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                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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.

Makabayan should run with a more principled party

Makabayan, the coalition party of the mainstream left, favors a coalition with UNA or the United Nationalist Alliance. However, a segment also wants a cooperative venture with the Liberal Party. I don't know with them, but there should be no alliance with a party which promotes what former Senator Aquilino Pimentel Jr called "dinosaurian politics".


Yes, electoral victory in the Philippines requires money and the money bet seemed to favor UNA, whose heads: Vice President Binay and former president Joseph Estrada Jr seemed to attract the most moneyed political investors. Yet, for me, there should still be ideologies and principles involved. Later on, Makabayan could be the biggest and the most influential political party in the Philippines.


This early, I am supporting the candidacy of Teddy Casino, whose principles, advocacies and dreams I share.

Why not Justice Carpio too?

So spin doctors are now hard at work, trying to create a scenario which points to a "Leftist" conspiracy to oust impeached Atty. Renato Corona as Chief Justice through a "people power".


A certain blogger named "Mullato" began murking up the issue by writing of a fantasy meeting between Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and Bayan Muna representative Teddy Casino. The meeting reportedly happened inside an 800 square meter condominium owned by Carpio at the Avignon. Carpio reportedly met Casino to plot out a demonstration in case the Senate disposes of the impeachment complaint against Corona.


Carpio, if you still don't know, is the alleged Palace bet to succeed Corona. Carpio is one of the founding members of the "Firm"--Villaraza etal law firm-- which once worked together with ex-President Gloria Arroyo in controlling government.


The Villaraza law firm and the former president had a falling out when one of the firm's members, Atty. Cruz, which was then defense secretary, fell from Arroyo's grace. Since then, the "Firm" had reportedly conspired with other ex-Arroyo Cabinet members (meaning "the Hyatt 1o") in murking up the administration of Arroyo.


The camp of Corona said that in the interest of fairness, the Aquino administration must also check Carpio's SALN. Fair enough.


Let's start with the allegation that Carpio owns a "800 square meter" condominium property. If you check with the Condominium Association of the Philippines, there is no way a single individual can own an 800 square meter unit.


Why? There is no such animal in the condominium industry. At best, you could probably acquire a 300 square meter condo which is about three or four individual units united in one row.


For an 800 square meter unit to be feasible, you need to have a building which is 400 square meter in width and length, something which any condo developer would not dare sell to just one individual. 


Anyway, the call for Malacanang to scrutinize Carpio's assets too is, at best, a squid tactic meant to divert attention from that of Corona's. Yet, in all honesty, it is also a fair call.


Why target Corona when Carpio and all the rest of the Justices probably did the same thing or probably had illegally acquired wealth too?


Carpio's assets should also be put under intense scrutiny. 


That's fair.


However, this yarn spun by Mulatto about a "Leftist" plot to oust Corona through people power is a desperate attempt to appeal to anti-Communist elements within the military, that this Corona impeachment is a Leftist backed conspiracy. This is farthest from the truth.

Randy David bilang Pangulo at Noynoy bilang VP

Maari ba tayong mangarap ng sandali at isulat ko ang mga pangarap na iyon dito sa New Philippine Revolution?

Kung posible nga sana, sino-sino ba sa pananaw ko ang kakatawanin ng isang dream team sa eleksyon sa 2010? Suriin natin at paka ngimiin.



Para sa Pagkapangulo



Nais ko sana ng isang Pangulong may alam hindi sa pangungurakot o kung papaano babawiin ang kanyang campaign funds, kundi sa papaanong maiging patakbuhin ang isang pamahalaang may dambuhalang burukrasya. Maganda sana ang isang Pangulo na may magandang bisyon o pangarap sa pagpapaunlad ng bansa, na maglalatag ng isang agenda na istratehiko, hindi taktikal. Napansin ko sa mga nakaraang mga pangulo, puro taktikal na kampanya lamang ang kanilang mga ipinatupad, mga stop gap measures na lumulutas ng panandalian sa mga problema ng bayan ngunit iniiwanan ang pagpapasya sa paglutas sa mga tunay at ugat ng problem sa susunod na administrasyon.



Nais ko sana ang isang kandidatong walang utang na loob sa mga dambuhalang mga kumpanya at mga lokal na panginoong maylupa.



Sino ba sa palagay ko ang maaaring lider sa panguluhan na tumutugon sa mga kwalipikasyong ito?



Sa ganang akin, ito'y si Professor Randy David.



Opo, ang tanyag na propesor Randy David. Una, may talino siya't may marubdob na pagmamahal sa Inang Bayan. Ikalawa, mayroon siyang pag-asang maging isang tunay na alternatibong kandidato laban sa mga pumapalaot na mga trapong nais maging pangulo. At ikatlo, wala siyang pangarap na maging pangulo, alalaong baga'y para siyang isang Corazon Aquino.



Sa Pangalawang Pangulo



Maganda sana kung si Senator Benigno "NoyNoy" Aquino ay siyang magpahayag ng kahandaang tumakbo bilang ikalwang pangulo o kung hindi man, suportahan na lamang ang kandidatura ni Senator Kiko Pangilinan. Sa ganang akin, tunay ang abilidad at kakayanan ng dalawang ito upang pamunuan ang pamahalaan. Magagamit natin ang kanilang karanasan bilang mga mambabatas para magkasanib puwersa nilang tulungan ang Pangulong Randy David sa pagpapatakbo ng pamahalaan.



Sa mga Senatoriables



1. General Danilo Lim---para sa tunay na reporma ng Sandatahang Lakas ng Pilipinas at pagpapatatag ng sekyuridad ng ating bansa.



2. Susan Toots Ople---pagpapalakas ng hanay ng lakas paggawa at pagsulong pa ng mga batas na magpapa-igi sa kapakanan ng mga Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).



3. Joey de Venecia III---pagpapakinis sa business environment upang maging lebel ang playing field at sa gayun, ma-attract ang foreign investments sa bansa.



4. Ariel Querubin--tungo sa pagpapakinis ng relasyong pangtanggulan ng Pilipinas sa iba't-ibang bansa at pagpapatatag din sa pagbigay benepisyo sa mga bayani ng bayan.



5. Risa Hontiveros---pagbalangkas ng isang matatag na batas tungo sa proteksyon ng mga karapatan ng mga kababaihan at iba pang batas na siyang magpapa-igi sa kalagayan ng mga urban poor.



6. Ruffy Biazon---mga batas na magpapalakas sa hanay ng mga kabataan at magbibigay ng libreng edukasyon sa mga kabataang napagkaitan ng gayung oportunidad.



7. Teddy Casino---magkakatawan sa mga middle class gayundin sa mga propesyunal at magiging kasangkapan upang makapagpanday ng mga batas na siyang magsusulong ng isang Pambansa Demokratikong lipunan.



8. Satur Ocampo----magpapatatag sa mga batas tungo sa proteksyon ng karapatang pantao at karapatan ng hanay ng mga manggagawang Pilipino, gayondin ng midya.



9. Teofisto Guingona III---magpapanday ng mga batas upang patatagin ang ugnayang Kristiyano at Muslim sa Mindanao gayundin ang paglikha ng mga batas tungo sa pagpapaunlad ng mga kanayunan.



10. Lisa Masa----tunay na kinatawan ng mga kababaihan sa Senado at magiging malakas na tagapagsulong ng mga rebolusyunaryong inisyatiba.



11. Atty. Adel Tamano---pagsusulong ng mga interes ng Bangsamoro sa Senado.

12. Jamby Madrigal



Dream Team



Prof. Randy David---Pangulo

Noynoy Aquino------Ikalwang Pangulo



Senatorial Slate



1. Gen. Danilo Lim

2. Susan Toots Ople

3. Joey de Venecia III

4. Ariel Querubin

5. Risa Hontiveros

6. Ruffy Biazon

7. Teddy Casino

8. Satur Ocampo

9. Teofisto Guingona III

10. Lisa Masa

11. Adel Tamano

12. Jamby Madrigal

Danny Lim and the Patriots--Mga Maginoo

Brigadier General Danny Lim is a person of high integrity. A West Pointer, Lim dedicated most of his life to the service of the Filipino People. Yesterday, Lim said he's seriously considering running for a senatorial post. He says that he's still committed towards achieving lasting peace through an improvement in the political system.

Another officer who is also thinking of running is General Ariel Querubin. Like Lim, he's also under detention for alleged mutiny charges.

Teddy Casino is rumoured to be eyeing a senatorial seat himself. Good. Like Lim and Querubin, Teddy exemplifies the kind of legislator we need for the Upper Chamber. He's young. He's idealistic and has an electrifying charisma.

Joey de Venecia III has also intimated his desire to run for a senatorial post. The younger de Venecia, if you remember, went out of his comfort zone as a businessman and sacrificed almost everything just to at least make that ZTE transaction above board.

Pia Hontiveros' sister Hontiveros-Paraquel, is also gunning for a senatorial seat. Like Teddy, she has a very strong will and principles for the benefit of the Filipino People. She deserves our attention and support.

Governor Grace Padaca, I heard, is also running for a higher post. Her achievements in her hometown deserves emulation.

Susan "Toots" Ople, the daughter of former Labor secretary and Senator Blas Ople, is also Senatorial material. Toots has been helping OFW's through the Blas Ople Labor Policy Center. She's one of the OFW's hopes for them to at least be heard in the chambers of Congress.

If Roilo Golez intends to run for a senatorial post, many people would be extremely happy. Golez is an expert in security matters and our security infrastructure would definitely be enriched with his contributions.

Is Ruffy Biazon, son of nationalist Senator Rodolfo Biazon, running for a higher post? I hope so. He could be one of our finest senators in the new generation.

I heard bar topnotcher Atty. Kiko Pimentel III is expected to resume his campaign. He nearly won the 2007 elections after a bitter contest with Senator Juan Zubiri. Hope things turn out different this time, since automated na ang elections.

Adel Tamano, son of former Senator Mamintal Tamano, is running under the Nacionalista Party. His ratings are really not that high and I heard that many Muslims do not like him. Nonetheless, I think Adel has the qualities of a good senator. He deserves a chance. He's intelligent and has the vision to pursue the Bangsamoro agenda in the upper chamber.

Lastly, there's another idealistic officer who wants to run for a senatorial post. I am still not at liberty to reveal his name except that if this person stands up and tells me that I need to go out of my comfort zone and fight for my country even with my bare hands, I will. This guy has the highest integrity. And even if he's past fifty, the last time I talked with him, he still has the same fire in his belly. He is, to me and others, the true Maginoo.

My 12 Senators (if the elections pushes thru)

Honestly my friends, I only voted once in my life---and it was for Jovito Salonga as president. Salonga lost but at least I stood up and counted myself in those millions who believed in him.

Now, should the elections push thru as planned, though I still believe that elections are being used as social tranquilizers to lull the great masses to sleep, if asked, I'll vote for these people. I remember my colonel friend asking me if I have a list of people in my mind who deserves the support of the masses. His request was about two or three months ago. I decided now is the time for me to reveal my list.

Brigadier General Danilo "Danny" Lim deserves to be elected either as a Senator or a Vice President. He fits into what our group, the Maginoo Movement, describes as the New Patriot. He has Integrity. He has a very good track record of government service. He has a good platform of government and his chances of winning is high. Should Gen. Lim really participates in the 2010 elections, I'll vote for him. We deserve someone who has the fortitude of Spirit and the Vision to lead this nation to glory.

However, Danny Lim and his group should not allow join Villar's Nacionalista Party. No. If they decide to do so, then, I'm sorry sir, I just have to set my sights somewhere else.

I would also vote for Cong. Darlene Antonino-Custodio should she decides to run for the Senate. Custodio has the brains, not just the beauty. What more, Darlene has the right political attitude. However, I hope she does not go the Chiz Escudero route. She must always be consistent on pursuing the Cause.

Tony Meloto of Gawad Kalinga is one such guy who deserves our support in case he runs for the Senate. Meloto's work is world-class. He could provide valuable knowledge in solving our housing problems. His insights into poverty alleviation are gems that deserve national attention.

Teddy Casino says he wants to run for the Senate. I will support him because he has the right frame of mind and he has the fortitude of Spirit, just like General Danny Lim.

Susan "Toots" Ople deserves a Senate slot due to her relentless passion for the plight of the Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW). Its high time that a pro-labor Senator be elected in the Senate.

For all his faults as a pro-Gloria, Gilbert Gibo Teodoro actually deserves a Senate slot. If he abandons his ambitions for the presidency, Teodoro is a fine addition to the roster of senatorial luminaries.

Ka Satur Ocampo is also a revolutionary all his life and deserves to leave a lasting legacy as a Senator. He has passed so many laws that improves the lives of his people and voting for him is both a responsibility and bears urgency.

Atty. Harry Roque is a fine example of a principled barrister. He fights for the weak. He has so many ideas on how to reform this country. He deserves to complete his service in the Senate.

I heard so many good things about Cong. Roilo Golez and analyzed all his statements and concluded that he deserves a chance for the senate.

Another person who deserves a Senate slot is Amina Rasul. She ran for the senate once and lost because she does'nt have enough funds. Nonetheless, we deserve someone like her who fights for the Bangsamoro. She's very intelligent and has the right nationalist frame of mind. She deserves support.

Of course, re-electionists Jamby Madrigal and Juan Ponce-Enrile, should they decide to run for re-election, deserves our support. Madrigal is a fighter of lost causes. Madrigal deserves another term.

Enrile has been doing the right things lately and he deserves another term.

Street Parliamentarians as Senators?

AKBAYAN Representative Hontiveros-Baraquel is running for the Senate. Same goes to BAYANMUNA Representatives Teddy Casino and Satur Ocampo. These are personalities closely aligned with the Left. There are also reverberations on the ground that Leah Navarro of the Black and White Movement is running; same goes to her bosom buddy, ZTE whistle-blower Jun Lozada and Joey de Venecia III.

Are we seeing the resurrection of the Bugs Bunny craedo that if you can't beat them, join them? Are we now abandoning street parliamentarism in exchange for Traditional Parliamentarism?

Is this also an admission that other forms of struggle, like EDSA or the People's Protracted War, are failures? That the way to go for change is simply be like those in power except that you're non-trapo? Is that the only difference?

For Arroyo and her bunch of nincoompoops, this is a serious security problem. Hawks within the palace will surely squawk and fidget in their seats. They definitely would try to frustrate the Senatorial ambitions of these personalities to preserve the gains of the reinvigorated oligarchy.

Street parliamentarians as Senators? Why not?

The only worry I have is this---will they transform into Joker Arroyos who abandoned the Cause of the People just to protect his political friends?

Will they be the Osmenas who now protect the interests of big energy players and big haciendero interests when they became senators? Or will they continue their fiscalizing roles and try to effect real, significant changes in Philippine society?

The Rise of the Patriots

I'm supposed to discuss about the raging issues of the day but found one interesting topic from www.filipinovoices.com.

The last few days saw two of my colleagues debating on who has the burden to act for change--is it the middle class or the masses. Benigno proposes in general, the masses, since they are the most affected, ergo, more than ever, the onus of responsibility lies in them. Chuck, on the other hand, sees this as a problem, since all along, the poor has been self-reliant, yet found no time acting to get social justice. A 2007 report shows that to be evident and the obvious fact that more and more Filipinos are going abroad--ergo, self-reliance. Self-reliance, as construed in CVJ, means personal economic self-reliance.

Both has a point and going in the right direction. However, what I find rather insulting is the way they view the masses, especially Benigno who has this obvious cono mentality that thinks highly of himself as the one who knows how the "average Filipino schmoe" thinks.

The kind of talk they're having was the stuff of talk the Indios Bravos and the rest of the Propaganda Movement had in the 18th century. Filipinos already resolved that. Who actually led the Revolution which resulted to our independence? Was it the Peninsulares, as represented by Rizal? Did the masses relied on them to help them resolve the centuries-old colonial rule of the Spaniards?

No.

The "average Filipino schmoe" knows what to do. They know that it is time to change. They know and already have the tools to survive this harsh environment. And, they lack nothing.

Isra is what they need at this point, a "spark". The masses are not "bumbling" idiots or bewildered ("flummox, as what Benigno wrote, a colloquial term which means "bewildered") with their situation. They know they need justice.

And justice will, indeed, be theirs in the future if they own kind again lead them to victory. And where will this action emanate?

It will emanate from the junior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. I am still hoping that a Bonifacio will rise from their ranks and lead the masses towards victory.

Or, from the Armed Patriots of the New People's Army. A synthesis of forces between the idealistic officers of the AFP and the young comrades from the CPP-NPA-NDF would catalyze all revolutionary efforts and achieve one goal--change.

Or, it may probably even spring from the huge, unstructured protest movement. This generation can still mold a David Celdran or a Nat Santiago or a much articulate Teddy Casino or a younger Satur Ocampo. The times call for such men and women of courage to rise up and act for the sake of this generation and the next.