Legarda stands by claim Roxas offered her a deal

Vice-presidential candidate Loren Legarda is standing by her claim that her closest rival, Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, had approached her with a deal to make her withdraw from the race.




Roxas has denied Legarda’s allegation, saying she was “pulling all stunts” to protect her Nacionalista Party presidential running mate, Sen. Manuel Villar.



Legarda Thursday reiterated the claim she made in a radio interview last Wednesday that Roxas had approached her in February with a proposal that her political advisers have since interpreted as an “exchange deal” offer for her to withdraw her candidacy.

Roxas, the vice-presidential running mate of Liberal Party (LP) standard-bearer Sen. Benigno Aquino III, leads Legarda by 17 points in the latest voter preference surveys.



Last Wednesday, Legarda revealed in an interview on dzBB radio Roxas’ supposed attempt to bribe her last February.



According to Legarda, as she passed by Roxas’ desk in the Senate session hall, Roxas told her: “If there’s any way that you can support my principal (Aquino) and me, if there’s anything you want, we can provide.”



At the time, when she had yet to find a presidential running mate, she said she did not know what Roxas meant exactly.



In a press conference in Surigao City Thursday, Roxas again denied making an offer for Legarda to withdraw.



He said: “I asked her if she could support the Noy-Mar ticket because I could not believe that she was serious in supporting Villar whom he described as corrupt, lacking in leadership qualities, always absent and always prioritizing his business interests over the country. When she did not reply, that was the end of it.”



In the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey conducted from Feb. 24 to 28, Roxas obtained 34 percent against Legarda’s 28 percent.



Legarda claimed that compared to Roxas, her ratings have been steadily improving, noting that Roxas’ acceptability to the voters had gone down by four percentage points since the last SWS survey in January.



She said the SWS survey was validated by the Manila Standard Today survey, conducted from Feb. 20 to 26, in which she got 30 percent against Roxas’ 39 percent, with the latter leading by only 9 points.



Although still leading Legarda, this was a major decline for Roxas because in a Pulse Asia survey conducted from Feb. 21 to 25, Roxas had a huge lead over Legarda of 16 points, with 43 percent for him compared to Legarda’s 27 percent.



Legarda said she was ahead of Roxas in the Class E socioeconomic class, “because I am one of them. I and Senator Villar came from the ranks of the poor, so we fully understand the plight of the poor.”

Read rest of entry

Aquino, Villar race tightens

Two months before the May 10 elections, the presidential race may have narrowed down to Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and Manuel “Manny” Villar Jr., but nobody has a clear lead yet, a political analyst said Tuesday.




“You may have a lead, but it does not necessarily mean that this will be maintained. But it appears that it’s a one-on-one between the two,” Ramon Casiple said of Aquino and Villar.



In the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, Aquino of the Liberal Party (LP) and Villar of the Nacionalista Party (NP) were neck and neck. Aquino’s running mate Sen. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II, however, continued to lead the vice presidential race by a wide margin.



Of the 2,100 registered voters SWS polled from Feb. 24 to Feb. 28, Aquino got 36 percent, while Villar stayed close with 34 percent.



The gap falls within the margin of error of 2.2 percentage points used in the survey.



With the margin of error, support for Aquino ranged from a low of 33.8 percent to a high of 38.2 percent, while support for Villar ranged from 31.8 percent to 36.2 percent. The respondents were given “ballots” that they had to mark in private and deposit in a container brought by the interviewer, according to BusinessWorld.



Other candidates



Trailing the front-runners were deposed President Joseph Estrada (15 percent, up 2 points), former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro (6 percent, also up 2 points), Bro. Eddie Villanueva (3 percent, up 1 point), Sen. Richard Gordon (2 percent, no change), Vetellano Acosta (0.4 percent), Nicanor Perlas (0.2 percent), Olongapo Councilor JC de los Reyes (0.1 percent) and Sen. Jamby Madrigal (0.1 percent).



Acosta was disqualified by the Commission on Elections last week.



“[Aquino’s] lead is steadily getting smaller,” Mahar Mangahas, SWS president, said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel. “That’s very clear.”



Not a tie



In the SWS surveys on Dec. 5-10, 2009, and Jan. 21-24, Aquino was ahead of Villar by 19 points and 7 points, respectively.



“We’re saying it’s a 2-point lead [in the latest survey]. We’re not calling it a tie,” Mangahas said. “To say that it is a tie is to lean toward one side. So we’re not calling it a tie unless it is the exact same point.”



SWS said the 6-point decline in Aquino’s rating since January was due to drops in all four areas across the country: 7 points in the balance of Luzon, 6 in Mindanao, 5 in the Visayas, and 3 in Metro Manila.



Villar “lost 6 percentage points in Metro Manila, 2 in the balance of Luzon, and one in Mindanao, but picked up 5 in the Visayas to trim his overall slide to just 1 point,” BusinessWorld said.



By socioeconomic class, Aquino was ahead in Class D (38 percent compared with Villar’s 34 percent), while Villar was ahead in Classes ABC (33 percent compared with Aquino’s 30 percent) and Class E (34 percent versus Aquino’s 32 percent).



Vice presidential race



As for the vice presidential race, Roxas remained No. 1 with 45 percent. This was actually a drop of 4 percentage points for Roxas from the January survey, but support for Loren Legarda, Villar’s running mate, remained at 28 percent.



Other vice presidential candidates did not gain substantially. Following Roxas and Legarda were Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (17 percent), former Metro Manila Development Authority chair Bayani Fernando (3 percent), former Optical Media Board chair Edu Manzano (2 percent), broadcaster Jay Sonza (1 percent), former Securities and Exchange Commission chief Perfecto Yasay (0.4 percent), and Dominador Chipeco (0.4 percent).



Wild swings



The most recent Pulse Asia survey, released last week, showed Villar’s 29 percent trailing Aquino’s 36 percent.



The different results of the Pulse Asia and SWS surveys could be an indication of voters’ “wild swings,” said Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Electoral Reforms.



“There are wild swings among the voters, and there are only a few undecided. They have somebody in mind, but their choice is affected by issues that come out in the media. That’s why the trending is not fixed,” he said in a brief phone interview.



The voters, Casiple said, had a “deep interest” in the presidential election and were closely monitoring the news coming out in the media about the candidates.



Aquino upbeat



“Their choice is affected by rumors that Villar is a secret candidate of the administration, and the issue of incompetence against the other,” he said.



The presidential race has tightened, but Aquino is upbeat. “I’m still No. 1, but it doesn’t mean we’re satisfied with that. The tightening race means that we’d just have to redouble our efforts,” he said in a phone interview.



Aquino said remaining ahead of his rivals despite what he called a “tsunami” of political ad and media spending by Villar was in itself an achievement.



“I think our message is getting to its target audience despite our lack of resources. We just make it up with our campaigns and grassroots volunteers,” said the LP standard-bearer.



LP campaign strategist Florencio “Butch” Abad Jr. said Villar had failed to overtake Aquino in the surveys despite exceeding the limit on ad spending.



Villar happy



In Davao City, a beaming Villar said: “We are statistically tied.”



Villar said the presidential contest was still between him and Aquino.



“As for me, I am comfortable with my lead and, of course, we still look to Noynoy (as a close rival) although we respect all the candidates. However, (Estrada’s) distance (or lead) from us is still far,” Villar said.



He said he was happy that “surveys have confirmed that we are responding to the hopes of the people across the country.”



“During my campaign sorties in the provinces the people have shown that they are supporting our vision to address poverty,” Villar added.



He attributed the rise in his ratings to the frenetic pace of his campaign sorties across the country since Feb. 9.



“Of course, the others who are (trailing in surveys), we expect them to get more points now because of their wider exposure,” Villar said.



Estrada elated



Estrada expressed elation over his rising rating. Told that his performance in the SWS survey wasn’t as good as his showing in Pulse Asia’s poll, Estrada said: “Whose numbers went down? As far as we are concerned, we are moving up.”



Estrada, who’s running for another term after he was forced out of office in 2001, said that if his numbers continued to go up at the rate they were going, he would have a high-enough rating to win come May.



“It’d be over for them,” Estrada said.” In 1998, I started in third place. It’s hard to be No. 1. It’s more difficult (to start) from the top (and then) going down, isn’t it?”



The camp of Teodoro welcomed his slight improvement in rating. “We’re gaining ground right in time for the presidential elections in May,” said Mike Toledo, spokesperson for Teodoro.

Read rest of entry

Aquino, Villar face pastor’s ‘divine wrath’

The two front-runners in the presidential race Tuesday failed to show up at what had been billed as a major debate, and the wrath of the “Son of God” came down upon them.




Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III of the Liberal Party (LP) had excused himself, citing sinus problems, while Nacionalista Party (NP) candidate Sen. Manuel Villar was tied up in a series of meetings, aides said.



Six other candidates—former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Senators Richard Gordon and Jamby Madrigal, former President Joseph Estrada, evangelist Eddie Villanueva and environmentalist Nicanor Perlas—attended the presidential forum organized by the group called “Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the Name Above Every Name.”



The sect is headed by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, a self-proclaimed “Appointed Son of God” who claims millions of followers.



No word, no honor



For Quiboloy, who still has to decide on whom his group will support on May 10, it’s all about palabra de honor (word of honor).



After reading an e-mail from Aquino explaining why he could not come, Quiboloy—obviously referring to the LP standard-bearer—told the thousands who came to hear the debate:



“You might be disappointed just like me. There is something that they say about commitment. An unknown man defined it as word of honor. When you fail to fulfill your commitment, you have no word and you have no honor.”



Noynoy’s reason



In his e-mail which Quiboloy read before the other candidates were asked to present their platforms of government, Aquino said he was advised by his doctors not to fly.



“As previously arranged, I have marked this event and was eagerly looking forward to meeting you … and to share my platform. But I was advised by my physician not to travel by aircraft for two consecutive occasions due to barosinusitis,” Aquino said.



Barosinusitis is an inflammation of one or more of the sinuses and can be aggravated by air travel.



Quiboloy cries unfair



Apparently, Quiboloy was not happy. He said that the forum had been moved to Tuesday because he wanted Aquino to attend.



“It was originally set on Feb. 11 but Senator Aquino said that he won’t be able to make it at that time. I asked him to choose the date. Aquino chose March 9 and he committed to come on this day. But on Tuesday, he called and informed me that he won’t be able to come,” Quiboloy lamented.



“All those whom we have invited came and fulfilled their commitments and they are here today. May God bless us all,” the Christian preacher said.



Although Villar was not castigated during the forum and prayer-meeting, Quiboloy told reporters later it was “unfair” that the Nacionalista Party (NP) candidate did not show up.



“I am disappointed [at] both of them because they’ve committed [to come] only to tell us at the last minute that they cannot make it,” Quiboloy said.



No endorsement yet



“Villar kept us waiting. His chief of staff kept on informing us that ‘parating na (he’s on his way’ ... but hindi pala (it turns out not). Why were we not informed? There is no explanation ... When you say something, do it,” Quiboloy added.



“It’s unfair to the Filipinos,” he said.



Quiboloy said his choice of presidential candidate would be announced next month, adding he was still “waiting for the Father’s revelation.”



Quiboloy claimed he has at least six million followers “in and out” of the country. Of the six million, at least three million are of voting age, he said.



‘A man of honor’



Villar arrived at about 11 a.m. but was unable to attend the forum because he was “held up in a series of meetings,” his party headquarters said.



It said Villar was seeking ways to meet Quiboloy “as soon as possible” and that the senator “is ready to face the assembly to explain his programs ... if he will be given a chance to do so.”



In Manila, Aquino’s spokesperson, Edwin Lacierda, said that Quiboloy’s remarks about people having no word of honor was “unfortunate.”



“Senator Aquino is a man of honor and has delivered on his commitments. Unfortunately in this instance, it is beyond his control,” Lacierda said. “We hope Pastor Quiboloy will not use this one instance to hit the character of Senator Aquino.”



Lacierda noted that Villar himself was not able to attend the forum. He also said that Aquino was still willing to meet with Quiboloy if circumstances permitted.



Borrowed plane



The forum started later than its 3 p.m. schedule.



The candidates tackled issues that had been raised in previous debates, such the energy crisis, the El Niño phenomenon, the pork barrel system, corruption, healthcare, poverty, the conflict in Mindanao, private armies and education.



Estrada, who arrived at about 4:30 p.m., caused gales of laughter when he told the crowd he was late “because I just borrowed a plane. I could not afford to buy my own private plane.”



Asked how he could win back the people’s trust, Estrada, who was convicted of plunder but pardoned later, said: “To gain the respect of our people, you must be transparent in all your transactions in government.”



Gordon advocated a 24-hour working presidency. “You can text the President anytime,” he said.



Teodoro promised “to lead with humility,” saying: “To reach out and to heal, that is the first step toward sustainable progress.”



The forum was held at the 3,000-seat cathedral inside the sect’s central headquarters.



One-vote group



Some Roman Catholic Church officials said the attention that aspiring presidents was showering on Quiboloy was more because of the votes he commands rather than because of religion.



“The Quiboloy sect apparently has a very strong kingdom vote, meaning to say they were like the previous Iglesia ni Cristo, that what the founder says, the followers will do,” said Archbishop Emeritus Oscar Cruz.



Cruz added: “How can you violate what the son of God will say? So I presume that the flocking there of candidates is because of the solid bloc vote of, they call themselves, the ‘Kingdom citizens.’”

Read rest of entry

Santiago blames low ratings on married name

Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is very much in the race this May election. But people might not find her in the list of senatorial candidates if they will look for “Santiago” come election day.


The re-electionist senator’s name is listed instead as Defensor-Santiago in the special paper ballot that the Commission on Election (Comelec) will use in the country’s first-ever full automated election.

Saying that other married female candidates might find themselves in the same predicament, Santiago urged the Comelec to educate voters on the use of maiden names of married candidates like her.

Santiago lamented that her lower ranking in the recent senatorial survey of Pulse Asia could be because people are looking for her surname, not her maiden name.

The poll body should take “affirmative action” by educating voters that some female candidates like her have chosen to be listed under their maiden name, followed by their married name.

In the past elections, the voters write the name of candidates in the ballot. This time, however, the voters will simply shade the circles beside the name of the candidates. An electronic machine will automatically read and count the shaded circles.

And as the world celebrates the women’s month this March, the senator invoked the constitutional provision that: “The State shall ensure the fundamental equality before the law of men and women.”

Since women constitute one-half of the population, Santiago said women should make up one-half of the Senate and of the House of Representatives, and one-half of the 15-member justices in the Supreme Court.

As a gender-sensitive country, the senator said, the Philippines should also have a female Senate President, a female Speaker, and a female Chief Justice.


In a recent gathering of some 5,000 barangay (village) leaders at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City, Santiago joked that the fundamental right of married women was to be loved by their husbands.


“But when you are told to love your neighbor, this does not mean that a man should love all the women in his barangay,” Santiago said, sending the crowd into gales of laughter.

Read rest of entry

Comelec seeks proof to exclude Arroyo son, Reyes from partylist

The Commission on Elections urged those who want Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes and Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey” Arroyo out of the party-list race to immediately file a complaint against them with the poll body and present evidence that the two do not really represent "marginalized sectors" in Congress.


Election Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said they would need evidence in order to disqualify nominees submitted by the party-list groups themselves.

He said that with 187 accredited party-list groups — each submitting at least five nominees — the poll body could not scrutinize all of the names, all at once.

In order for the Comelec to reject a nominee motu propio, or on its own volition, it would need evidence or information, Sarmiento said.

“There are many nominees. And [for us to act] motu propio, honestly, we need information [and] assistance, what with the many concerns of Comelec. It will [have to] be a collaborative effort, with the stakeholders helping Comelec,” Sarmiento said.

The party-list system was created to ensure that marginalized sectors are represented in Congress.

Bayan Muna Representatives Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casiño earlier said Reyes and Arroyo were both not qualified to run in the party-list system, having come from the moneyed political class.

Reyes was the Armed Forces chief of staff before he became a member of the Arroyo Cabinet. Mikey Arroyo is the son of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The Comelec has never rejected a party-list nominee — even in the past, according to Sarmiento.

He said he recognized the need for more guidelines to ensure that the partylist voting system would be for marginalized sectors.

The 187 party-list groups have until March 26 to submit a list of their five nominees to the Comelec. Petitions against the nominees may be filed after this date.

Read rest of entry

Villar tried to buy me out of presidential race - Gordon

Bagumbayan presidential bet Sen. Richard Gordon revealed yesterday that Nacionalista Party (NP) standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. tried to buy him out of the presidential race and promised to give him a Cabinet position of his choice if the latter is elected president.




In a one-on-one interview with broadcaster Mike Enriquez over radio dzBB, Gordon continued his tirade against Villar, saying the NP bet’s attempt at buying him, which occurred a week before Feb. 9 or during the time when Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile presented his report on the C-5 road controversy and was facing an attempt to oust him from the Senate presidency, was witnessed by his son.



But Villar immediately downplayed all of Gordon’s accusations, telling his audience in Surigao that people are out to destroy him. He said he and his entire NP team are geared for victory on May 10, and that he has no time for “negotiating” for the withdrawal of fellow presidential candidates.



Gordon, in the same radio interview, said that Villar’s camp wanted him to back out from the race and support the NP standard-bearer.



“They asked me not to attend the (Senate) session and in return they will pay me and reimburse the expenses in my preparation for the presidency, and promised to give me a Cabinet position of my choice,” Gordon said in Filipino.

Gordon’s disclosure surprised Enriquez, as it came near the end of the one-hour interview designed for presidential candidates.




Enriquez asked Gordon to identify Villar’s emissary but he declined. He, however, insinuated that he would drop another bombshell soon.



He said he was irked by the buy out attempt because it only showed the arrogance of the moneyed candidate.



But Gordon said he is unfazed and vowed to fight on.



During the interview, he also assailed other candidates’ attempt to condition the minds of voters through surveys.



The NP kicked off the Mindanao-leg of their campaign yesterday, promising economic development and improving the human development index in the entire region.



“I am running clean and I have no other intention. I respect the other candidates even if I hear comments like that. Some people probably want to besmirch my reputation. Please don’t believe in those things,” Villar said in an interview.



He noted that it is just two months before elections, and he expects that no presidential candidate would back out at this point.



He also belittled claims that he tapped Mike Velarde to ask Estrada to withdraw from the race.



The NP bet reiterated that he did not talk with any presidential candidate to offer them reimbursement of their poll expenses and promise a good Cabinet position.



Asked why all sorts of criticisms are thrown his way, Villar said it is “good news” because he is being hit since he has become number one in the surveys.



Students from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Mass Communication (CMC) have “surprisingly and unexpectedly” picked Sen. Richard Gordon in their recent open-source mock polls.



This, even as Gordon had reportedly lambasted journalists covering his sorties.



A survey result conducted by the Department of Journalism, which was released yesterday, showed Gordon garnering a total of 139 votes, representing 37.57 percent of the 370 enrolled students of the CMC, who participated in the mock presidential polls.



The UP-CMC has 1,086 enrolled students.



Administration presidential bet Gilbert Teodoro came in second in the survey with 107 votes (28.92 percent), Benigno Aquino III was third with 48 votes (12.97 percent), and Manuel Villar Jr. placed fourth with 37 votes (10 percent).



Observers were surprised with the result of the Feb. 24 mock polls of students of the premier State University, which has always been known as a bastion of activism.



But former CMC dean Prof. Luis Teodoro believes that the changing population of the CMC could have been a factor, although the way presidential aspirants appear and answer questions in various presidential debates could have also been a significant influence to the decision of the students.



He said that while UP students consider themselves as reform-minded and pro-poor, the results of the presidential mock polls could be an “expression of protest over what is perceived to be popular.”



“The results of the mock polls showed a disconnection between the perceived perception of the students and the perceived perception of the general Filipino voters as shown in the surveys,” he said.



However, Teodoro said that the result could be a signal that candidates would have to take a different approach to convince students, as compared to, for instance, the urban poor voters.



He said students might have chosen Gordon and Teodoro for being “fluently persuasive” or “smooth, smooth talker.”



A lot of student-participants in the mock polls cited the ability of Gordon and Teodoro to articulate their respective specific platform well.



Teodoro added that Aquino’s image may have been stained by the Hacienda Luisita massacre while Villar has to work on his claims of innocence after being implicated in the C5-road extension mess.



He surmised that perhaps the students “are not buying that Villar is the only salvation of the poor or that Aquino is the last hope for reform.”



And despite the seeming bias of UP students on President Arroyo, the journalism professor thinks the students might be seeing “something else” in Teodoro other than his alliance with President Arroyo.



“Or maybe his (Teodoro) looks have something to do with it,” he said, drawing out laugher from the audience.



Nicanor Perlas came in 5th place with 15 votes, representing 4.05 percent of the voter turnout; evangelist Eduardo Villanueva, 6th place with five votes (1.35 percent); Jamby Madrigal with three votes (.81 percent); and former President Joseph Estrada with one vote (.27 percent).



Ang Kapatiran Party standard-bearer, Olongapo City Councilor JC delos Reyes, and Kilusang Bagong Lipunan presidential bet Vetellano Acosta, got zero votes in the mock polls.



Fifteen students, representing 4.05 percent of the total voter turnout, abstained in the presidential survey.



Gordon: Mediamen are useless



Good showing or not, Gordon, who usually bash Senator Villar in his sorties, has trained his guns on mediamen covering his campaign.



In a forum hosted by the students and faculty of the Union Christian College in San Fernando, La Union, Gordon started by hitting the NP standard-bearer then threw cheap shots on “embedded” journalists covering him.



Gordon was ranting on his almost “invisible” presence in the media and was apparently blaming the journalists trailing him in his sorties.



“Kunwari lang na kino-cover kami pero tinitwist nila ang istorya at hindi nila inilalabas ang totoo (They pretend to be covering us but they twist the story and does not come out with the truth),” he said.



The journalists covering him at the school’s covered gym walked out in disgust after Gordon pointed them out to the crowd of students and teachers present.



“May kasama nga akong media pero kunwari lang akong kino-cover (I have mediamen with me but they are just pretending to cover me),” he said.



It was at this point that the reporters, including Mike Frialde of The STAR, stood up and walked out.



“Ayun, iniwan na ako ng media (Now they have left me),” Gordon blurted out.



He had earlier complained about his poor showing in the media and was even quick to refer to members of the press as “Mickey Mouse mediamen” in several forums.



Prior to the incident yesterday, a member of Gordon’s staff revealed that the senator was complaining why even the most trivial of statements made by his opponents are picked-up by media networks while his statements were never picked-up.



A source close to Gordon also revealed the senator had also remarked that, “Walang silbi naman ang mga media na kasama natin, (Mediamen covering him were useless)” prior to his talk at the Union Christian College.



LP hits Villar anew



Meanwhile, the Liberal Party said the allegations of bribery and vote buying against Villar were alarming and should serve as a warning to the people about the kind of administration the NP bet would have if elected president in May.



LP spokesperson and senatorial candidate Akbayan Rep. Risa Hontiveros said the bigger issue involving Villar was not just the handing out of scholarships and P20 but the “pattern of bribery on his part that is large scale.”



Being a senator and former Senate president, Hontiveros said it was disgusting to hear that Villar was on a “bribery spree,” given the revelations of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and presidential candidates former President Estrada (of the Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino) and Gordon.



“So our question is, if as a senator and as a former Senate president, he is showing a pattern of bribery that involves big (amounts) and high-ranking (officials), what can you expect but large scale corruption under the Villaroyo administration,” Hontiveros said, referring to the alleged conspiracy and alliance between Villar and the Arroyo administration.



“We have to look at the way he (Villar) has also been trying to buy this whole campaign with the amounts of money being expended for advertising, which according to the PCIJ (Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism) has breached the P1-billion mark,” said LP campaign manager Florencio “Butch” Abad.



He said the funds Villar was utilizing for the campaign could be a product of this conflict of interest and his impunity in the abuse of government authority to make good money out of his businesses.



“Bribery is corruption. There is no doubt that Senator Villar is the richest presidential candidate but for him to assume that he can buy his way to Malacañang and get away with it is severely insulting,” Hontiveros said.

Read rest of entry