Aquino continues to lead ahead of Philippine election: poll

The son of the late Philippine democracy icon Corazon Aquino has maintained his commanding lead over rivals in next year's presidential election, a nationwide survey showed Monday.

Senator Benigno Aquino garnered 45 percent support, way ahead of multi-millionaire property developer and senator Manny Villar, who took 23 percent, Pulse Asia said in its survey.

Coming in third was disgraced former president Joseph Estrada with 19 percent, while former defence secretary Gilberto Teodoro, the candidate from President Gloria Arroyo's ruling coalition had a mere five percent, it said.

The survey covered 1,800 respondents around the country and was taken from December 8 to 10, just days before the elections commission announced that the four were among eight candidates eligible to run for president.

The four others are however are widely considered minor candidates with not enough machinery for a serious, nationwide campaign.

The Pulse Asia survey mirrored the results of a survey carried out by another pollster early this month, and indicates that support for Aquino "remains virtually unchanged," it said.

From a political lightweight with no significant achievements in his 11 years as a legislator, Aquino was thrust into the limelight when his mother died in August.

He took advantage of the massive outpouring of emotional support for her to catapult himself into the national consciousness.

The soft-spoken, bespectacled Corazon Aquino was well-loved in the Philippines for leading a 1986 "people power" revolution that ended dictator Ferdinand Marcos's 20-year brutal regime.

In the announcement of his candidacy, Aquino in September vowed to end corruption in government and give the public 'closure' by going after the Marcos family's fabled ill-gotten wealth.

"I want to make democracy work not just for the rich and the well-connected, but for everybody," Aquino said.

source: Msn.ph

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Noynoy Aquino tops polls again

Atty. Edwin Lacierda
Presidential Campaign of Benigno S. Aquino III
December 21, 2009
Statement on the December 8 – 10, 2009 Pulse Asia Survey Results

“The survey results validate our belief that the Filipino people continue to support our campaign for an honest government.

“It comes at a time when our many opponents are desperately trying to bring us down through lies and black propaganda.

“The fact that these are among the highest ever ratings for a presidential candidate–former president Joseph Estrada’s peak
approval stood at 42% and remained at around 38% during the 1998 elections–proves that their dirty tricks are not working.

“Our call remains, ang laban na tapat ay laban ng lahat!”

source: Noynoy.ph

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About Manny Villar

The public life of Manny Villar straddles both the worlds of business and politics. He is one of the few who managed to excel in both.

Working Student

He was born to a simple family in Moriones, Tondo, Manila. His father, Manuel Montalban Villar, Sr., a government employee, hailed from Cabatuan, Iloilo and his mother Curita Bamba, a seafood dealer, came from Pampanga and Bataan. Manny is the second child in a brood of nine. At a very young age, he was already helping his mother sell shrimp and fish in the Divisoria Market. With the burning desire for a better future and a strong determination to improve his family’s living conditions, Manny worked hard in selling shrimps and fish to be able to send himself to school.

“I learned from my mother what it takes to be an entrepreneur,” he revealed. “And it means working really hard to achieve your dreams.” In Divisoria, he marveled at the volume of sales that Chinese merchants were making, thus he vowed early on to become an entrepreneur.

Hard work, persistence, and perseverance became his guiding principles in life. This earned him the title “Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga.”

He continues to inspire Filipinos with his life story and encourages each and every kababayan to improve their quality of life and fulfill their dreams through the very values he believes in -- “sipag at tiyaga.”

Entrepreneur

Manny Villar was a working student at the University of the Philippines, the premier institution of higher learning in the country, where he obtained his undergraduate and master’s degree in business administration and accountancy. By then, he was also putting in long hours as a fish and shrimp trader, where the action starts at the ungodly hours of the morning when the catch lands in the market.

After graduation, he tried his hand as an accountant at the country’s biggest accounting firm, Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co). He resigned shortly though to venture on his own seafood delivery business.

When a restaurant he was delivering stocks to did not pay him, he printed out “meal tickets” which he persuaded the restaurant owners to honor. He then sold these tickets at a discounted price to office workers. It took him one year to liquidate his receivables.

He worked briefly as a financial analyst at the Private Development Corporation of the Philippines. His job was to sell World Bank loans, despite the attractive rates of which there were no takers. Convinced that he could make it on his own again, he quit his job and promptly availed of one of the loans.

So with an initial capital of P10,000 in 1975, Villar purchased two reconditioned trucks and started his sand-and-gravel business in Las Piñas.

Housing Innovator

It is here while delivering construction materials to big developers that Manny Villar came up with the idea of selling house and lot packages when the convention then was for homeowners to buy lots and build on them.

Manny Villar became the housing industry leader, and the biggest homebuilder in Southeast Asia, having built more than 100,000 houses for the poor and middle class Filipino families.

He then initiated mass housing projects to achieve economies of scale. His various innovations practically created the country’s mass housing industry. The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism calls him “the dean of the (Philippine) real estate industry.”

Awards and Distinctions

For his business achievements, he was made cover story in the Far Eastern Economic Review. And his life story was also featured in Asiaweek, Forbes, AsiaMoney and Asian Business Review.

He garnered various awards such as the Ten Outstanding Young Men Award (1986) by the Philippine Jaycees, Agora Award for Outstanding Achievement in Marketing Management (1989), Most Outstanding CPA by the Philippine Institute of Certified Public Accountants (1990) and Most Outstanding UP Alumnus (1991).

Through the years, universities and colleges all over the country have conferred upon Villar honorary degrees in various fields in recognition of his exemplary performance in public service, his pioneering initiatives and innovations that revolutionalized the country’s mass housing and real estate industry, and his distinct role in the enactment of economic and social reform laws that are vital in sustaining the country’s economic momentum and improvement of the lives of Filipinos, particularly the cause of small and medium enterprises.

Among these universities and colleges that have bestowed Honoris Causa to Villar are: Adamson University, Doctor of Science; Bataan Polytechnic State College, Doctor of Humanities; Bulacan State University, Doctor of Humanities; Cagayan State University, Doctor of Humanities; Central Luzon State University, Doctor of Humanities; Foundation University (Dumaguete), Doctor of Humanities; Laguna State Polytechnic College, Doctor of Humanities and Entrepreneurship; Pangasinan State University, Doctor of Development Management; Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology, Doctor of Business Administration; Ramon Magsaysay Technological University, Doctor of Entrepreneurial Management; Romblon State College, Doctor of Humanities; Tarlac State University, Doctor of Public Administration; Wesleyan University-Philippines, Doctor of Humanities; and Western Visayas College of Science and Technology, Doctor of Technology in Entrepreneurial Management.

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Manny Villar's Political Career

Political Career

In a stunning political debut in 1992, Villar won with the most overwhelming mandate among congressmen in Metro Manila. He promptly applied his economic and managerial expertise as a key member of the House’s economic team, marshalling in economic reform measures of the Ramos Administration such as the New Foreign Investments Act and the restructuring of the Central Bank of the Philippines. He was the House representative in the government’s negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C. in 1992.

He also oversaw various infrastructure projects in his districts like the construction of concrete roads and the Alabang-Zapote Flyover. He introduced the “Friendship Route” to ease the traffic problems in southern Manila by persuading subdivision homeowners to open up their roads to the general public.

He succeeded in passing Republic Act 8003 “Declaring Certain Areas in Las Piñas as Tourist Spots.” The law formalized his program of rehabilitating historical and cultural landmarks in Las Piñas starting with the world-famous Bamboo Organ Church. The ongoing project dubbed as “Las Piñas Historical Corridor” covers the stretch of the Old District and may even rival the Intramuros and Vigan restoration projects.

A staunch environmentalist, he initiated a privately funded tree planting drive in his district. He developed a P10-million tree nursery beside his home. He also quietly led a dedicated tree-planting drive complete with maintenance and watering of tree seedlings planted in the open spaces of the community.

When he realized that many poor students could not go to school because they do not even have fare money, he organized the “Manpower on Wheels” Program, a livelihood training school housed in a van that makes the rounds in depressed areas. The program has since produced more than 5,000 graduates and has been awarded by various government and civic organizations for its innovative scheme.

During his first term, he steered Las Piñas and Muntinlupa to cityhood. He pointed out: “As a developer, I have always envisioned these two communities as the ‘Twin Cities of the South’ of Manila. In fact, Las Piñas and Muntinlupa are the two fastest growing communities in the country today.”

For his constituency work and personal vow, he extended grants of home sites to some 10,000 poor families in Barangay CAA, Las Piñas City. Two major roads were also opened in his district: the Sucat-Pulanglupa Link Road to Parañaque and the Zapote-Molino (Daang Hari) Link Road to Cavite, thus alleviating the traffic congestion in the area.

During his second term, he was able to upgrade the Las Piñas District Hospital with a new building and better facilities. He also launched the “Sagip-Bukas” Drug Prevention Program on all the private and public schools of Las Piñas to educate the youth about the dangers of drug abuse. He also nationalized the Las Piñas High School to upgrade its facilities.

By the end of his second term of office, Villar had already proven beyond doubt his capacity for excellence as a true Filipino entrepreneur and a brilliant public servant who can get things done.

Champion for Entrepreneurs

In 1995, Manny Villar ran for re-election and won an unprecedented 142,000 votes, the highest number of votes for a congressman in the entire country. Winning media acclaim as an outstanding congressman as well as the respect and recognition of his peers, he was elected to chair the Committee on Entrepreneurship.

As one of the leading entrepreneurs in the country, he championed the cause of small and medium-sized enterprises. He authored and passed into law the landmark New Magna Carta for Small and Medium Enterprises (RA 8289). He initiated creative legislation such as the establishment of the Small and Medium Enterprises Stock Exchange and Business One-Stop-Shop centers, the latter he immediately implemented in Las Piñas City with the help of local officials.

Speaker of the House

It was no surprise then to those in the know when he gained the remarkable acclaim of 171 of 220 congressmen as the Speaker of the 11th Congress of the House of Representatives.

In a time when the country is slowly recovering from a host of economic and political crises, the election of the ‘brown taipan’ at the helm of Congress signaled a watershed event in the Philippine political history. The rise of Manny Villar ushered in a new consensus of leadership based on managerial skills and not simply on oratory and rhetoric.

By his first year in office, Villar undertook three pathbreaking reforms. He succeeded in marshalling consensus in the House to reform the ‘pork barrel’ system by limiting congressional discretion projects to the set parameters of the Executive’s development policies. Secondly, he launched a revamp of leadership by appointing at least seven neophyte congressmen to head powerful committees like ecology and banks. Finally, he set a strong and principled stance on environment protection legislation with the passage of the “Clean Air Act,” a measure that for more than ten years and three previous congresses were not able to pass.

On his second year in office, Manny Villar steered the 11th Congress into a record-breaking achievement in legislation and economic reforms. Among the pioneering measures he shepherded into law were the Retail Trade Liberization Act, the New Central Bank Act, the New Securities Code, and the New Banking Act.

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Noynoy Aquino's Platform for Good Governance

Platform

	From a President who tolerates corruption		to a President who is the nation’s fi rst and most determined fi ghter of corruption
2	From a government that merely conjures economic growth statistics that our people know to be unreal		to a government that prioritizes jobs that empower the people and provide them with opportunities to rise above poverty
3	From relegating education to just one of many concerns		to making education the central strategy for investing in our people, reducing poverty and building national competitiveness
4	From treating health as just another area for political patronage		to recognizing the advancement and protection of public health, which includes responsible parenthood, as key measures of good governance
5	From justice that money and connections can buy		to a truly impartial system of institutions that deliver equal justice to rich or poor

source: Noynoy.ph

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Manny Villar

Senator of the Republic

In the national elections held last May 14, 2001, despite being a relative newcomer in national politics, Manny Villar posted one of the most impressive showings in the national polls. On his first day in office, he filed 204 bills covering a comprehensive legislative program of action— the first among neophyte senators and the third highest filer among the senators of the 12th Congress of the Philippines.

After being elected by his colleagues, he assumed the position of Senate President Pro-Tempore, the second to the highest post in the higher Chamber of Congress. He is presently the Chairman of the Committee on Finance that is in charge of all deliberations and discussions on the national budget of the country and the Committee on Public Order and Illegal Drugs. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations and Committee on Agriculture. He authored 44 laws during the 12th Congress, among them are: RA 9178 Barangay Micro Business Enterprises Act, RA 9189 Overseas Absentee Voting Act, RA 9208 Anti-Trafficking of Persons Act, RA 9257 An Act Granting Additional Benefits and Privileges to Senior Citizens, and RA 9262 Anti-Violence Against Women and their Children Act. He has filed Bills aimed at providing business opportunities for the people and improving the Filipinos’ quality of life through basic health care, decent shelters, responsive social services, and high quality education.

Outside the Senate’s halls, Villar actively sponsors the Sipag at Tiyaga Caravan Kaalaman, a livelihood training program that provides skills and inspiration to people that will allow them to venture into their own businesses. The caravan travels all over the country conducting livelihood seminars that are consistently widely attended and appreciated.

He has also spearheaded the building of schools, sending out medical missions and setting up relief operations whenever or wherever needed. He led the inauguration of the Las Piñas-Muntinlupa-Laguna-Cavite (LPMLC) link road, more popularly known as Daang Hari, as part of his road improvement program aimed at easing traffic in the south of Metro Manila. According to him, an efficient and rationalized road network is one of the fundamental requirements in improving commerce and spurring economic progress.

In February 2004, he was elected as President of the Nacionalista Party—the country’s oldest and grandest political party. He was also named the Most Distinguished UP Alumnus—the highest recognition given by the UP Alumni Association—for his exemplary public service and achievements.

Senator Manny Villar, despite his numerous accomplishments and heroism, has remained simple and unaffected. A true family man, he is a devoted husband to Congresswoman Cynthia A. Villar (Lone District of Las Piñas), and a loving father to sons Paolo and Mark and daughter Camille.

source : MannyVillar.com.ph

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Kapuso and Kapamilya Unite for Noynoy Aquino’s ‘Hindi Ka Nag-iisa’ Music Video

In a rare turn of events, kapamilya and kapuso stars joined forces in a political music video

for Kris Aquino’s brother, Noynoy.

The “Noynoy anthem” music video was brilliantly directed by Onat Diaz with an all star cast including both Kapamilya and Kapuso talents such as Sharon Cuneta, Kris Aquino, Boy Abunda, Ogie Alcasid, Bea Alonzo, Dingdong Dantes, Marian Rivera, Aiai delas Alas, Mariel Rodriguez, Bianca Gonzales, Erik Santos, James Yap with other PBA Players and more. Asia’s Songbird Regine Velazquez sang the Noynoy anthem while her partner, Ogie Alcasid, composed the song.

VIDEO LINK:

source: http://www.starmometer.com/

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Noynoy Aquino's speech before filing for candidacy, Nov 28 2009

Napansin ko po, hindi nababati ng maayos ang ating mga kasanggang matibay tulad ni Mayor Lim, na nandito po sa entablado.

Nandiyan po si Mayor Aro Mendoza ng Tarlac City!

Nandiyan po si Vice Governor Mark Leviste ng Batangas, matanda lang po ng konti sa akin yan.

Alam ho ninyo ang problema ko, ay mahaba-haba sana yung sasabihin ko sa inyo. Tapos sabi sa akin, paki bilisan ninyo one minute lang kayo at baka magsara yung Comelec.

Ito po ang listahan ng babatiin ko halos naging baliktaran sa papel, tsaka ko na po kayo babatiin kapag mas mahaba ang oras.

Simple lang po ang mensahe natin itong araw na ito:

Diyan po sa Manila Cathedral, tatlong buwan pa lang po halos ang lumipas noong atin pong ina ay nandiyan at dadalhin na po sa huling hantungan. Marami pong problema na bumabalot sa aking kaisipan. Unang una na ho doon, wala na po ang ating pinuno, paano kaya natin maibabalik sa liwanag ang ating bansa? Kulang siguro sa tulog kaya’t hindi ko nakita kaagad yung mga sagot.

Nakita po natin yung apat na sundalo nandoon sa taas ng truck. Sila ho ay hindi magkakasama sa isang unit at tsaka yung isa po ay miyembro ng kapulisan. Sila ho ay hindi nagtraining para sa trabahong iyon na sinabihan silang siyam na oras kayong hindi puwede kumilos. Pero yung Pilipino ho, tulad noong apat na iyon, bigyan lamang ng pagkakataon, maliwanag kung ano ang tama, gagawin ang tama – yun po ang solusyon natin.

Itong araw pong ito ihahain natin yung ating certificate of candidacy. Ito po siguro ang unang hakbang sa huling yugto ng ipinaglalaban natin. At ano nga ba ang pinaglalaban natin? Kapag tayo po, sa tulong ninyo, ay pinalad, yung pataba po, ang tataba halaman hindi na po yung mga tiwaling kawani ng gobyerno.

Magkakaroon din po ng sistema ng gobyerno na hindi nagpapahintulot o nakapapayag ng nangyaring karumaldumal na nangyari sa Maguindanao, hindi na po pupuwede iyan. Magkakaroon na tayo ng katiyakan na kaparusahan kapag may nilabag ka sa batas natin, iyan po ay itaga na natin sa bato.

Ipinaglalaban din po natin na lahat ng Pilipinong gustong matuto, may pagkakataon para matuto. Ang Pilipinong gustong magkaroon ng trabahong may dangal, magkakaroon ng trabahong may dangal.

Ang Pilipino pong may karamdaman, aarugain ng estado, obligasyon po iyan ng estado. Lahat po iyan, kaya nating makamtan, dahil ako po ay naniniwala sa bansa po natin. Sa singkuwentang porsyento na binubungkal na lupa, hindi ho tamang may nagugutom sa Pilipinas. Kailangan lang po gawin natin yung tama, babawasan natin ng babawasan ang nagugutom at talagang papunta na tayo sa kasaganaan, dahil gagawin po natin ang tama.

Malapit na po tayong senyasan. Baka sabihin sa atin ay malapit na ang lunch break sa Comelec.

Ang importante lang po sa akin na maiwan sa inyo sa araw na ito ay isang bagay:

Yung mga kalaban natin ang daming ipinagyayabang. Lahat na po sila ay ipinagsama-sama ko na. Pare-pareho silang gusto pa ring ipagpatuloy ang paglilinlang, yung pandaraya. Ang sagot ko lang sa kanila: Sige na pumutak na kayo ng pumutak. Sige na magtext brigade na kayo, mag-internet pa kayo. Sige na bilhin na ninyo ang lahat ng commercial na puwede ninyong bilhin.

Pero ang taong bayan, sa akin pong pananaw ay gising na, mulat na at sawa na sa inyo!

Papasalamatan ko nalang ho kayong lahat.

Mga kapatid, talagang noong iniisip natin ito, ang dami kong problemang nakikita sabi ko, “Paano nga ba natin malalaktawan iyan?”

At yung sagot po pabalikbalik, simple lang pala, habang nandiyan ang taong bayan maski anong problema kaya nating laktawan. Ang tagumpay po buwan na lang ang pinag-uusapan, ke nandoon ako, ke wala ho ako dito, sigurado po ako itong ating krusada, magpapatuloy at magtatagumpay dahil lahat po kayo ay nandito.

Kaya’t magandang umaga pong muli at maraming salamat sa inyo!

Noynoy Aquino signs his certificate of candidacy

source: Noynoy.ph

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Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III

"TANGALIN ANG TIWALI, ITAMA ANG MALI"

About Noynoy Aquino III

It is in his bloodline. It is his heritage. For him, democracy restored must be enshrined without fear but with greatest fervor.

It is second nature to Senator Benigno “Noynoy” S. Aquino III to be both a fiscalizer, who relentlessly espouse public accountability, and a staunch advocate of liberal democracy.

His key legislative initiatives are anchored on the protection of human rights and good governance through increased transparency and public accountability. These are founded on the democratic ideals championed by his parents, former Senator and martyr Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino, Jr. and former President Corazon Aquino.

A true working democracy, he says, makes possible not only political freedoms but a better life for all Filipinos. It must be able to provide jobs, education, social services and equitable economic prosperity for everyone, not just the rich, privileged few.

The defense of democracy nearly cost Senator Aquino his life. He was almost killed during the military coup against President Aquino in 1990 when he met retreating rogue soldiers at the front gates of Malacañang. Three of his bodyguards died while he suffered five bullet wounds. A bullet is still embedded in his neck.

Senator Aquino served as Congressman of the 2nd District of Tarlac from 1998 to 2007. In 2004, he was stripped of his prestigious post as Deputy House Speaker for Luzon after he joined leaders of the Liberal Party (LP) in calling for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the height of the “Hello Garci” scandal.

In May 2007, he ran for Senator and won, placing 6th in the national elections.

As Senator in the 14th Congress, he chairs the Senate Committee on Local Government.

In the LP, Senator Aquino held various positions such as Secretary General and Vice Chairman. He is now the party’s official standard bearer for the 2010 Presidential election with Mar Roxas as his running mate.

Noynoy is a graduate of Economics at the Ateneo de Manila University. He fancies Chinese food and is a shooting and billiards enthusiast.

source: http://www.noynoy.ph/

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Automation of Election by 2010

PHILIPPINE NEWS SERVICE -- BOTHERED by the slow count of votes cast in the May 14 elections, Malacañang yesterday called on all stakeholders in the political process to put in place an automated election system to replace the Philippines’ century-old method of manual voting and counting.

Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the Arroyo administration was determined to see an automated system installed in time for the 2010 presidential election.

“If we are to exercise political will, three years is sufficient time for electoral reforms,” Bunye said. “Yet, for this miracle of modernization to take place, we need to act as one nation committed to elevating its electoral system to a state-of-the- art democratic exercise.”

Congress passed the Automated Electoral System Act, which was signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo into law early this year.

Under this law, automated voting was given a P2.6-billion fund this year, and automation was to be implemented in two provinces and two cities each in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

But the Commission on Elections failed to implement the automation scheme because the law was passed too late.

Two House members echoed the call, and asked the election commission to start planning for full computerization of the 2010 election to hasten the proclamation of poll winners.

Lakas Rep. Mauricio Domogan of Baguio City and Kampi Rep. Rodito Albano III of Isabela said automation would also prevent confusion, doubts and allegations of fraud which marred the senatorial and local elections.

The Department of Education, which is in charge of the teachers who run the elections, is also calling for the automation of the electoral process, for a different reason.

“Our teachers need to be relieved of their election duties for their own safety. This can only be done if we finally computerize the electoral process,” Education Secretary Jesli Lapus said.

He made the call following the death of a high school teacher in a fire believed to have been intentionally started at the school where she had been on election duty in Taysan, Batangas.

In 2004, the Comelec purchased 1,900 automated vote-counting machines worth P1.3 billion for use in that year’s national and local elections. But the Supreme Court stopped the use of the counting machines due to technical defects and flaws in the bidding process.

The Philippines, which started holding elections during the American colonial period in 1906, still uses the much-maligned manual voting and counting system that has been replaced by automated voting machines the world over.

“Much can be solved by automation, but for this to happen, all elements—from legislation to budgetary support and a trouble-free, fully transparent and acceptable bidding process—must be in place,” Bunye said.

Bunye said that the President, in her Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan, pointed out that electoral reforms, particularly automated elections, were essential to political stability.

“The administration is certainly up to the challenge of electoral reforms. Let us hope that such reforms will part of a nation-building agenda that all sectors and political parties can support as a vehicles toward constructive political engagement and increased people participation in national governance.”

Meanwhile, the Palace said that all questions on the results of the senatorial election in Maguindanao province should be addressed and resolved through the law.

Presidential adviser on political affairs Gabriel Claudio said it was unfair to conclude that the elections in Maguindanao were fraudulent just because the results were overwhelmingly in favor of the candidates of the administration’s Team Unity coalition.

“The integrity and credibility of the elections are paramount. All questions about the results in Maguindanao can be and should be addressed through the mechanism provided by law,” Claudio said in a text message.

The rival Genuine Opposition coalition said that the 12-0 results of the senatorial derby in Maguindanao in favor of Team Unity was statistically improbable and the result of manipulation of election returns.

Claudio warned against raising charges of cheating without hearing the side of election officials in Maguindanao.

“Let us give the official in charge of the election in that province the opportunity to enlighten us on how the election was conducted,” he said.

source: http://www.philippinestoday.net

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