasts of the Comelec and the automated election system (AES)’s legislative proponents, Teddy Locsin, Dick Gordon, Chiz Escudero, et al. Thus, the greatest challenge to President Estrada today is to hold off conceding even beyond the conclusion of the congressional canvass and proclamation (that is, if there is one). By the insidious and almost unfathomable nature of electronic or computer programs and viruses, any fraud in the just-transpired automated election will take time to surface. Let us be very clear: The ruling powers — higher and more malicious than Gloria Arroyo, and the very ones who are now attempting to foist the “new Aquino” (or the “new Aquinorroyo”) — have gone to even greater lengths to install their new desired puppet. The rush of the Comelec to declare “euphoria” over the conduct of the polls and over certain bets’ concession speeches; plus the Inquirer’s “Polls stun the nation” and the Philippine Star’s “Automation critics happy to be wrong” by-lines, despite the absence of any credible validation mechanisms, are all suspect for being indecently too hasty. It is important to remind everyone that even in Europe and the US, electronic or automated voting is already under severe scrutiny and criticism. In the case of Germany, its Supreme Court has already ruled as unconstitutional such a system that disallows physical viewing and tracking. My Tuesday 8 p.m. Global News Network program has several videos from the US of the computerized voting’s flaws, plus the citizens who oppose it. There are powerful corporations that are lobbying and arm-twisting politicians for the system’s universal use, such that civil libertarians fear it would usher in an era of Orwellian corporate-controlled computerized elections — a universal electronic or e-Garci in the hands of the powers that be. Why then are the Comelec and the Philippine mainstream media insisting that the AES here is honky-dory? They cannot deny that the following have happened: Massive disenfranchisement of up to 30 percent (based on conservative estimates); malfunctioning of precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, as reported by several candidates; while voting in the old manual system ended earlier, and the recent polls extended voting hours up to 7 p.m., massive disenfranchisement still ensued; the AES’ penalizing the ordinary voter, as GNN manager Harry Tambuatco who waited five hours in the heat said, which caused many voters to just give up voting; the still unverified PCOS rate of accuracy notwithstanding claims of speed as reiterated by computer experts Obet Versola and Mano Alcuaz; and the Comelec and AES advocates’ emphasis on speed over accuracy, among many other issues. People’s legal advocates should thus sue the Comelec for the following gross violations in its implementation of automated elections law: Negation of the essential nature of the “random manual count” by announcing at noontime of voting day the clustered precincts to be studied (possibly tipping off the cheats to ensure the “cleanliness” of the machines covered); removal of the monitoring screen that would present to the voter his choice before he is to press the “cast” button; removal of the confirmation receipt function; the chaotic testing of the PCOS machines which did not conform to those measures specified in the law; the inexplicable sudden change of tens of thousands of flash cards where the configurations are contained, which raises suspicion that “viruses” were injected and due to the time pressure will be allowed to go un-scrutinized (which also led some to ask if they were really changed or if it was just a stunt to avoid close scrutiny). Through all the confusion, mainstream media continue to build up the “new Aquino” with such vignettes as Noynoy waiting in line for four hours, as if to further spin their yarn of his “unassuming” demeanor. Well, other than such theatrics or possibly the manifestation of his dorkiness, Noynoy was obviously in no rush — unlike people who had other things to do that day who could no longer wait under the heat. Still, the biggest question is why the Comelec and mainstream media are in such a rush. It’s been often said that con men consummate their heists in the flurry of fast-paced events with their sleight-of-hand going unnoticed. Well, that’s exactly what they did in Edsa II. (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. with “Beware the Orwellian Electro-voting Machines;” also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com) (Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)    Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100514com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Hostile territory FRONTLINE Dumb focus Asean vents concerns over Thai crisis NO HOLDS BARRED Yet another postscript SILVER LINING Mayor Vice DIE HARD III Con men rush their victims

Comelec pushing Congress to rely on automated count, not manual CoCs By Marie A. Surbano 05/13/2010

Comelec pushing Congress to rely on automated count, not manual CoCs

By Marie A. Surbano 05/13/2010 A president-elect proclaimed by Congress on the basis of electronically transmitted data appears to be the wish of the Commission on Elections, as the Comelec yesterday urged Congress to start counting the votes for president and vice president, despite the Senate not having received the manually prepared Certificates of Canvass (CoCs). Comelec spokesman James Jimenez urged Congress to do the count by making use of the electronically transmitted CoCs as its basis in coming up with the results and for Congress to quickly proclaim a president-elect. “Automation works. Automation is effective. All that is left is to see how many people can take advantage of it and its benefits, and, hopefully, Congress will also do that (rely on the automated count),” he said. He stressed that Congress can start counting the votes for the two highest positions as almost all election returns are already transmitted and that it will not take long before the provincial board of canvassers (PBoCs) can complete the canvassing. Senate sources, however told the Tribune yesterday that it is unlikely that the electronically transmitted data will be the basis of any presidential and vice presidential proclamation, as members of Congress prefer to wait for all the manually prepared CoCs before convening as a canvassing board, and use the manual CoCs as their basis for the proclamation of the president and vice president elect to ensure that the count is accurate and jibes with the electronically transmitted count.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100513hed2.html

HEADLINES GMA taps Corona for top SC post Comelec pushing Congress to rely on automated count, not manual CoCs 3 Pinoys onboard hijacked Taiwanese vessel — Meco Special ops target: A Roxas win by .1M votes Noynoy: No safe exit for Gloria Imelda vows to vindicate Marcos name

Special ops target: A Roxas win by .1M votes By Gerry Baldo 05/13/2010

Special ops target: A Roxas win by .1M votes

By Gerry Baldo 05/13/2010 The camp of leading vice presidential candidate Jejomar Binay called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to act immediately and stop the reported manipulation of vote results in Mindanao and regions considered as bailiwicks of Sen. Manuel Roxas II, and the target is to win by 100,000 votes over Binay through vote manipulation. The Binay camp has received reports that a team of lawyers is trying to manipulate the canvassing of election returns in Regions 6, 7 and Mindanao to overhaul the lead of Binay. The name of former Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz has been mentioned, as well as other lawyers who are now scattered around these regions. They cited reports in Negros Occidental where Roxas’s lead over Binay surged by over 100,000 even when only 40,000 votes were left to be canvassed. Calls have also been made by key personalities to certain local officials asking for their participation in the special operations. “We call on Sen. Noynoy Aquino to try his very best to find out for himself if there is indeed an attempt to defraud the voters — and instantly put a stop to it. Jojo Binay believes that the good... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100513hed4.html

HEADLINES GMA taps Corona for top SC post Comelec pushing Congress to rely on automated count, not manual CoCs 3 Pinoys onboard hijacked Taiwanese vessel — Meco Special ops target: A Roxas win by .1M votes Noynoy: No safe exit for Gloria Imelda vows to vindicate Marcos name

SC orders lower court to rule on $33.9-million Benedicto case By Benjamin B. Pulta 05/13/2010

SC orders lower court to rule on $33.9-million Benedicto case

By Benjamin B. Pulta 05/13/2010 A ruling by the Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Bacolod City to decide on the civil suit filed involving more 371 individual sugar workers and corporations seeking to recover $33.9 million from the estate of the late Roberto Benedicto and Traders Royal Bank (TRB). In a 23-page decision by Associate Justice Diosdado Peralta, the court’s third division turned down the suit filed by Benedicto and TRB seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals (CA)’s decision issued on Sept. 30, directing that the civil suit be remanded to the trial court. The Bacolod City RTC Branch 44 earlier dismissed the civil complaint on the ground of forum shopping as the complainants failed to report in their anti-forum shopping certification in the Bacolod case that they had filed a similar case with the Pasig RTC even though the same had been already withdrawn by them. The case arose from a complaint filed by the sugar planters and agricultural corporations on Nov. 23, 1997 with the Bacolod RTC seeking to recover their unpaid share in the sugar export sales supposedly undervalued by the National Sugar Trading Corp. (Nasutra) and coursed through TRB. As president and concurrent chairman of both TRB and Nasutra, the complainants charged Benedicto with fraud and bad faith in refusing to furnish them accurate date on Nasutra’s export sugar sales and in under-reporting and underdeclaring the true prices of the shipments.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100513nat1.html

NATION SC orders lower court to rule on $33.9-million Benedicto case Lapid wants parallel manual count stopped Families of victims of ComVal NPA ambush demand justice PNP downgrades alert status Padaca losing grip on Isabela gov post GSIS reminds members, pensioners of UMID-compliant eCard enrollment AFP back to addressing insurgency

Lapid wants parallel manual count stopped By Charlie V. Manalo 05/13/2010

Lapid wants parallel manual count stopped

By Charlie V. Manalo 05/13/2010 Saying that the parallel manual count being conducted to check the accuracy of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines does not actually reflect the true result of the elections, reelectionist Sen. Lito Lapid called on the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to immediately put a halt to the parallel count. Currently ranked 11th among the senatorial candidates, both in the Comelec and media reports of the results of the May 10 elections, Lapid called for the immediate cessation of the publication or broadcast of the parallel count which pictured him to be losing. “The parallel count,” the senator claims, “which is being made at random to check the accuracy of the PCOS figures manually does not, in any measure, reflect the actual results of the election as it does not cover all the precincts. To make it appear so would only confuse the public since the random ‘parallel count,’ which is limited pict to a number of precincts, may contravene with the totality of the tally based on all results transmitted directly from the precincts to the Comelec and the PPCRV.” Lapid was reacting to the ABS-CBN/STI count at 7:30 a.m. (May 11) which placed him at the 15th place with 354,797 votes..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100513nat2.html

NATION SC orders lower court to rule on $33.9-million Benedicto case Lapid wants parallel manual count stopped Families of victims of ComVal NPA ambush demand justice PNP downgrades alert status Padaca losing grip on Isabela gov post GSIS reminds members, pensioners of UMID-compliant eCard enrollment AFP back to addressing insurgency

Padaca losing grip on Isabela gov post By Ted Boehnert 05/13/2010

Padaca losing grip on Isabela gov post

By Ted Boehnert 05/13/2010 BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya — The “Padaca magic” seems to be wearing off, this after reports indicated incumbent Isabela Gov. Grace Padaca of the Liberal Party (LP) is apparently trailing her closest rival, outgoing 3rd District Rep. Faustino Dy III of Lakas-Kampi-CMD in the race to the governorship of the country’s third largest province. Certain results showed Dy, scion of the political family which lost grip on the governorship in 2004 when then Gov. Faustino Dy Jr. lost to Padaca by more than 40,000 votes, winning by an edge over Padaca, 253,718 to her 249,311, or by some 1,500 votes. Five election returns still have to be canvassed, however.  Other reports surprisingly show Padaca leading over Dy at least 133,000 to 125,000. On the other hand, Dy’s running mate, outgoing 1st District Rep. Rodito Albano, was leading over Padaca’s partner on the LP-Bigkis Pinoy ticket, outgoing 2nd District Rep. Edwin Uy, 279,263 to the latter’s 202,089. .... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100513nat5.html

NATION SC orders lower court to rule on $33.9-million Benedicto case Lapid wants parallel manual count stopped Families of victims of ComVal NPA ambush demand justice PNP downgrades alert status Padaca losing grip on Isabela gov post GSIS reminds members, pensioners of UMID-compliant eCard enrollment AFP back to addressing insurgency

1986 all over again EDITORIAL 05/13/2010

1986 all over again

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 05/13/2010 It isn’t 1986 but 2010, but it might as well be 1986 all over again. Sen. Noynoy Aquino, when he is proclaimed President-elect by Congress, plans for the first 100 days to start prosecuting corrupt officials, saying “I will not only not steal, but I’ll have the corrupt arrested.” With all the problems the country faces, Noynoy will be prioritizing going after the corrupt, and presumably, creating a commission to investigate the past misdeeds of Gloria and Mike Arroyoand their cronies. He is following in the footsteps of his mother, Cory Aquino, whose first act was to create a commission, known as the Presidential Commission on Good Government that immediately declared Ferdinand Marcos guilty of having stolen the wealth of the Filipino people — even then to the tune of some mind-boggling $10 billion. This was done without any investigation, any hearing and any evidence of the vast amount of money taken from the coffers. In other words, no due process. Cory was judge and jury.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

Too soon the poll praises FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/13/2010

Too soon the poll praises

FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 05/13/2010 Almost everyone is praising the speed with which the election results were recorded, with all the elation centered on the automated count. Almost. While the speed with which the electoral count was refreshing, the question to ask is whether the results transmitted were accurate. We may well have an electronically elected president, but one that may not reflect the sovereign will of the people. There are just too many doubts despite the elections being over. Smartmatic should no just be let off easy and neither should the Commission on Elections (Comelec). The fact is, the possibility that the 2010 polls were marked with electronic fraud is there — especially as Smartmatic, just a few days before the scheduled polls, pulled out all the flash cards — all 76,000 of them — and replaced all in just two days, getting new ones from Taiwan and elsewhere. The point is, if only 2,000 or so machines had defective cards, why were all the flash cards pulled out?.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune   URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com2.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout FEATURE 05/13/2010

Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout

FEATURE 05/13/2010 OKYO — Japan’s ancient samurai swords were once used to slice apart enemies, but in a new fitness craze they serve to slash away at extra pounds and cut down on modern-day stress instead. “Cut down!”, a sword-wielding instructor shouted during a recent “Samurai Camp” gym session in Tokyo as a squad of sweat-drenched women warriors followed suit, slashing the air with their shiny blades. “Put your right foot forward, cut down straight, thrust out your chest, no bending of the back,” the instructor yelled to the sound of a techno dance beat and swooshing weapons. “Punish the extra fat with this!” To avoid turning the health workout into a bloodbath, the swords are made of wood and urethane foam, but the determination of the participants is steely: the goal is to shed five kilograms (11 pounds) in about a month. The popularity of the course, which comes amid a resurgence of interest in Japan’s medieval warrior class, surprised even its inventor Takafuji Ukon, a 31-year-old choreographer, dancer and fitness expert.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com3.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

Lim, Isko win big in Manila BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/13/2010

Lim, Isko win big in Manila

BLURBAL THRUSTS Louie Logarta 05/13/2010 In handing reelectionist Mayor Alfredo Lim and running mate Vice Mayor Francisco Domagoso (a.k.a. Isko Moreno) an unprecedented landslide victory in the hotly-contested City Hall derby in the country’s premier metropolis last Monday, Manila voters lived up to their decades-old reputation of inherently being anti-establishment, or in the language of politics, oppositionists. How else do you explain Lim’s riding roughshod over his most worthy opponent former Manila mayor and former Environment Secretary Lito Atienza by some 220,000 votes, and Moreno’s burying his strongest rival for the vice mayor’s post Councilor Bonjay Isip by an even bigger 370,000, based on the partial tally of the Commission on Elections a day later with 88 percent of all election returns accounted for? What made the feat all the more remarkable, according to the pundits, was that the Lim-Moreno tandem, who are the incumbents, were suddenly transformed into underdogs going into the final days of the campaign, that had turned acrimonious with both sides throwing all the muck they could lay their hands on at each other, when the leaders of an influential religious sect which had an estimated voting strength in Manila of more or less 200,000, denied them the support they were hoping for in favor of their rivals Atienza and Isip..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister PROFILE 05/13/2010

David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister

PROFILE 05/13/2010 LONDON — Conservative leader David Cameron, Britain’s new premier, is a media-savvy modernizer often compared to Tony Blair for transforming his party to make it electable after years in the wilderness. Unlike Blair, who swept into Downing Street on a landslide in 1997 and stayed a decade, Cameron had to hold his nerve over five tense days of haggling to forge a power-sharing deal with the Liberal Democrats. But the 43-year-old has the edge over the former Labour premier in at least one sense: He is a few months younger as he takes office, becoming Britain’s youngest government leader for around two centuries. The smooth rise to power of Cameron, who was singled out early as a star of the party once led by Margaret Thatcher, was given a jolt by the Conservatives’ failure to win an outright majority in last week’s general election. Though he eventually got his wish to become prime minister, the man who has never even served as a minister must now hold together a potentially unruly coalition and grapple with Britain’s record public deficit. Cameron was educated at the elite Eton College, Princes William and Harry’s old school, and Oxford University, where he was a member of rowdy student dining society the Bullingdon Club alongside Boris Johnson, now London’s mayor.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com5.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

Now what? VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/13/2010

Now what?

VIEWPOINTS Archbishop Oscar V. Cruz 05/13/2010 No, it is not over. The fact is that it just begun. The national elections recently concluded showed the worst and the best in Philippines politics. Lives were lost. Rights were violated. Fear was sown. But the Filipino voters sweated it all out. The sun was fierce and for wind, there was none. But they persevered and registered their electoral will. As to the political candidates, some of them stood for what is right and just — although these were admittedly few and far between. Most of them, however, even sold their souls, and did every vicious conceivable trick simply to win their coveted public offices. At the end, the country now as the usual mixed of good and bad politicians already proclaimed or about to undergo proclamation as celebrated winners — as the losers in the elections cry their hearts out. Now what? Would the old timers — and there is one gloriously standing by the wayside even but for the moment — simply continue cultivating the culture of graft and corrupt practices in government? Would they still make the already structurally damaged institutions even more dysfunctional — the Judiciary in particular? Are they now well poised to make their public offices more effective in enslaving the poor and exploiting the ignorant? Or may the Filipino now expect a far better government, more honest and honorable politicians? It is reasonable for the people to look forward to governance that is not only ethically upright but also imbued with a morally sound value system?... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune   URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com6.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror focus 05/13/2010

For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

focus 05/13/2010 NEW ORLEANS — The nightmare began with a geyser of mud and water that shot 300 feet (100 m) into the air. Before anyone could react, gas from deep below the sea found a spark and the Deepwater Horizon was ablaze. One explosion, then a second, shook the offshore drilling rig. Louder than a jet, louder than a bomb, they threw sleeping workers from their beds and tossed men up into the air like grains of sand. Alarms sounded, and all around workers scrambled to escape. Flames erupted from the rig’s derrick, spewing thick smoke into the air, Christopher Choy recalled in an interview with NPR radio. “I knew we weren’t going to put that out,” he said. “And that was just the worst feeling in the world.” He wasn’t one to be afraid of anything, but the flames terrified him.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100513com7.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL 1986 all over again FRONTLINE Too soon the poll praises FEATURE Tokyo’s samurai women punish fat with sword workout BLURBAL THRUSTS Lim, Isko win big in Manila PROFILE David Cameron: Britain’s youthful new prime minister VIEWPOINTS Now what? focus For crew of doomed US rig, a night of flames and terror

Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count By Gerry Baldo 05/12/2010

To bow to sovereign will if he loses the Congress canvass Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count By Gerry Baldo 05/12/2010 Not so fast. Not on the poll body’s count. Former President Joseph Estrada, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) standard bearer, yesterday said that he is not conceding to Liberal Party (LP) presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III, making it clear that his silence on the election should not lead people to think that he is conceding defeat, stressing that it is wrong for him to concede on the basis of mere transmitted election returns coming from unidentified precincts. “Lest my silence following the recent presidential elections be misconstrued as conceding the elections to the frontrunner, I wish to assure the public that while I plan no protests, I am not conceding,” Estrada said in a statement, which was read by his son and a certain senatorial winner, Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada. He read the statement of his father over ANC, the cable network yesterday afternoon. The statement said: “I wish to remind the people that under our Constitution, only Congress, not the Commission on Elections or its chairman, Jose Melo, and certainly not the so-called poll watchdogs, can proclaim the winner of the presidential elections,” Estrada said.  Estrada was apparently speaking about an alleged trending that makes it appear that Aquino had already won the elections, as poll watchdog Parish Pastoral Council on Responsible Voting and the Comelec itself have been releasing precinct count transmitted results, with PPCRV passed off a an “unofficial” partial count, while the Comelec released numbers, also based on transmitted election returns, are passed off as the “official” partial Comelec count without, however, identifying from where these numbers come, which could well result in a trending of unofficial vote count....MORE

HEADLINES Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count Aquino, Binay still lead Palace to Noynoy: Drop Edsa syndrome Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat Smooth transfer vowed; transition team formed Marcos clan set for victory in polls

Source:  The Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100512hed1.html

Aquino, Binay still lead 05/12/2010

Aquino, Binay still lead

05/12/2010 The partial unofficial tally as of 5 pm yesterday, with 84.90 percent in, based on transmitted election results showed Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino obtaining 13,036, 207 votes. At second place was former President Joseph Estrada, of Pwersa ng Masa, getting 8, 345,926 while Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar, of the Nacionalista Party obtained a vote coung of 4,680,580 followed by administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro with a vote count of 3,470,136. In the vice presidential race, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay was still leading LP vice presidential bet Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas, by some 800,000 votes, in the partial unofficial count based on the election returns (ERs) and not on the certificates of canvass. The open “official” poll body’s precinct tally of the presidential results based on transmitted ERs has been questioned by some quarters, as the Commission on Elections (Comelec) en banc has no mandate to tabulate or even come up with a quick count, partial or complete, of the president and vice president, since this is a function of Congress, which is tasked to canvass the results of the presidential polls and proclaim the winner of the presidential race.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100512hed2.html

HEADLINES Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count Aquino, Binay still lead Palace to Noynoy: Drop Edsa syndrome Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat Smooth transfer vowed; transition team formed Marcos clan set for victory in polls

Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat 05/12/2010

Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat

05/12/2010 Nacionalista Party standard bearer, Sen. Manuel “Manny” Villar, one of the major candidates in the presidential election, and touted earlier by the media as the strongest presidential rival of the survey frontrunner, Liberal Party presidential candidate Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino, conceded defeat yesterday. The property magnate, like Aquino, a member of the Senate, was running second in the survey race until a late surge by former president Joseph Estrada nudged Villar to third place in Monday’s ballot. “The Filipino people have decided,” Villar told a news conference.” I congratulate Sen. Noynoy Aquino for his victory,” he added. He also offered to help Aquino if he wins the presidency. “The challenges our country faces are enormous and we should work together,” Villar said..... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100512hed4.html

HEADLINES Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count  Aquino, Binay still lead Palace to Noynoy: Drop Edsa syndrome Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat Smooth transfer vowed; transition team formed Marcos clan set for victory in polls

Marcos clan set for victory in polls 05/12/2010

Marcos clan set for victory in polls

05/12/2010 The Marcoses are politically alive and kicking, as they appeared poised to return to political power in both houses of Congress, along with a gubernatorial seat for a daughter, over two decades after being booted out of power and position in 1986. The wife and children of deposed dictator Ferdinand Marcos appeared all set to return to political power in Congress and their homeprovince, going by way of partial and unofficial results released yesterday by the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the media. With about 80 percent of the votes tallied from Monday’s polls, former first lady Imelda Marcos, her only son Ferdinand Jr. and eldest daughter Imee are all likely to be elected in their respective races. Imelda, 80, will get a seat in the House of Representatives, Ferdinand Jr, 52, will go to the 24-seat Senate and Imee, 56, will again become governor of the family’s home province of Ilocos Norte, the figures showed. Lito Gorospe, a family spokesman, told AFP that Imelda and Imee Marcos were both expecting to be proclaimed in a few hours. “We are just awaiting word from the Commission on Elections,” he said .... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20100512hed6.html

HEADLINES Erap won’t concede on unofficial vote count  Aquino, Binay still lead Palace to Noynoy: Drop Edsa syndrome Villar, Gibo, others concede defeat Smooth transfer vowed; transition team formed Marcos clan set for victory in polls

Bishop ‘flunks’ Arroyo as President 05/12/2010

Bishop ‘flunks’ Arroyo as President

05/12/2010 As the time for her to step down from Malacañang is nearing and as a new administration is set to replace hers, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales has said President Arroyo has failed in her role as leader of the country for the past nine years. Rosales gave this assessment yesterday as the country successfully concluded its first-ever automated elections in which voters all over the archipelago chose the next leader of the nation in lieu of Arroyo. “She did not face the challenge. She missed the chance to be a good leader,” he told a press briefing at the Pope Pius XII Center in Paco, Manila. Rosales presided over a Mass yesterday at the Pope Pius, where the command center of the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV), a poll watchdog, is located.... MORE Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20100512nat3.html

NATION DepEd says no teachers harmed in elections for the first time Town police chief sacked, Congress bet held over shootout Bishop ‘flunks’ Arroyo as President NPA rebels kill six in Davao ambush DoJ awaits formal complaints of poll offenses

GMA wins EDITORIAL 05/12/2010

GMA wins

EDITORIAL Click to enlarge 05/12/2010 Yes, it certainly was GMA-7, not Gloria Arroyo, who won in the manner with which the TV network covered the 2010 elections, in comparison to the ANC’s election coverage. The GMA Network anchors and its reporters — save for some snide remarks by a guest commentator on her take of senatorial candidates who appear to have won the polls, but whom obviously she did not care for. To cite an example, even as the top six senatorial candidates are fairly sure winners, she comes up to state that there were so many “good” candidates who should have won, not those who have not done anything. There was too, the clear offensive remark from this guest commentator who made a crack about the Marcoses winning the race in the senatorial, congressional and gubernatorial race, dredging up the old issues that had been at the forefront in 1986. Still, hers was clearly reflective of the attitude of the usual civil socialites, who without a doubt, will be around Sen. Noynoy Aquino, just as they surrounded his mother during her presidency.... MORE   Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100512com1.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL GMA wins FRONTLINE Usurping Congress’ canvassing mandate focus Radiation death exposes India’s waste disposal failures NO HOLDS BARRED Congratulations FEATURE China’s human rights lawyers face uphill struggle HE SAYS Sacrifices and expectations SHE SAYS Voting day