Villar’s ad spending - INQUIRER.net, Philippine News for Filipin THE presidential race has really turned interesting now that the two top contenders?Noynoy Aquino and Manny Villar?are running ?neck and neck,? as newspaper headlines put it. If we must view presidential contests as horse races, then indeed it would seem Aquino and Villar are hotly contesting the presidency, now that the former? Some have asked why and how Villar was able to catch up in a matter of two or three months. I happen to think it was precisely this controversy, and the resulting media exposure that saw Villar on the front pages and leading the news broadcasts practically every day in the last month or so that boosted his ratings. In fact, by seemingly ganging up on Villar and trading barbed remarks with his supporters in the Senate, his opponents perhaps inadvertently cast the former Senate president as the victim, someone being unfairly persecuted for the sake of politics. Besides, the C-5 issue never struck me as a ? BY AND large, people ascribe Villar?
Next Philippine President Noynoy Aquino Pledges Peace, but How? On June 30, Noynoy Aquino will take his oath of office for a six-year term as president of the Philippines. He faces many challenges, not least the resolution of some of the longest-running insurgencies in the world. He succeeds President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo who served almost nine and a half years after President Joseph Estrada was ousted in 2001. By the end of the Arroyo administration, a final peace agreement with the MILF was not reached. As complex as it is, the MILF strand is but one of many challenges that the incoming Aquino administration faces in making peace. In short, Noynoy Aquino faces the same set of challenges in making peace as did his mother, Corazon C. In Noynoy’s favor is the general political climate in which he will take office – his winning margin was the largest since the 1986 fall of the Marcos dictatorship so he has political capital. As for the communist rebels, he could benefit by explicitly contrasting his peace policy with Arroyo’s war policy.
VP, ex-Philippine president discuss deportation dispute Taipei, March 7 (CNA) Vice President Vincent Siew and formerPhilippine President Fidel Ramos agreed Monday that Taiwan and thePhilippines should resolve a month-long diplomatic row as soon aspossible to restore relations. The senior politicians held a breakfast meeting on the last dayof Ramos' five-day visit to Taiwan and discussed a wide range ofissues, said Matthew Lee, director-general of the Department of EastAsian and Pacific Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Siew and Ramos did not speak to reporters after the one-hourmeeting in downtown Taipei, which was Ramos' last engagement on histour that was focused on attending a golf tournament and leading adelegation of businessmen from the Philippines to explore businessopportunities in Hsinchu, Nantou and Changhua cities in Taiwan. Taipei and Manila should also establish a mechanism for mutuallegal assistance to combat transnational crime, Lee quoted Siew assaying. (By Chris Wang) enditem /pc
Sarah Geronimo endorses Manny Villar | ABS-CBN News Online Beta MANILA, Philippines – Pop princess Sarah Geronimo is the newest addition to the roster of celebrities endorsing Nacionalista Party standard bearer Sen. Manny Villar. Geronimo sang Villar’s latest political jingle titled “Naging Mahirap” during the launching of Katropa, a youth group organized by Villar's daughter, Camille. Geronimo has been named the campaign's ambassadress. Villar's camp said it recognizes Geronimo's patience and hard work that resulted in her success. The senator's camp, however, refused to confirm if Geronimo was paid P20 million in exchange for her endorsement. Geronimo, on the other hand, said she believes television host-actress Kris Aquino will not take it against her once she learns that she is supporting Villar in the coming May elections. Aside from Geronimo, Villar had earlier gained endorsements from Comedy King Dolphy and popular noontime host Willie Revillame. He said: "Puro paninira.
After Luisita massacre, more killings linked to protest - Specia Fourth of a series (Part 4 of this special report on Hacienda Luisita begins in December 2004, the month after the Luisita massacre. Recognizing that Luisita will be a major campaign issue this year and has divided even presidential candidate Sen. Noynoy Aquino’s own allies, GMANews.TV has been researching the issues surrounding the Cojuangco-owned hacienda for the past three months. Editor-in-chief Howie Severino has been working closely with the author in producing this report.) The massacre did not put an end to the workers’ protest. After the wake for the victims, the picket lines were reestablished at various points around the hacienda. The killings began on the night of December 8, 2004, when Marcelino Beltran, a retired army officer turned peasant leader who was about to testify on bullet trajectories at the Senate and Congress on December 13 and 14, 2004, was assassinated in his house. Noynoy escorts tagged in shooting Noynoy ‘s “superhighway" Sen. The SCTEX Issue Rep. Rep.
Villar admits meeting PSE execs, denies moves to favor family-le Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on Friday admitted meeting Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) officials but he never "twisted anyone’s arm" to benefit a publicly-listed real estate company his family controls. He made this clarification on Friday, a day after former president Joseph Estrada and his allies accused him of pressuring corporate regulators to exempt him from a rule that required him to hold his shares in Vista Land and Lifescapes Inc. for six months. Proceeds from the share sale supposedly helped fund his presidential campaign, Villar’s rivals claimed. But the NP presidential bet said that Estrada, the standard bearer of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, could have been misinformed about the issue. Nevertheless, he still respects Estrada, adding that he refuses to file charges against him, Villar said in a press conference on Friday. “Baka nakuryente si Erap. (Erap may have gotten burned by wrong information. “The PSE is a private company," he said.
Philippine New Year 2011: Looking Back, Looking Ahead New Year in the Philippines comes in literally with a bang – with vigorous fireworks (derived from Chinese traditions) reaching a crescendo at midnight. While each year the media dutifully record the toll of injuries, Filipinos love the boisterous noise and lights (and this year someone captured on a mobile phone the spectacular destruction of a row of stalls selling fireworks). Such exuberance seems to come naturally to a country characterized as one of the “happiest on earth.” This is the home country of Manny Pacquiao, who won his eighth boxing title in 2010 – and also managed to win a seat in Congress. (He muses in his recently published autobiography about becoming president some day.) Buses ply metro Manila's crowded streets. Psychologically, the Philippines is in a good place. Of course, not everything has changed. Substantively, there is sometimes more continuity between the Arroyo and Aquino administrations than either might want to admit.
Filipinos rally against retaliation Hundreds of labor activists and migrant workers from the Philippines yesterday staged a protest in front of the Presidential Office to protest the administration’s freeze on hiring Filipino workers after 14 Taiwanese suspected of fraud were deported from the Philippines to China on Feb. 2. Following the visit by a Philippine emissary who refused to make the apology expected by Taipei, the government took measures that virtually put a freeze on the hiring of Filipino laborers. Several migrant and international worker associations, such as KaSaPi, Ikatan Pekerja Indonesia Taiwan, Taiwan International Workers Association (TIWA) and other labor groups, gathered at Ketagalan Boulevard to emphasize that Filipino migrant workers and their employers were innocent and that punishing them for Manila’s actions was unreasonable and a violation of their rights. The longstanding friendship between the Philippines and Taiwan should be valued despite the recent dispute, Roy Loyola said.
Camille Villar to consider Gordon if pa won't run MANILA, Philippines – If her father, Sen. Manny Villar, is not running for president, Camille Villar has disclosed that she would consider Richard “Dick” Gordon, Eddie Villanueva and Gilbert Teodoro. Camille admitted that she has always been a fan of Gordon, Villanueva and Teodoro’s “good works.” "If he (Manny) weren't running, Dick Gordon is good, Bro. Incidentally, it was Gordon who accused Manny of attempting to bribe him to withdraw from the race. Camille, the 24-year-old daughter of Manny and Cynthia Villar, has been very active in her father’s campaign. Her efforts seemed to be paying off as shown by her father's good performance in various election surveys. Meanwhile, if her father emerges victorious, Camille, as a first daughter, vowed “to help as many people as I can.” "I don't really think about it because I don't want to be too presumptuous. A lot will change if Manny wins, but Camille said quitting her job is not going to be one of them. "I think I can juggle both.
He's not alone to ask mom for some help :) by alcide Apr 28