picture from Gold Star Daily

Finally, the rivals of Cagayan de Oro Vice Mayor Vicente “Dongkoy” Emano is fielding a viable candidate against his son, Yevgeny Emano, in the person of former vice governor Julio Uy. They are now targeting his son.

Bambi Emano protested insisting as incumbent, he should be the official candidate of the party and not anybody else. Bambi has other reason why he will stick with Lakas Kampi. He said he will be ashamed with the Arroyo boys, Mikey and Dato.

“Maulaw ako kung mibiya ako kaniya. Amigo ko sila si Dato og Mickey Arroyo,”

Emano boy holds on to Lakas, forces issue

By LITO RULONA – Correspondent Updated November 9, 2009 12:00 AM

A THREATENED Misamis Oriental Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano has lashed out at Gov. Oscar Moreno over moves to drop him from a list of administration candidates in the province.

Two Uys are threatening to topple down the Emano political dynasty in Misamis Oriental and Cagayan de Oro. The congressman is facing the prospects of fighting former vice governor Julio Uy to keep his seat in the 2nd District of Misamis Oriental while his father, Cagayan de Oro Vice Mayor Vicente Emano, may find himself slugging it out with Rep. Rolando Uy in next year’s mayoral race. Rep. Uy was virtually a political nobody until 2007 when he surprisingly won the congressional seat in the city’s 1st District.

The two Uys share something in common: both spent years as loyal supporters of the elder Emano and therefore, they know the ‘‘style’’ of the reputed local political kingpin.

The younger Emano and Moreno were political allies and basketball buddies. For a time, they avoided clashing with each other despite repeated criticisms hurled on air by the elder Emano, a former governor and city mayor, against the capitol. Subsequently, Moreno stopped holding his punches after the vice mayor announced he would field a set of candidates against the governor and his
group in next year’s elections.

Rep. Emano has cried ‘‘political harassment’’ over moves to have his name expunged from the Lakas-Kampi-CMD’s list of candidates in Misamis Oriental.

He said he would question and oppose moves to have him replaced by former vice governor Uy, and invoke the administration party’s equity-of-the-incumbent rule.

The congressman’s father, incidentally, has declared his support for the bid of ex-president Joseph Estrada to reclaim Malacañang. Ironically, the younger Emano has claimed to be a supporter of Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, the administration party’s standard bearer for next year’s elections.

While his father is for Estrada, he claimed he was given the freedom to choose a presidential to support in 2010.

Aside from the equity-incumbent rule, the younger Emano also argued that the Lakas- Kampi’s candidates should undergo the process of nomination.

“Dili siya (Moreno) ang magbuot. Sigurista kini siya nga tawo,” Rep. Emano told radio station DxCC.
He said he would bring his case to the administration party’s grievance committee even as he accused his former political allies of misleading the public and other local officials by claiming that he was already dropped him from the list of candidates of Lakas-Kampi.

“Gabuot-buot kini sila og ila aron sila ang masunod,” he said.

He also alleged that Moreno has forged an agreement to support the presidential bid of Sen. Benigno Aquino III of the Liberal Party. The congressman said Moreno and LP leaders, including Aquino, met in the city recently.

“Duha man iyang nawong. Sabot sila ni Teodoro then sabot sab sila Noynoy. Which is which karon?” the congressman said.

Emano also claimed that some members of Moreno’s group have started negotiations with the group of another ‘‘presidentiable’’, Sen. Manuel Villar of the Nacionalista Party.

The congressman said he would hold on to his position in the administration party because President Arroyo has supported him in his projects and because her sons are his close friends.

“Maulaw ako kung mibiya ako kaniya. Amigo ko sila si Dato og Mickey Arroyo,” said Emano.

The saga for Manny Villar and Gibo Teodoro’s search for a Vice President and Loren Legarda’s search for President continues. Manny Villar, the self proclaimed leader of the Nacionalista had a difficult time finding a running mate despite his early pronouncements of his candidacy for President. Gibo Teodoro on the other hand, has been shopping for a partner like one searching for a tie in his wardrobe. This just goes to show that no matter how moneyed and how well oiled is their machinery, it is not enough to convince the voters to go for either of both of them.

On the other hand, Loren Legarda’s fate is one of a kind in the world. For where can you find here on Earth, a Vice Presidential candidate announcing her candidacy ahead of the supposed Presidential standard bearer.

When Loren announced her candidacy, she has somewhat sent a message that she is available, either to the highest bidder or to the best man who can provide her a nice vehicle towards the second highest position in the country today. Together, the three are sizing up with each other. Gibo-Loren, or Manny-Loren. The scene is not unlike in our hometown cockpit.

Before a cockfight, owners of fighting cocks would huddle, something like a weigh in where owners would pair their cocks (the chicken, of course) to make the fight fair and balanced. The fight will then proceed after the sizes are determined to be more or less equal and when the bets are agreed upon.

I can imagine there is so much talks going on and who knows horse trading in the backchannels. This is transactional politics at its best or at its worst, depending on ones perspective. So party politics simply went out of the window.

Now this is difficult for us voters because it is quite hard for us to account responsibility in the government. Electoral pairings are no longer based on party platforms but rather on personalities. In this way, you cannot easily rely on our politicians. The difference is blurred.

I may not agree to some premise that we should forget party based politics in this country because, it was never practiced in the country ever since. Thats not quite true. In the pre Martial Law era, the political battle lines are clear. Its either you are a Nacionalista or a Liberal. The party standard bearer tandems then are comparable to the U.S. elections now. Just look at the past pairings. In 1945 elections, the Nacionalistas had Sergio Osmeña as President and Eulogio Rodriguez as Vice President who are pitted against the Liberal Party’s Manuel Roxas and Elpidio Quirino. The Liberal tandem went on to become Presidents at some point in time. In 1949 Quirino of the Liberal Party teamed up with Fernando Lopez to beat Japanese era President Jose P. Laurel and his running mate Senate President Jose Avelino of the Nacionalista Party. In 1953, however, Quirino and his runningmate Jose Yulo lost to the Nacionalistas Ramon Magsaysay for President and Carlos P. Garcia for Vice President. There are othe notable pairings like Liberal Party’s tandem of Diosdado Macapagal and Emmanuel Pelaez which beat Nacionalista’s incumbent President Carlos P. Garcia and his runningmate Sen. Gil Puyat.

Now these are just examples of the high quality of Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the past. Candidates are chosen because of their ability and perceived capacity to lead. The Vice President especially is chosen with the idea that in the event that something happens to the President, he can readily assumed the Presidency at any time.

Thats a far cry in what is happening today where news anchors, media personalities, boxing legends, movie actors and actresses and clowns have become convenient fall back to weak and dull Presidential candidates. This explains why Noli De Castro never left Gloria Arroyo at the height of the scandals rocking her administration. De Castro might have been apprehensive that he is not ready to become the President should the Gloria Arroyo resigned. That is why, he never left the side of  Gloria Arroyo even several sectors are already eyeing him as the viable replacement of Arroyo then.

This kind of abhorrent practice in selecting runningmates, also explains why, Secretary Eduardo Ermita has caught the attention of Senator Bong Revilla to become the running mate of Gibo Teodoro in case talks with Loren Legarda bog down.

“Iyan ang kabutihan ng magandang lalaki eh (That’s the advantage of being handsome), ”

Ermita referring to Senator Revilla.

Anyway, whatever be the outcome of these talks, the electorates should already have the idea to whom they would trust their votes this coming 2010 elections. Voters should now realize that they should only entrust the future of this country to the people who have clear visions, consistent reputation for integrity and honesty and with a clear political platform based on the ideals of the party.

This party is present. Clue. Its the only party which has no difficulty in forming a presidential ticket on its own based on the strength of its members.

Ituloy Natin Ang Laban! Pangulong Noynoy Aquino

I can judge the character of the candidate the way his campaign slogan is made and directed. When a candidate says he is for the poor, that he came from a poor family, that he loves the poor, that the poor is neglected etc., right away I will scratch that candidate from my list.

These kind of candidates are just taking advantage of the poor’s misery. They are appealing to the emotions of the poor by promising them everything. They know that majority of our voters are the poor so it is just natural for them to woo them, sweet talked them and pampered them to get their nods. But this kind of extraordinary attention to the poor is good only during election time.

Many presidential candidates in the past have used this kind campaign strategy but once they are in power, the forgot everything about the poor. Once in power, they accumulate wealth in a frenzied fashion, while the poor remained poor. Erap Estrada and Gloria Arroyo are the shining examples of this crooked kind of politicians. They capitalized on the poors helplessness although I believe that Erap was the lesser evil of the two.

On the other hand, while they are parading themselves as champions of the poor, politicians are flocking to their camps like ants knowing that the said candidates are financially well endowed. This is another ironic situation where a candidate who says he is poor is also at the same time awashed with campaign money to dangle with the politicians for them to join his fold.

Now in the 2010 election, I have seen two candidates in this mold, Erap is one of them and the other is someone who vainly advertises himself vigorously as the new champion of the poor.

The problem with this other candidate is that he has the money to spend for propaganda and this proved to be very effective. With his money, he can hire the best publicists and advertisers. He can pay the best minds in the business. And it paid off. Survey after survey he leads. But when Noynoy enter into the picture, slide down to a far second. That is when this erstwhile “silent” candidate is now talking. He said,

” The man to beat need not be the best competitor. The man to beat is the most popular, not necessarily the best.”

Funny but this candidate, before Noynoy’s entry, is not necessarily the best also. This candidate, who was erstwhile leading the surveys, is just striving to be the most popular also hoping that this will be sustained until election time. How ironic?

Another problem is that how could this candidate recoup his expense in trying to make himself fragrant to the poor? After winning the election, these kind of candidates will be busy paying back their benefactors. And thats where governance will fail again. Thats where we are going back to square one.

Helping the poor get out of their rut is not as simple as it is portrayed to be. It involves policy decisions that affect them. That is why a candidate that is beholden to a privilege few can not be expected to accomodate the needs of the poor. He has to pay back to his financiers, and a term for the Presidency is not even enough to pay for it. That is why politicians who promised and spends so much “for the poor” during campaign surely fail in their promise.

In the end, the electorate should learn the lessons of the past. Those who are trying to represent them and identify with them always fail them. Its time for people to elect someone who does not promised much but will do his part silently but effectively addressed and eventually remedy their misery.

The political players are caught by surprise by the sudden departure of Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) thereby casting doubt his bid to become the next President of the country.

Before the start of this political frenzies, NPC boasts of the formidable line up of Chiz Escudero and Loren Legarda as standard bearers. Suddenly, Loren Legarda announced her candidacy for Vice President. But she instead announced that she is available to other Presidential candidate despite the fact that her party mate, Sen. Chiz Escudero is publicly known to run for President.

Its baffling that this kind of awkward situation was not checked by the NPC leadership. Perhaps because NPC, as a party has no clear alliance whether it is for the administration or for the opposition. Perhaps the party leadership think that this kind of set up works well with party members indefinitely. Take for example Chiz and Loren is with the opposition while Senator Ernesto Maceda is with Erap. Some members are secretly supporting Gibo Teodoro, despite the latter is no longer a member of the NPC but with the Lakas Kampi.

But there are situations, like the upcoming presidential elections, where the party should take a stand; where it will ally itself. Playing both with the administration and the opposition will no longer work. As the events unfold, Chiz Escudero is the first casualty of this set up. Had NPC had stick to their horses and crack the whip on Legarda who was publicly shopping for a presidential candidate, the Escudero departure would not have happened.

With Escudero gone, Loren Legarda emerged as the top contender for the party’s standard bearer, assuming that the party will proceed in fielding candidates. Unfortunately, Loren lacks the charisma of Chiz. Loren also carries the burden of convincing the voters that a woman president is still acceptable for the next six years given the 9 year reign of Gloria Arroyo.

However, Loren’s public announcement that she was shopping for a presidential candidate despite the availability of her partymate does not look well in the eyes of the voters. A lot of my acquaintances do not like Loren. They just cant explain it. Maybe they have seen something in her. Call that intuition. I myself find Loren as insufficient. She is a picture of a politician who is continuously trying hard to promote herself. She abandoned Lakas in 2004 when FPJ preferred her over Miriam Santiago. Then she abandoned LDP in 2008 to be with a stronger party and where there is a bigger chance of being drafted again for the highest position of the land. Now that she is with NPC she is opening her doors to presidential candidates of other parties.

In the meantime, I rather find Loren’s reaction to Chiz departure as hypocritical.  Loren said, her sliding down to Vice President was wasted.  I think this statement is true and credible if Loren had stick with Escudero all the way.  It is not right for Loren to say thate her sacrifice is wasted because in the first place, she does not look to be Chiz partner.

As for the NPC, it may not be a problem. If Loren cannot carry the party, it can simply coalesce with Lakas Kampi whose standard bearer is a former member, Gibo Teodoro. In any case, NPC can still win, with or without Loren or Chiz.

Writer Menardo Wenceslao’s “Hurry The Peace Pact” article was in reaction to former President Estrada’s comment in continuing the All Out War policy in Mindanao if ever he is elected President.

This is too overreacting.  A peace pact with the Moro rebels is something which should not be done haphazardly. Just because Erap is threatening to continue the war is no excuse of making half baked peace treaties with the rebels.  The danger of this is that the Arroyo administration might again do the same blunder in “hurrying up” the sealing of an agreement just because Erap will continue the war.

The said Erap comment should not be taken seriously. Though he may still have some followers, I doubt if Erap can win this time. Granting that Erap will win, I dont think on Day One he will stupidly unleash the war in Mindanao again without any reason. Its election time.  Politicians will make some announcements to entice voters to go for them.  In other words, its just pakulo or pasiklab, something politicians do in big meetings.

The Mindanao Peace Pact is something that should be seriously studied. I dont think its wise for the present administration to hurry its sealing just to claim the legacy of finally sealing the peace in Mindanao.  If it cant be done, then why force it now? The Peace Pact which can spell life and death in Mindanao must be carefully be crafted and this may even went beyond the administration of Gloria Arroyo to the next administration.

No need to hurry on this one.

Posted in National issues ]]> http://balatucan.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/overreaction-on-estrada-comment-on-mindanao-problem/feed/ 0 balatucan http://balatucan.wordpress.com/2009/10/25/overreaction-on-estrada-comment-on-mindanao-problem/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheBalatucanMonitor/~3/xNLe63-bB00/ http://balatucan.wordpress.com/2009/10/23/2010-elections-choosing-the-safe-choice/#comments Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:07:34 +0000 balatucan http://balatucan.wordpress.com/?p=1523 ]]>

I was at the grocery buying some stuff when the idea struck me. In the shelves there are a lot of products, relatively new and needless to say, still untested items on display and beckoning consumers like me to try them.

In its efforts to entice customers to buy, the new products are bombarding the markets with their advertisements, how it is much better than the leading brand and how it is reasonably priced than the others. With their agressive marketing approach, it will literally make your eyes pop in amazement, “can it really do that?”

But as a wise buyer, I rather stick to the tried and tested brand. If this brand is good for me, then I stick to it. Nowadays, its hard to do some experiments on your choice. Take a chance and you might waste your money and regret later on.

The same thing goes to the coming 2010 Philippine Presidential elections. A lot are offering themselves to become the next President of this country. Like the grocery products, I mentioned earlier, this wannabes are investing in huge commercials in advertising themselves, trumpeting their capabilities in the hopes to convince voters to vote for them. In the process, many are proclaiming lofty goals and ideals. Many are mouthing again the oft repeated a promise for a better tomorrow thing; of bringing this country to new heights. Most of the presidentiables are picturing themselves as economic messiahs who will bring the country to promiseland.

Still, some are packaging themselves as visionary leaders, emphasizing on their extraordinary brilliance and intelligence, believing these qualities alone are sure fire ways of ensuring a successful presidency.

Too many new comers, too many promises. I dont think our country need these kind of leaders right now. After falling into the sweet talk of the present administration, whose diminutive leader was packaged as an economist president, her utter failure in turning this country around and and who, instead was link to several scandalous controversies,  makes Juan de la Cruz head shake in frustration.

We dont need to experiment a leader in 2010. We dont need to take our chances again and choose an untested candidate. What we need is an assurance. That is why if we just base our choice on that perspective, Noynoy Aquino would turn out to be the logical choice.

Noynoy Aquino would assure us that no shenanigans in the scale of NBN ZTE deal, Fertilizer scam, and Hello garci scandal will be committed. Noynoy Aquino will assure us that he will not entertain the idea of tinkering the provisions of our Constitution either to extend his term as President or change the system to another form where he can become the Prime Minister. I am not saying that Noynoy Aquino will be a Saint-President. What I am assured of is that he came from a family who suffered under a corrupt system and who eventually restored it to its present relatively democratic state. Noynoy is the son of Ninoy and Cory. That is the most reassuring thing of all. “Kung maganda ang puno, maganda din ang bunga.”

Noynoy’s term may not be a bed of roses. But it is a regime where everyone can sleep at night with the assurance that tomorrow this country is still a democratic one where every one is given equal opportunities for improvement and that no one is allowed to abuse power for their own benefit and the benefit of their favored allies.

In contrast, the other candidates, are already linked with anomalies even before it can hold on to power. Manny Villar continuously snubbed the Senate hearings on the controvery of the C5 road project which increased the value of his property. If he can snubbed a Constitutional body like the Senate while he is still a Senator, one can just imagine if he eventually will become a President. He will treat the Senate the same way Gloria is treating it now. Aside from that Villar has this populist stance, eager more to please the crowd than to make strong and firm decisions. Villar seems to invest more of trying to make himself too pogi for the voters. Thats a typical Gloria Arroyo trait. No wonder administration allies are attracted to the Nacionalista Party candidate like swarming bees because he bore similar qualities with that of Gloria Arroyo.

On the other hand, Gibo Teodoro for me might be the most risky choice. That guy might be trailing in the surveys as of now. But in the remotest possibilities that he will win the presidential race, one can just imagine what could be the possibilities. Gibo is very intelligent especially in the matters of law, perhaps too intelligent for comfort. The last time we have a President as brilliant as Gibo, he declared Martial law, extending himself to power in the process, accumulated wealth and practically abused himself to power. As Gibo is very eloquent in law, like Mr. Marcos, he might be tempted to tinker with our Constitution again to make himself overstay in power. This could be in a form of a Constitutional Amendment to change the system to parliamentary from presidential to allow him to become a Prime Minister.

Another risk factor for Gibo is that his connections within the military, being the Defense Chief. That is a very sensitive position for someone who might be tempted to implement martial law. Again Ferdinand Marcos, because of his brilliance and strong connections with the military, was able to get away with martial law and ruled the Philippines by Presidential Decrees.

Being a legal luminary with strong military connection is a  very worrisome combination as what was proven in the 20 year Marcos regime.

Now,  I am not saying that Gibo will definitely follow the Marcosian path. I am  hoping that I will be proven wrong. But I am just trying to put it on the table so that people will have a clearer mind in making their choices. The lessons of history should not be ignored or it might be repeated again. This premise while explaining we should be wary of Gibo also explains why Erap Estrada is no longer worthy of our votes anymore.

We have tried him already and we saw for ourselves the result. We should not commit the same mistakes again.

2010 is not a good time to jump the uncharted waters again. 2010, like 1986,  is a transition. In transition periods, the need to stabilize everything is the primordial consideration. We need a rehabilitating president. A president who can rehabilitate this nation from the ravages of corruption, despair, apathy, cynicism, unaccountability and irresponsibility brought by an administration trying to stay afloat since 2005 amidst the scandals of corruption and election cheating. We need a “safe and sincere” choice.

No one is qualified than Cory and Ninoy’s son, Noynoy Aquino.

Just before the campaign period began, former President Estrada said that if the opposition cannot unite he will run as President again. I believe him at that time. It was a logical choice to ensure the victory of the opposition with only one candidate.

Then Noynoy Aquino came into the picture. I expected Erap to show some gesture of unity to the Aquino, being an elder statesman. But no, Erap did not show any sign of relenting and tomorrow, October 21, 2009, Erap will launch his candidacy with Binay as runningmate, in Tondo, the heartland of the “masa”, poor urban dwellers. Erap will run under the cloud of uncertainty his eligibility to run under the Constitution. Another burden is the stigma of being a convicted plunderer. Given these factors, this will surely worked against Estrada’s favor.

One of the reasons why Erap will insist on running is that he is seeking a vindication of the crimes imputed to him and that of his ouster in 2001 which abrupted his presidency. Erap has already redeemed himself in the face of the people. Even without running for the Presidency, the masa is already convinced he is innocent and that he was unjustly ousted. There is no need for him to run for President just to prove this point.

But I think Erap will no longer listen. He was convinced by himself that the huge crowds gathering in his sorties is a sign that people will vote for him. He might have believe what the people surrounding him has told him that he is still popular; as popular as in 1998.

This is the part which Erap will be committing a huge blunder. This is no longer 1998. It is very hard now to convince the voters to vote someone because of popularity. They have witnessed the dismal performance of actors in the highest positions of the land. People have learned their lessons.

While Erap may have better governance than GMA, this can also be achieved by someone other than Erap. People wanted to move on now. They want to go into the post Erap, post GMA era where there is significant breakdown of institutions because of power tripping. People simply just want to move on and elect a new leader.

Erap while trying to, can no longer do a sequel to the Masa phenomenon in 1998. It comes only once and people find no incentive why they have to do it again. Even if he has their vote, this may not be enough to propel him to victory. Times are a changin.

Erap was given his chance. He blew it. He may have wanted to become nostalgic about it but the people now want something else.

Summing it all, I see no point why Erap is running again. Something is wrong, somewhere.

The “very helpful” Manny Villar

So Loren Legarda is in the middle of a tug of war to become the Vice Presidential candidate of the Presidentiables. She was indorsed by the Governors to become the running mate of administration candidate Gilbert Teodoro.

“I am heartened and inspired, but remain firmly with the opposition.”

That was her reaction. Legarda must show firmness in principle. If she belongs to the NPC, why was she entertaining of becoming the Vice Presidential candidate of Gibo, and Manny. The equation is simple, if you are with NPC, you stick with NPC. If Loren will again change parties again to accomodate her Vice Presidential ambitions, then she will be a certified political butterfly.

Legarda was once a member of Lakas CMD. Then in 2004, she switched to LDP of Angara to become the running mate of the late Fernando Poe Jr., a decision vehemently protested by Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago and pushed her to leave the party and joined the administration coalition.

In 2007 elections, Legarda together with Tito Sotto again bolted LDP to join NPC. Then this possible jump to another party, again!

I have reservations on Legarda being with the opposition. Like Manny Villar, she is willing to shed her party affiliation if “the offer is right.” Behind all the facade of being a non traditional politician and espousing a populist pro environment stand, Loren Legarda, I am very sorry to say is just another average trapo. Hopping from one party to the other.

My apologies to Senator Miriam for being a skeptic of what she said in 2004. She is damn right after all.

***

I found a very interesting article about Camiguin and Bohol connections. These two provinces though separated by a wide and rough Bohol Sea share something in common. Camiguin is the home of a significant number of Boholanos. If you are in the Mambajao side, the side facing Bohol, you will noticed that most of the inhabitants in the area have Boholano ancestry. This is from Bohol Sunday Post.

Camiguin, Mang Inasal beacon Bohol patrons

By ROGER BALAMAD

Built of different dimensions, the only thing nearly similar is that they are prominent target of the same market. The Boholano market that is. Other near similarities end there. As a marketing strategy, it is the kind that hits two birds with one stone. That precisely is the message why the province of Camiguin and Mang Inasal are the object of the same sales pitch. They beacon for the Boholano audience as they take separate lives of their own—with Camiguin through its Lanzones Festival and Mang Inasal when it opens its first branch in this city in November. This explains why Camiguin Gov. Jesus Jurdin Romualdo (not Gov. Pedro Romualdo as erroneously reported last issue; he’s the incumbent congressman of the province’s lone district) is training his sights of Camiguin’s Bohol side for its inhabitants to visit the famous festival slated third week of October.

The province is said to be heavily populated by Boholanos who traced their roots from Bohol towns facing the island particularly Jagna. In fact, the latest link of the Jagna-Camiguin connection is the ferry service plying the route. Adding convenience to passengers plying the route is the incentive of reaching Cagayan de Oro City using the same ferry boats. Taking advantage of the country’s nautical highway, the Jagna-Camiguin-Cagayan de Oro route is serviced by the fast craft Paras Sea Cat and a roro vessel. The roro boat serves the cargo and passenger needs of the Mindanao mainland via Balingoan in Misamis Oriental. The same route is navigated by the roro ferry serving the Jagna wharf.

According to Gov. Romualdo, access to Camiguin is made easy through the two ferry runs. With the lanzones festival, Gov. Romualdo expressed optimism that his little province will be teeming with tourists. How will the province address the influx of tourists during the festival? According to the young governor, the island has 19 resorts, with the biggest known as Paras Beach Resort. With this number of resorts, the governor was optimistic that the island will be able to absorb any abnormal rush of tourist bookings. A sister company of the fast craft service Paras Sea Cat, the resort complex (see foto page 1) is located in a shoreline property in barangay Yumbing, Mambajao, capital of Camiguin. The resort has a total of 39 rooms.

WHY CAMIGUIN

The name Camiguin is derived from the word “Kamagong”, which is a tree of the ebony family. The original inhabitants were the Manobo who migrated from Surigao. When Visayan settlers arrived, the Manobo retreated to the highlands of Mindanao. The people of Camiguin were already trading with merchants of neighboring Asian countries when Ferdinand Magellan and Miguel Lopez de Legaspi landed here in 1521 and 1565 respectively. But it was not until 1598 that a Spanish settlement was founded in what later came to be Guindiliban (now one of the 5 municipalities).

Catarman, where barangay Bonbon is now, became a major settlement in the island until 1871 when Vulkan Daan erupted, sinking part of the town into the sea, after which the town proper was moved to its present site. Mambajao was not established until 1855 but it grew quickly to be the busiest part in Northern Mindanao in the early 1900.

During World War II, the Japanese burned downtown Mambajao to retaliate against guerilla activities in the island. When Mt. Hibok-Hibok erupted in 1951, lava covered many barrios in Mambajao and 3,000 people were killed.
Camiguin was a part of Misamis Oriental until 1958 when it became a sub-province. It was made into a separate province on June 18, 1966 through, Republic Act No. 4669, but was formally inaugurated only in 1968.
Sagay was formerly established as a town in 1848; Mambajao in 1855; and Mahinog in 1860.

Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd again led all candidates for president in next year’s elections in a survey that sought to determine the top three candidates most preferred by the public to succeed President Gloria Arroyo.

Six in 10 Filipinos (60 percent) mentioned Aquino when asked who they think should become president in 2010, Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported on Wednesday. Noynoy, the only son of late former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. and late former President Corazon Aquino, also topped a survey on the preferred president conducted last month by SWS.

In the latest survey, he was followed by Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. (37 percent). Respondents were allowed to give up to three names of leaders who may possibly succeed President Arroyo. Candidates tailing Aquino and Villar were former President Joseph Estrada (18 percent), Sen. Francis Escudero (15 percent) and Sen. Manuel Roxas 2nd (12 percent). Candidates who got single-digit preference rating were Vice President Noli de Castro (8 percent), Sen. Loren Legarda (5 percent), Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (4 percent), Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Mayor Jejomar Binay of Makati City (2 percent each) and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and Brother Eddie Villanueva (1 percent each).

SWS said that 6 percent could not give an answer while 4 percent had no one to recommend. The survey was conducted from September 18 to 21, 2009, using face-to-face interviews of 1,800 adults. Margin of error is plus or minus 2.3 percent. SWS said its latest survey on the best leader to succeed Mrs. Arroyo was noncommissioned. Malacañang said that it was not worried about the latest SWS survey topped by Noynoy.

Now Aquino critics dont like to see the numbers. They are like vampires who see the rays of the sun. It will melt them in envy. While the candidates they are desperately rooting for are in the bottom, Noynoy Aquino without making so much fanfare is leaving them by the mile.

photo from wagnalang.wordpress.com

In the typhoon aftermath, while other presidential candidates took the opportunity to cash in on publicity at the expense of the suffering public, Noynoy chose to quietly send his assistance to the victims. While other candidates are distributing food with a shameless inscription of their names on the packed meals or using government resources to visit flood stricken areas, Noynoy Aquino used social networking sites to invite volunteers. Thats very personal and honest effort as opposed to the hypocritical and insincere way of helping the victims.

And the anti Aquino opinion writers are now busy churning the issues against Ninoy. Most of them twitted that Noynoy is banking only of the legacy of his dead parents, that Noynoy is weak and is indecisive etc., the very same allegations they used against her mother, Cory, before.

To tell you, these writers are repeating the same issues on daily basis. They cannot wait until campaign period to unload their bombs on Aquino. But theres a good thing to it. They keep on repeating it and people will get tired of it during campaign period. It will be like a broken record.

The pro administration media is peddling the idea of a leader of the future, a forward looking leader who will be concerned more about progress and development.  There is nothing you can question about this campaign strategy.  It is a common aspiration to attain progress and development so no one will argue with this. It is a safe proposition of the administration.

However, if one analyzes deeply, the administration is just evading the 2010 elections to be a referendum of Gloria Arroyo’s governance for the past 9 years.  It does not want to defend the issues against Gloria Arroyo, hence the thrust of parading a forward looking candidate kuno.  The administration is twisting the heads of the Filipinos not to look back but to look ahead to hide their misdeeds. Subtle and the administration hopes it might work.

But it is not lost in every Filipino’s heart that before even beginning to talk about progress and development, for the future, there must be a cleansing first of the government bureaucracy.  In other words, before we can move on, we have to introduce reforms. The problem with our bureaucracy today is that it is heavily infected with a virus. The virus of corruption. So destructive is the virus that it leads to the disorientation of the nation, where wrongdoings are acceptable and lying and cheating is becoming a virtue.  Progress and development can never be attained if this culture is effectively cleansed from the bureaucracy.

In 1986, it took a morally upright Corazon Aquino to cleanse the government bureaucracy of the Marcos bacteria. Since then, our country was moving forward until in the time of the populist and wants-to-please-all Gloria Arroyo that the virus of abuse and corruption came back with a vengeance.

Thus, reforming the bureaucracy and restoring the Constitutionally enshrined system of checks and balances will be what Noynoy Aquino and the Liberal Party will worked on from Day One once elected.  It may not be the cure all answer but definitely it will become the starting point for reforms.

Majority of our voters today are first time voters. They are young and idealistic. They witnessed how the Gloria administration bastardized our democratic values. They witnessed how corruption after corruption was committed by the people in power. They witnessed repeatedly and watching helplessly, how our constitutional system are abused and corrupted over and over again to favor the people in power today. These are not naive voters. These are voters raring for payback come election time.

The administration is boasting the solid support of the Congressmen, Governors and Mayors which will lead their candidate to victory.  Not long ago, in 1998, then Speaker Jose De Venecia Jr., was enjoying overwhelming support of the local leaders.  As election day comes near, the local politicians, vultures as they are, abandoned De Venecia and secretly support ed Joseph Estrada instead.   In 2007 election, the Team Unity senatorial slate of the administration again enjoyed that overwhelming support. Election time came, and the Team Unity was virtually wiped out.  The opposition won overwhelmingly.  The vaunted local government machinery either wilted under the onslaught of the opposition votes or was simply non existent at all.

Thus no matter what the  anti Aquino media is spinning, twisting and distorting everything to discredit Noynoy’s candidacy and the  much ballyhoed support of politicians to their side, the surveys would show otherwise. Despite the negative propaganda this early against Aquino, the people never listen to their cheap tirades and Noynoy still surged ahead with 60 percent vote, higher than the 51 percent earlier when Noynoy announced his acceptance. They kept on attacking but never mind, Noynoy is kept on rising.

Not knowing what hit them, anti Noynoy opinion makers, are now questioning the surveys. They remain baffled that despite their untruthful accusations, Noynoy is still ahead. There must be something wrong with the surveys. Thats how pathetic and desperate they have become.

Anyone, all this focus on Noynoy is not unexpected. When you are on top, everyone wants to shoot you down. As for the surveys, it will never lie. 2007 elections showed that what the surveys indicated is the expected outcome.

Noynoy is destined to become President of this country.