Juan Country » 2010 Presidential Elections

A Call for Unity

Carlo Ople — Mon, 10 May 2010 14:17:50 +0000

As of this writing, 36% of all votes have already been transmitted and counted by the COMELEC. Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino currently has the lead followed by former President Erap Estrada and Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manny Villar. It’s definitely not yet over and we really don’t know who’s the winner yet but I just want to make a call for unity. This is a great time to come together as a nation. A President is only as good as his or her followers. I pray that those who don’t win will offer their support to the elected leader and that whoever wins will be the first to offer reconciliation.

Most of the Presidential and VP candidates are competent. Imagine what the next 6 years will be for us if we have some of them working together. It would be such a big loss for the country if they turn their backs on public service because of this election.

Lastly, let’s all congratulate the Comelec, Smartmatic-TIN, ABS-CBN, TV5, NBN 4, IBC 13, GMA 7, and all other media stations who participated and brought to us the elections. Also, let’s not forget about the public school teachers and all the volunteers who manned the voting precincts.

To all of you who voted – good job! To those who didn’t – sana naman sa 2016 bumoto na kayo.

My complete national ballot for May 10

Carlo Ople — Sat, 08 May 2010 05:42:50 +0000

I currently have my vote set already for Manny Villar for President and Mar Roxas for Vice-President (talk about an odd couple). I’m still trying to complete my Senate slate. I currently have 8 names already on my list and I’m trying to finalize the last 4 senators that I’ll vote for on May 10, 2010. If you guys have any suggestions on the Senator list, please do leave a comment below and just give the name of the candidate and the reason why he or she deserves my vote. For now, here’s the semi-complete list:

President:
Manny Villar (NP)

Vice-President:
Mar Roxas (LP)

Senators:
1. Susan Ople (NP): I’ve worked with my auntie for the past 2 years and I can honestly say that she has a sincere heart for service, especially for OFWs. She’s sacrificed so much just to help others and I think that’s the mark of a true leader that deserves to be elected into office.

2. Ruffy Biazon (LP): Not only is he competent and smart, Ruffy is also God-fearing and family centered. I know that we can expect great things from this man in the years to come.

3. TG Guingona (LP): We need someone like TG in the senate who will watch the budget with eagle eyes. Corruption and anomalies always come from the budget and no one has really been focused on it in the past few years.

4. Risa Hontiveros (LP): Her advocacy for health care and labor rights got my attention during our blogger session. I’ve been into government hospitals before and it’s not fun getting an operation without anesthetics. By the way, I heard she fainted or something during her rally. I wish her a speedy recovery and the best of luck this coming May 10!

5. Miriam Defensor Santiago (NP): My grandfather once said that Miriam is one of her favorite senators because not only is she sharp and smart, she also livens up the sessions. Gotta agree with him on this one, LOL!

6. Kata Inocencio (Bangon Pilipinas): Competent, God-fearing, and trust worthy. What more can you ask for in a candidate?

7. Satur Ocampo (NP): I’m adding Satur to my list because of two endorsements from two people I respect, Tonyo Cruz and Sonnie Santos. While I never got the chance to talk to this guy myself the praise he got from Tonyo and Sonnie is enough to make me vote for him.

8. Bongbong Marcos (NP): This guy is not his father. Bongbong is his own man and he has a lot of real achievements that he can brag about. He’s done a wonderful job as the Governor of Ilocos Norte and I’m excited to see what he can do for us in the Senate.

9. HELP!

10. HELP!

11. HELP!

12. HELP!

Would appreciate the feedback on who else I should vote for. Please don’t bother criticizing my list. Just help out by saying who else I should vote for

Why am I voting Manny Villar for President

Carlo Ople — Mon, 03 May 2010 09:14:21 +0000

This has definitely been one of the more difficult political and personal decisions I’ve made in the past few months. Deciding on who to vote for in the upcoming 2010 elections for President is a tough endeavor. This is something that I’ve worked on through research, personal interviews, and a lot of prayer. I know that this post will get a lot of heat from supporters from various candidates but the important thing is that I’ve made my decision and I am acting on my belief. It’s time to finally get off the fence and stop being part of the “undecided” group. I’m voting for Nacionalista Party’s standard bearer, Senator Manny Villar, for President.

There is no Perfect Candidate
First let me just say that there is no perfect candidate. All of them have problems and risks. My personal belief is that the worst possible scenario is electing a candidate who is not ready for the job. The Presidency is the most difficult, challenging, and stressful position a person can take. We cannot just put someone there who doesn’t have the necessary experience, track record, and skills because it will just result to either that person becoming a puppet president or he screws up the entire country.

Let me just stress that again: the biggest risk for us is electing a President who doesn’t know what he will do once he gets into position.

Among all the candidates running, Manny Villar is the most qualified to run the country.

1. He’s shown that he has the guts to go after corrupt officials. He impeached Joseph “Erap” Estrada. His party has been at the forefront of investigating anomalous scandals and issues like the NBN ZTE, Fertilizer Fund Scam, and the Hello Garci case.

2. He has successfully managed his businesses and has built one of the most profitable financial empires in the asia. This is not an easy task to do. The experience of dealing with managers, department heads, and executives is valuable. Getting them to follow your vision is very hard and anyone who can do that is a gifted person.

3. He is loved and adored by his children and wife.

4. Villar has the most political experience: Congressman, Speaker of the House, Senator, and Senate President. Well, next to Erap Estrada (lol).

Villar has a solid track record that is built on the foundations of service, skill, and excellence.

But PGMA was competent! Look at what happened to us. We shouldn’t vote for competent people anymore.
Let me set the record straight here. PGMA was never competent. People package her as an economist but she really doesn’t have any good corporate or business experience. Her claim to fame was her last name and that she was “well educated”. That’s it. Manny Villar is light years ahead of PGMA in terms of qualifications.

The issues raised against Manny
Senator Villar has been accused of so many things in the past few months. However no one can really say for sure if these are all true. One big question that I have is why are all of these things just coming out now? I mean Senator Villar has been in government service since forever. Why only now when he’s running for the Presidency are his competitors pointing fingers at him for doing this and that?

Yes, some cases have merit. A lot of them don’t. But then again there’s NO candidate in the running who is spotless. What I find so ridiculous is that the people blatantly accusing Villar of corruption are the ones who should be looking at themselves and at the people surrounding them.

About the money he’s spending on his campaign
Manny Villar is not the only candidate spending millions upon millions for his campaign. If you check all the press releases Senator Noynoy Aquino and the other candidates are spending almost the same. The main difference here is that Manny Villar is spending his own money. He is not beholden to anyone should he win. Other candidates will be pressured to pay off their debts in the form of contracts or appointments. This is much more dangerous if you give it some thought because this is what has been happening in the previous administrations. Manny Villar, if elected, will be a President that will have no political debts to anyone. He can go after the Lopezes. He can go after MVP. He can go after San Miguel. He can go after Meralco.

Manny Villar truly represents the poor and the masses because he will not owe a dime to the rich families of the Philippines should he get elected. 10% of the population here in the country owns 90% of the wealth. By electing people who have ties to those 10%, we will just preserve status quo.

But your Tita is running under the NP! You’re biased Carlo!
You’re free to think whatever you want to think. Note though that I am not voting for a lot of the Nacionalista candidates. I’m voting for Mar Roxas for the Vice Presidency and I have a lot of Liberals on my senate slate (I’m a huge fan of Ruffy Biazon and TG Guingona). This decision was brought about by long hours of contemplation and debate with friends, colleagues, and loved ones.

But you’re a Christian! Shouldn’t you be voting for Bro. Eddie?
As a Christian I’ve prayed about this decision for months. I don’t think it’s automatic for a Christian to vote for a fellow Christian during the campaign. We have to scrutinize the competence and background of each candidate and I standby the idea that Manny Villar is the most competent and capable of leading our country to progress. Yes, Cindy Jacobs made a prophecy that Bro. Eddie will become President of the Philippines. But I don’t think she mentioned a date.

Are you crazy? You should be voting for Noynoy!
I am not voting for Senator Noynoy Aquino because I believe he does not have the skills, experience, and competence to run this country. His background only shows being a mediocre Senator and no real business or corporate experience. I honestly think that if he wins he will just be manipulated and bullied by those who pushed him to run in the first place. Some people say that he’s competent because “nanindigan siya” or that he was active in debates. Seriously do those traits make you qualified to be a President? Does that make you competent enough to lead 90 million people?

Villar’s Sacrifice
I think this is the most important factor which made me decide to vote for Manny Villar instead of Senator Dick Gordon (among other reasons). When the IPO of Vista Land allowed Villar to rake in billions, it would have been easier for Senator Villar to just sit out on the 2010 elections and coast along life as a filthy rich individual who’s loved by his family. That’s what I would have done. He could have spent the rest of his life traveling and tasting the pleasures this world has to offer. He could have just sat back and watched his children take over his business and all he has to do is to enjoy his remaining years.

By running, he knew that black propaganda would be hurled against him. By running he knew that he would be spending his own hard earned money that he can use for other more “fun” things on campaign materials and media buys. By running he knew that it would cause him an insane amount of stress that would tax him and his family.

But he did. He ran. Despite everything that makes running so stupid, he did it.

I’ve talked with Senator Villar on several occasions during blogger events. I’ve met his two sons and his daughter and I personally can’t imagine how hard it must have been for a politician to get his children to be that loyal and loving (speaking from experience here, haha). My gut feel tells me that here we have a sincere and genuine person who honestly wants to change the country for the better. He has the experience and he’s done it for himself and those around him. I’m voting for him because I believe in his vision, character, and his sacrifice. I am voting for him because after all my prayers and reflection, I believe God wants us to have a competent leader. No one really knows for sure what God wants and what His plans are but I will stand by this decision to support someone who I believe can lead our country forward.

I will no longer be held hostage by the idea that this election is a vote for either “good” or “evil”. That is just propaganda which was intentionally made to deviate the discussions from track record, experience, and competence to non-tangible, irrelevant, and immeasurable points. It’s like make-up trying to cover up for zits.

I am voting for Manny Villar for President and I am proud of it.

If you are a supporter of Manny Villar I encourage you to do the same. Post it on Facebook or on Twitter. Let people know where you stand. Don’t be afraid of judgement from your friends or peers because that’s just nonsense. There are two things you need to do this May: campaign for your candidate and vote for him come election day.

As a parting note – if ever Villar does win, rest assured that from his number one supporter, I will become his number one critic to make sure that he does do what he promised to do. Also, I will fully support whoever wins in the elections, regardless if it is Villar or not.

The ABS-CBN HARAPAN Vice-Presidential Forum

Carlo Ople — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 17:02:18 +0000

As I’m typing this blog post, I’m currently watching the ABS-CBN Harapan Vice-Presidential Forum. Let me just say that I’m very impressed with what ABS-CBN did in terms of the format. It wasn’t your typical debate like the previous forums hosted by the major television networks. It was amazing how they were able to integrate all the various platforms available to make the forum a completely multi-media realtime experience. Other than the live broadcast on ANC, channel 2, and Studio 23, they also had live chat online and they also had people tweeting away and updating via Facebook. The term “#Harapan” even became a top trending topic on Twitter!

Exciting Debate Format
The format was very intense at the start. I loved how they had the candidates do mini-debates. My only problem here is that there wasn’t really enough substance in the discussion. It was mostly mudslinging, counter-mudslinging, and more, hahaha. They tried to redeem the debate in the end by having more sensible questions (via the fishbowl) but it became a bit boring. I guess ultimately it’s a lose-lose situation. They make it exciting, the debate loses substance. They make it meaty, the debate becomes boring.

Personally I found the exchanges between Loren Legarda and Mar Roxas to be the most exciting parts of the debate. Closely following that would be the heated and almost hostile spats of Jojo Binay and Bayani Fernando. Yasay and Sonza definitely had brilliant moments. Yasay’s answer on tripling the education budget because it’s the global standard is one of the more sensible statements in the entire debate.

Where’s Edu?
I was able to contact LAKAS-KAMPI VP bet Edu Manzano about his absence via SMS. He replied saying “Am in Pangasinan campaigning with Raul Lambino.” Edu, whoever is handling your over-all strategy should get a dress down. The Harapan forum would have been a great opportunity for you to present what you’re about to the Filipino people. That’s just my honest opnion.

Where’s the Chipeco?
Now this is weird. There was no mention whatsoever of the Vice-President candidate of KAPATIRAN, Dominador Chipeco. Oh well.

Bayani’s Yellow Engineer Hat
Truly epic. Must post picture.

TANDEM PRESIDENT-VP DEBATE COMING SOON
According to ABS-CBN News Gathering Head Maria Ressa (via Tweeter), there will be a tandem version of this debate next Sunday, same time (10:15PM). If ever that pushes through, I’m definitely canceling all my evening plans and make sure I’m glued to the TV at that time.

Let me just congratulate ABS-CBN for a job well done. My only complaint is that the debate was aired late night. This should be put on prime time.

REPLAY ON ANC
To those who didn’t catch the action, HARAPAN: The ABS-CBN Vice Presidential Debate will be replayed on ANC on March 22, Monday, 10:30 pm.

Latest SWS and Manila Standard Surveys say Villar is tied with Aquino; Pulse says otherwise

Carlo Ople — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 07:42:19 +0000

Pulse Asia released a survey last week which showed that Noynoy Aquino is pulling away from Manny Villar. However the following week two other surveys showed that the two candidates were still locked in a statistical tie. In the latest survey commissioned by BusinessWorld, both of them are still pretty much in the running on almost equal footing. The other candidates though registered gains. Not that big but still it’s a sign that the voting public is slowly realizing that it’s not just a Aquino-Villar election.

Source

Brother Eddie is steadily moving up; albeit at a snail’s pace. Same can be said for LAKAS-KAMPI’s Gilbert Teodoro. Former President Estrada is also climbing back up mostly because of his latest media ad campaigns. What I find weird is that KBL’s Acosta has higher ratings than Nick Perlas and JC Delos Reyes. x.x

Interesting developments!

Magdalo Party endorses Villar-Roxas Tandem

Carlo Ople — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 19:47:11 +0000

Detained Senator Antonio Trillanes’ Magdalo party was all set to endorse Senator Chiz Escudero as their President of choice a few months ago. Wednesday morning the Magdalo group revealed their new Presidential candidate: Senator Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party. For Vice-President though they didn’t opt to push for Senator Loren Legarda, instead they went for Liberal Party’s Senator Mar Roxas. This made me think about a possible Villar-Roxas scenario in 2010. Those two guys hate each other’s guts. I wonder what will happen if they end up as partners in steering this country forward should both of them win? That would definitely make things interesting.

Magdalo also endorsed the following Senatorial candidates:

Colonel Ariel Querubin (NP), Senators Pilar Juliana Cayetano (NP), Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (NP), Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada (Pwersa ng Masa), Susan Ople (NP), Gilbert Remulla (NP), Adel Tamano (NP), Brigadier General Danilo Lim (Liberal Party), Rep Ruffino Rozzano Biazon (LP), former Sen Vicente Sotto III (NPC), lawyer JV Bautista (PMP) and Jose de Venecia III (PMP).

I’m very happy to note that my auntie, Susan “Toots” Ople, is one of the senatorial candidates who was endorsed by Magdalo. In behalf of my family, let me just say thank you to Magdalo for their support. It was also cool to see another Senatorial candidate that I am actively campaigning for in their list – Liberal Party’s Ruffy Biazon.

Anyway, the Magdalo party has a nationwide membership of around 55,000. If you count their influence over their respective families and if ever they do decide to block vote, then you’re looking at voting base of 150,000-200,000. Let’s see which personalities in their list won’t make the cut come election day.

Kapatiran Bet JC Delos Reyes concedes to Noynoy Aquino?

Carlo Ople — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 07:49:35 +0000

Kapatiran Presidential bet JC Delos Reyes clashed with Liberal Party’s Senator Noynoy Aquino during a forum organized by the Businessmen from Business for Integrity and Stability of Our Nation 2020 (Bisyon 2020). Delos Reyes said that the Liberal Party should be more transparent, in which Aquino countered with his achievements in the senate. Delos Reyes did the unthinkable though by saying:

“Senator Aquino, there is a big chance that you will be the next president, based on the surveys. I want you to succeed.”

It looks like JC Delos Reyes is already throwing in the towel. I wonder how this will affect the rest of his partymates? Does this mean that he’s only doing this because he’s forced to run? If he believes in his heart that he has no chances and that he wants Noynoy to win, then he might as well withdraw for the race altogether.

Source

The Arroyo Virus

Carlo Ople — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 04:59:23 +0000

If I were to name the biggest sin that the Arroyo administration has done it’s that they have singlehandedly corrupted and destroyed various institutions in the country. These are longstanding and proud institutions which used to enjoy the trust of the people. But now their credibility is in the dumps. Everything PGMA touches, it crumbles into ashes because people automatically lose trust in that department or group. This is by far PGMA’s worst crime to the Filipino people and I hope that the next President will be able to at least help bring back that trust to these institutions.

COMELEC
The body that supposedly guards our right to vote is no longer trusted as well. Because of her phone call to Garci and her national public apology, the COMELEC was forever damned. When people say COMELEC, there’s no longer a feeling of security or trust. All you have is this dreadful notion that your vote is useless because COMELEC will rig it in favor of whoever has the biggest amount of money in their wallet. All of this happened because of PGMA’s call to Garci several years ago.

Congress: Representatives of the people or PGMA?
The most obvious is the House of Representatives. PGMA does not give out the allocated Pork Barrel to congressmen in the opposition. This means that without money, these congressmen will not have funds to do projects in their local districts. Come election time, they won’t get the votes of their constituents because they practically weren’t able to do anything because of the lack of money. Malacanang literally has congress on their knees. Because of this people who deserve to get investigated and punished in the lower house get a free pass. Whatever the President wants, she gets.

Supreme Court
A recent show of her deadly touch is the selection of the next Supreme Court justice. Personally I think she should just wait for the next administration to appoint because if she does push through with her plans to put someone there it would just put a total cloud of doubt and suspicion on the last remaining institution which has stood firm against the advances of the Palace. That would truly be a sad day indeed.

What’s alarming is that even if PGMA is stepping down, she still wants to be a major player in the political landscape. She’s most likely going to win for Congress. There’s a big chance she’ll be the next Speaker of the House. What then? If she has the numbers she can actually impeach the President.

Last, but not least, it looks like the virus is also passed on genetically. PGMA’s son, Mikey Arroyo, is planning to run for Congress again via the Party List system. How the hell does Mikey Arroyo represent any marginalized sector in the country? If this ever comes to pass then I don’t think anyone will appreciate the Party List system anymore.

I can’t imagine how challenging it will be for the next President to face a congress led by PGMA.

Villar-Aquino 1 on 1 Debate

Carlo Ople — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 01:37:50 +0000

Liberal Party standard bearer Senator Noynoy Aquino challenged Nacionalista’s Senator Manny Villar to a one-on-one debate. Villar already responded by saying that if the debate would focus on issues and not mudslinging, he would gladly accept. I am all for this debate! This is something that a lot of people have been clamoring for. Let’s listen to both of them and see who really has a better platform of government. It’s time to focus on what they can do for us if they get elected to the Presidency. I applaud Senator Aquino for raising the bar and I hope that Senator Villar will meet him head on. I hope this debate won’t get cancelled for any reason whatsoever because I am definitely looking forward to it.

Here’s the news clip from ABS-CBN’s news site:

The debate shouldn’t be for sound bites anymore. It should really be meaty and substance based versus the usual personality driven discussions that we’ve seen in the past few televised forums. You might want to read Ding’s take on what should be the discussion points.

In the words of the referees of Ultimate Fighting Championships: LET’S GET IT ON!

To the 2010 Presidential Candidates: STOP THE MUDSLINGING!

Carlo Ople — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 18:47:31 +0000

The 2010 campaign has literally been reduced to name-calling, baseless accusations, and rumor mongering. Instead of presenting their platforms for government and their plans for the country, candidates have resorted to waging a poisoned media war. I used to be an avid fan of politics but now I’m frustrated with the insanely low level of politics that we have in this country. After C5, the Liberal Party started to pedal the rumor that Villar was PGMA’s secret candidate. Then it was followed up by Senator Jamby Madrigal who went as far as insulting the wife of Senator Villar. But wait, there’s more! Not contented with C5, now we have Senator Frank Drilon claiming that Villar converted prime rice lands to subdivisions in Iloilo. Teka… meron pa! Now we have Senator Dick Gordon saying that Villar had a bottox procedure?

Gordon claims that Villar had Bottox Procedure

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What’s next? I’m sure it’s only a matter of weeks before they point their guns at the rest of Villar’s family – Paolo, Mark, and Camille.

I just feel really frustrated that instead of filling charges in court and settling the cases there, politicians are peddling it to the media. If they really have the evidence then please do the Filipino people a service and file it in court because that’s the only place where we will really find out what’s the truth. Lastly, how can one ride a campaign on integrity, honesty, and Godliness when all they do is spew poison from their mouths?

Here’s my unsolicited advice to Senator Noynoy Aquino’s handlers. The main thing being questioned about your candidate is his competency. You can’t address that by just throwing mountains of issues against your nearest competitor. Maybe Senator Aquino should focus on delivering a strong message on what he can actually do when he becomes President – and not just that “I will not steal” thing. I mean seriously, even the ads that are being run by the Liberal Party take potshots at Villar. It’s just crazy.

If you have evidence, file charges. You can even have media cover you going to the courts with the papers. Don’t just stick to media interviews and press releases. Take real action. Because if you don’t it’s just all bark with no bite and like what I said above, that’s a big disservice to the country.