Caloocan City Residents Proclaim Andres Bonifacio as Unang Pangulo ng Pilipinas

1 December 2010 9:04am

During yesterday's celebration of Bonifacio Day, residents of Heroes del 96 in Caloocan City together with colleagues in the re-launched Caloocan Historical Society have proclaimed Andres Bonifacio as Unang Pangulo ng Pilipinas in very simple rites at the Bonifacio Monument.

Led by Rolly Ocampo, ordinary citizens of Caloocan City did what probably has never been done before, that is, to march and shout in the streets and to publicly declare Gat Andres Bonifacio, the Great Plebeian and Father of the Filipino Nation, as the First President of the Philippines.

More pictures from the event when I return.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|

Erap Endorses Pacquiao in His 2010 Congressional Run in Sarangani Province

19 June 2009

On Thursday, June 18, former Philippine President Joseph "Erap" Estrada endorsed Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao in his 2010 bid for the lone congressional district of Sarangani province.

Erap made the endorsement during a two-day "Lakbay Pasasalamat" trip to General Santos City upon the invitation of the reigning pound-for-pound king.

"Karangalan natin na bisitahin tayo rito at paunlakan yung imbitasyon natin ... galing sa ating minamahal na Pangulo ... ah ... Pangulong Erap."

In making the effort to secure former President Estrada's endorsement, Pacquiao is showing that he is leaving nothing to chance to win in his second congressional bid even if it means risking ruffling some feathers in Malacañang. 

Under the administration Lakas-CMD banner, Pacquiao made a run two years ago in 2007 for the congressional seat in South Cotabato but was soundly beaten by incumbent Representative Darlene Custodio who had Erap's support.   

More on this story in this ABS-CBN report by Sheryll Mundo via kyte.tv:

end

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|

Lacson Drops Out of the 2010 Presidential Race — June 5, 2009, 6:50pm

5 June 2009  6:50pm

In a bombshell development, Senator Panfilo Lacson has just announced that he is dropping out of the 2010 presidential race because of lack of resources to wage a viable campaign given his poor showing in the surveys. Lacson mentioned specifically the lack of financial resources and the absence of a nationwide political party or machinery. 

In what appeared to be an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN's Lynda Jumilla aired just a few minutes ago at TV Patrol, Senator Lacson said that his decision has nothing to do with the return of former police senior superintendent Cezar Mancao and the possible reopening of the Dacer-Corbito double murder case.

Lacson said that his decision is final.  

VIDEO UPDATE

6 June 2009  10:00am

Here's the video clip of Lynda Jumilla's interview with Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|

2nd ANC Leadership Forum To Take Place on June 5, 2009 (Friday), 7pm at UP Diliman Featuring Estrada, Legarda, Lacson and Binay

1 June 2009

The 2nd ANC Leadership Forum featuring former President Joseph Estrada, Senator Loren Legarda, Senator Panfilo Lacson, and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay will be held on June 5, Friday at the UP School of Economics Auditorium at UP Diliman in Quezon City. 

Here's the link to ABS-CBN's website featuring a review of round 1 of the ANC Leadership Forum.  Round 1 featured Pampanga Governor Among Ed Panlilio, Senator Mar Roxas, Senator Richard Gordon, Senator Chiz Escudero and Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.

UPDATE

5 June 2009 10:00pm

Please see my live blog post My Notes on the 2nd ANC Leadership Forum, Live Blog, June 5, 2009, 7:00pm.

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|

My Notes on the ANC Leadership Forum, May 11, 2009

11 May 2009 9:10 pm

I arrived home from work in time to catch what was left of the ANC Leadership Forum aired live at ANC (ABS-CBN News Channel). The ANC Leadership Forum, held at the Loyola campus of the Ateneo de Manila University, was hosted by Tina Monzon-Palma and Ricky Carandang. 

The presidentiables who attended the forum are Senator Chiz Escudero, Senator Richard Gordon, Governor Ed Panlilio, Senator Mar Roxas and Secretary Gilbert Teodoro.  

I took these notes, obviously incomplete  and probably containing some inaccuracies, which is my fault alone:

Question - Will you form a coalition with Manny Pacquiao's political party?

Gordon: Yes.

Panlilio: Yes, if people with him adopt principles of good governance.

Roxas: He should remain a symbol of unity, an idol of the youth.

Teodoro: Yes, he is very much welcome ... he has good drawing power.

Escudero: Yes, 'wag n'ya lang isama yung pinuntahan n'ya kanina sa Malacañang ...

Question - What was the last book you read or the last movie you've seen?

Panlilio  :  Book: Leadership Secrets of St. Paul

Roxas  :  Book: 1776 about the American Revolution

Teodoro  :  Book: Power and Prosperity, about rewards and incentives; Movie: John Adams, about the second President of the United States

Escudero:  Book:  Dinner with a Perfect Stranger;  Movie: Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo

Gordon   :  Book:  Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama; Movie: We are Marshals

Question:  Will you support an investigation of the Arroyo family for corruption allegations?

Roxas  :  Yes.  NBN-ZTE, fertilizer scam ... etc.

Teodoro  :  Walang makakapara n'yan.  Ngunit kung ito'y haka-haka ... political harassment, tutulungan ko ang aking Pangulo.  Secretary Teodoro is runaway winner of  the Most Loyal to GMA Award.

Escudero :  Yes.  Dapat panagutin s'ya sa mga pagkakamali at paglabag sa batas na ginawa n'ya.

Gordon  :  Kung magpa-file ng kaso, dapat i-file.  Hindi dapat haka-haka, hindi kuro-kuro.

Panlilio  :  We must be a nation of laws ... dapat lang magkaroon ng prosecution dito.  Let the law and justice take its course.  Hindi lang sa gobyerno ... kahit sa private sector at mga simbahan ... may corruption.

Question :  What are the positive contributions of the Arroyo administration?

Teodoro  :  Maraming positive, 7.3 pct GDP growth ... etc.

Escudero :  Isa lang para sa 'kin.  Dahil sa ilang paglabag sa batas ... at hirap na dinaranas ng ating mga kababayan ... Ginalit n'ya ang maraming Pilipino ... para makilahok sa susunod na halalan.  This is the most creative answer of the night. Expect bright answers like this from Senator Chiz no matter what position he eventually runs for in 2010.

Gordon   :  Transaction sa lahat ng mga Congressman.  Kapag naging Presidente, wala na dapat kaibigan ... truth palagi hindi lies.  But she has work ethic ... Kulang sa suheto sa mga nakapaligid.

Panlilio  :  When I first read this question, hindi ako makatulog.  Nag-provide siya ng transition nung mabakante ang presidency.  Sa environment, pinirmahan n'ya agad yung zero waste management law nung 2001 and last year yung R.A. on renewable energy... kung ii-implement n'ya ito is a different matter altogether.  What is often lacking is the political will to implement these programs.

Roxas  :  Ang isang mabuting nagawa ni Pangulong Arroyo ... inappoint n'ya kong DTI Secretary.  Sinuportahan n'ya ko nung nilabanan ko ang pharmaceutical cartel ... sinimulan ko yung IT BPO call center space ... gumawa kami ng strategic plan ... nilabanan ko yung cement cartel. This was the best self-promo campaign of the night.     

Question :  Who do you admire the most, living or dead?

Escudero :  Walang iisa ... piliin yung magagandang qualities sa lahat ng tao

Gordon  :  My father ... an American who became Filipino and raised his children as Filipinos.  This was the most emotional moment of the night as Senator Gordon fought back tears while reminiscing about his late father.

Panlilio  :  Andres Bonifacio, Tarik Soliman, Jose Abad Santos.  He related how then Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, seeing his son crying, told him:  "Don't cry. Not everyone is given the opportunity to die for his country." (Abad Santos was executed by the Japanese in 1942 for his refusal to render the oath of allegiance to the Japanese Empire.) I rate this the most patriotic answer of the forum especially given the way Among Ed delivered it. Any Filipino who makes positive mention of Andres Bonifacio and reflects proudly on Jose Abad Santos' now-forgotten sacrifice  in the same sentence must have within him beating a patriot's heart. I looked up Tarik Soliman and it turns out he's a Capampangan who fought in the Battle of Bangkusay.   

Roxas  :  among the living, Cory Aquino;  among the dead, his father, Gerry Roxas

Teodoro  :  Rizal, Bonifacio, Marine soldier ...

After this, the would-be candidates gave their one minute closing messages.

My position remains the same, issues are more important than personalities.  It's too early to pick a presidential bet just yet. Let's ask them, from where they are, from whatever public position they occupy, to SPEAK OUT and WORK NOW on the issues that can improve our lives and secure a better future for the Philippines.  

Take the case of Senator Mar Roxas, for example.  I have two posts concerning him regarding tuition fee increases and has actually emailed him on one of them at mar@marroxas.com, without receiving any reply so far.  These posts are:

Let's Encourage Senator Mar Roxas to Make a Clear, Principled Stand on the Issue of Tuition Fee Increases (Lalaban Tayo!)

Let's Urge Sen. Mar Roxas to Act Quickly On Two (2) Tuition Fee-Related Resolutions Filed by Sen. Manny Villar (Ngayon Na, Now Na!)

Now, Senator Mar Roxas has done many things for this country especially in the ongoing investigation of the Legacy scam and I have given him credit whenever he deserves it, for example, in this post:  The Senate Resolution that Won Back Custody Over Jun Lozada, SRN-1049 (Adopted Resolution No. 172), Filed by Senator Mar Roxas.

But he should really work on the issue of tuition fee and state his position clearly if he is to maintain his credibility. Napaka-importante po nito para hindi niya pansinin. This issue belongs to what should be his "core advocacies" because he is the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.  Siya po dapat ang unang pumapadyak sa isyung ito. Hindi ko po siya kukulitin dito kung wala siyang pwede o DAPAT na gawin.  You can email Senator Mar Roxas at mar@marroxas.com and this is the Official Mar Roxas website.

The same principle goes for all of these aspiring presidentiables, not just Mar Roxas.  

I'll appreciate it a lot if you can give me guidance or share with me your thoughts on this matter.  

 

For more on the issues over personality paradigm, here's my post dated March 30, 2009,  2010 Presidential Campaign Issues. 

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|

The Bonifacio Monument, Nominee As One of the Most Endangered Monuments on Earth in the 2010 World Monuments Watch

16 March 2009

                              click image to enlarge

Yesterday, as nominator, I had the honor of submitting by email the nomination form and nomination signature form for the inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the 2010 World Monuments Watch.  Joining me in making the nomination is Prof. Ding Reyes, as endorser in behalf of Kamalaysayan, Inc.. In the World Monuments Watch page of its website, this is what the World Monuments Fund has to say about the 2010 Watch:

World Monuments Watch 

Launched in 1996 and issued every two years, the World Monuments Watch calls international attention to cultural heritage around the world that is threatened by neglect, vandalism, conflict, or disaster. The 2010 Watch will continue this tradition of identifying endangered sites, while also encompassing sites with compelling issues or progressive approaches that could inform the field at large.

Watch listing provides an opportunity for sites and their nominators to raise public awareness, foster local participation, advance innovation and collaboration, and demonstrate effective solutions. The Watch nomination process also serves as a vehicle for requesting WMF assistance for select projects. 

Since the program’s inception, 544 sites have been included on the seven Watches. Nearly half the listed sites, representing 79 countries, have received WMF grants totaling $50 million. These WMF monies have leveraged an additional $150 million in assistance from other sources.

As the flagship advocacy program of the World Monuments Fund, the Watch is emblematic of WMF’s commitment to inspiring heritage stewardship, forging partnerships, and advancing conservation. 

In sponsoring the Watch program, WMF seeks to highlight emerging issues and opportunities in the field, confront urgent challenges, foster community engagement, and build capacities and constituencies for sustaining heritage protection in the long-term.

This is what we wrote in the Watch Listing portion of the Nomination form in justifiying inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the 2010 Watch:

The inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument on the World Monuments Fund Watch would leverage in a significant way the implementation of the plan of action outlined above.  Once the millions of Filipinos around the world notice the inclusion of the Monumento in the World Monuments Fund's 100 Most Endangered List, it will start a global rescue campaign unprecedented in the annals of Philippine cultural preservation and heritage conservation history. 

It will send a clear signal to Philippine government leaders and the National Historical Institute that the world community is watching and will not agree to a further desecration of the Bonifacio Monument.

Inclusion on the Watch will hasten submission by the Philippine Government to the Tentative List and should also help hasten UNESCO listing on its World Heritage cultural list. The Monumento World Heritage Global Campaign, convened by the nominator, has an online petition at http://www.gopetition.com/online/23996.html which seeks inclusion of the Bonifacio Monument in the list of UNESCO World Heritage cultural sites.

As a nation, let's join together in prayer and collective action so that the World Monuments Fund considers our submission and includes the Monumento in the 2010 World Monuments Watch. 

To God be the glory, always!

Add Post To: | Digg| Technorati| Tip'd| del.icio.us| Stumbleupon| Reddit| BlinkList| Furl| Spurl| Yahoo| Simpy|