My First Six Senatorial bets

Teddy Casino is one of my top five bets for the Senate this year. Aside from knowing him personally, Casino 's distinct advantage over other contenders is his vast knowledge of the political landscape. He knows the game without compromising his principles. For Casino, the supremacy of his principles is way above anything. There is no big business interest behind him.

My second bet is JC delos Reyes. Yes, JC delos Reyes has matured in politics. He is not anymore the idealistic kid whom we saw in 2010, fighting the political titans with his own ideas. JC delos Reyes deserves a Senate seat because he knows what is right and will always do what is right.

Riza Hontiveros is no push-over. She gamely lent her name as the foremost RH advocate because that is what she really is. I know Hontiveros will find it extremely difficult to win this time, what with religious lay groups going out of their comfort zones just to ensure the political death of those who pushed for the RH Law to be passed. Hontiveros stuck to her guns until the end. She may or may not survive this. As they say, better luck next time.

Cynthia Villar is my fourth candidate. This lady is sincere and honest in her desire to help those without work. In our Project with her, Villar supported the education of at least 100 OFWs who suffered cruelties at the hands of their employers. Villar deserves our support.

of course, let root for Jack Enrile. He may be the scion of an old politician but deep inside, Jack is his own. He has a lot more to do to bring into fruition his idea on securing our food stocks and sk                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Cynthia Villar and what the Public do not know about her

Former Congresswoman Cynthia Villar is one determined woman. As we speak, Villar is touring the country, bringing hope to those without jobs and really studying the real reasons why most Filipinos remain poor inspite of the country's vastly improving economy.

Cynthia Aguilar Villar is no stranger to the problems of the poor. She became active in setting up livelihood programs for her fellow Filipinos in Las Pinas where she once became a legislator, just like her husband, Manny Villar.

Many people just see her as a rich woman, the alleged brains behind the success of Manny as an entrepreneur, and as a billionaire real estate tycoon. What people don't know, and I am pleased to have experienced and saw it first hand, is Cynthia's heart. She, unlike others, is really serious in providing help to those in need. And she's not the prima senora in giving doleouts, no. What Cynthia Villar believes is life-long, life-changing help.

Since 2010, Cynthia Villar and Susan Toots Ople thru the Ople Center and the Villar Foundation, has been empowering distressed OFWs. Yes, those Filipinos victimized by illegal recruitment or by their own employers are being assisted by Villar and Ople (and yours truly) to stand by their own two feet. And how, many you ask?

Through education. Cynthia Villar is financing the re-education of these OFWs. Those without diplomas are being financed to get one by going back to school. Those who have one, but want to change their luck, are being given the chance to go back to school again and get another course.

There are about sixty OFWs who have been blessed by Cynthia Villar's heart. MOst of them have regained their lives back. MOst of them have their own businesses, some of them went back abroad but are now being paid better and higher than what they received before and others are working in hotels and restaurants here in the country.

What Cynthia Villar and the rest of the Villar Family want is to give HOPE to those victimized by the system.

Thanks, Mrs. Villar and Senator Manny Villar. You have proven yourselves worthy of the people's trust and support. Mabuhay kayo!

For those who want to avail of this scholarship program, go to the Villar foundation website.

Survey shows FIve Veteran Senators topping Senatoriables for 2013

A survey (which I will not name here) commissioned by several people and businessmen shows that Chiz Escudero is most likely to top the 2013 elections. Escudero got 73% of the votes of respondents. Following him is Senator Loren Legarda with a 61%, then Enrile, Cayetano and Honasan.

Honasan is followed by Trillianes, then JV Ejercito, Koko Pimentel, Ed "Sonny" Angara, and Dick Gordon. So that makes your top ten.

Former Congressman and now Customs chief Ruffy Biazon got 35%, Zubiri (34.3), and Hontiveros. These names complete the magic 13.

Those struggling to get into the magic 10 are:

Binay, Abby (VP's daughter), Jamby Madrigal, Cynthia Villar, Manong Ernie Maceda and Jun Magsaysay.

The newbies who are aching to go to the Senate are:

Ace Barbers, Joey de Venecia, Bam Aquino, Teddy Casino, Mitos Magsaysay, Rudy Farinas and Erin Tanada.

And who among these names are legitimately "newbie" Well, its Teddy Casino. The rest are either members of political dynasties or has beens waiting in the wings to re-establish power.

Who has the heart for the poor and the downtrodded? Its Erin Tanada.

Political and Economic Challenges of 2012

2012 will be an exciting and quite a difficult year, not just for us, Filipinos, but to the rest of humanity. For one, the issue regarding the unified currency system of the European Union (EU) remains unresolved. Second, the US economy continues to slow down, and joblessness pervades. And lastly, the Japanese economy remains sluggish, a victim of a calamity which no one really expected. 


China continues to perform as the new global economy's powerhouse. As it strives to grow itself into the world's strongest economy, it also tries to flex its military muscles to protect its economic gains. As the Middle East rages due to political crises one after the other, the lost opportunities there shift to other economies, like us. However, to fully maximise this opportunity, the Philippines must fully modernize its structures, particularly communications, to benefit from this expected windfall.


Natural and man-made calamities will continue. It is just a matter of how many casualties. Graft and corruption will remain a fixture of our everyday lives because the very system adopted by so-called "democracies" remains flawed. It is just a matter of how much.


Wars and rumours of wars will reverberate especially in the Middle East where thousands of Arabs want nothing more than establish their own interpretations of democracy based on Quranic principles. Governments in that region remain highly influenced by the West and the fall of old hegemons will lead to the rise of new ones. 


Technologies and modernity will rise much faster than last year. As humans discover newer technologies, several problems relating to health will be solved. Other deadly strains however, will sprout and will pose a greater challenge to human ingenuity. 


The Philippines remains on the right path. First, the government's priority is to further develop its infrastructures. The economy is expected to benefit from the downloading of funds per provinces.


HOwever, I question the 39.2 billion pesos allocated by government to the DSWD for the Tawid Pamilya program. These amounts should have been used in other note-worthy and with longer-lasting benefits. This humongous amount, if re-allocated to some things like building an industry altogether might benefit the poorest of the poor better than giving the monies to them. 


2012 is election year to us. Those who will run for higher positions will make their presence felt in the media. 


This early, Midgs Zubiri is preparing for the Senate. He is forming his team already. 


Those expected to relinquish their posts for the Senate are the following: RUffy Biazon, Riza HOntiveros (which garnered a best finish of 14th in the senate race), and General Danilo Lim. Justice secretary Leila de Lima is also expected to resign from her post to prepare for the elections. De Lima, in my estimation, is a sure winner. However, she must hurdle her greatest challenge---the impeachment and the cases filed against PGMA.


Actually, for the Senate, there is only about six positions out of twelve, open for new comers. Expect the "oldies" to come out strong for a comeback. The Senate race is a totally different ballgame since it requires the candidate to have a very strong and traditional mass base for him to win. Without a solid mass base, a candidate, even if he is wealthy, will not make it. 


Manny Villar will probably field his wife, Cynthia, as his replacement. That leaves it to five positions free for newcomers.

Villar to run for Congressman of Las Pinas

Senator Manny Villar is gunning for the gold, that is, the top post really. And he's bidding his time.

He says if there's con-ass and Mrs. Arroyo's allies succeed in transforming Congress as parliament, then, he intends to run as a Las Pinas Congressman and gun for the Prime Ministership. Either that or he continues his plan to run for President.

That, for you, is Manny Villar. A flexible man. A pliable man. A man with the mission--to insulate himself from political and corporate attacks after his term ends as Senator.

Poor, Mr. Villar. Like his friend Mrs. Arroyo, he's determined to continue his dominance in Las Pinas to protect himself from possible prosecution. He faces a very tough case, what with overwhelming evidence on the C-5 diversion road project against him. Like Mrs. Arroyo, Villar thinks that being in the public limelight shields him from answering these accusations and going to jail.

Just like evangelists, public officials like Villar use their position to protect their businesses and personal interests. If an evangelist with a television show got 1.2 billion pesos as payment for right-of-way and get away with it unscathed, why not Villar? He thinks that as Senator, he really can get away with almost anything. His behavior during the Senate ethics trial against him shows his contempt with institutions and his tendency to use his position as buffer against his numerous enemies.

Like other contemptious feudal lords, Villar thinks that Las Pinas serves as his fiefdom, a place where he finds succor whenever in political trouble. Since the early 1990's, the Villars have been the "ruling family" in Las Pinas. They have a political dynasty there. When he finished his term as Congressman, his wife, Cynthia replaced him. Now on her third term, the Villars decided to field their son Mak. However, should Villar decides to go back to his original post, his son is very much willing to give way.

Expose Villar's Indiscretions!

Since i started as a journalist in 1992, I always believe in the saying that you really can't please everybody. When I wrote a disparaging article against Mar Roxas for his stupid tv ad, those who are dedicated online bashers and defenders of Senator Manny Villar came to populate the FilipinoVoices website with kudos and comments.

When I wrote an article commenting on Villar's similarly stupid TV ad, many came to his rescue. Instead of seeing the article as something which they should take notice and correct, these commenters over at FilipinoVoices started ad hominem attacks. They even employed squid tactics.

That's the problem with these agency guys---they don't know how to counter a negative article. They just know that the best solution is diversion when, sometimes, it is best to just owe the issue up and start making some improvements.

Really, I'll tell Senator Manny Villar to retire his account with his advertising and/or external PR agency since they don't know how to address a very simple PR issue such as this one. I know many people linked with Villar and I will ask which agency they hire to do their online stuff.

That made me angrier. I wrote that piece over at FilipinoVoices.com to tell Villar's staff to shape up or ship out. Now, I will write more articles exposing Senator Manny Villar.

Let these online Villar supporters do their thing right. And I'll expose Villar's indiscretions with more alacrity than ever. That's a promise. Why?

Because these pro-Villar supporters are like Hitler's S.S. or NAZI supporters---they don't like constructive criticisms. What if Villar wins? Imagine a situation where we can't even write criticisms against him.

Villar is like Mrs. Arroyo. And the People hate the pretender.