Mabuti naman at nagsalita na rin ang Simbahang Katoliko ng kanilang pangamba tungkol dito sa automated election sa Mayo.
Sa kanilang annual general assembly noong Sabado, sinabi ni Bishop Nereo Odchimar, presidente ng Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines na marami tanong tungkol sa ‘reliability” (maasahan ba?) at integridad ng mga makina na gagamitin sa eleksyun ay hindi nasasagot ng Commission on Elections.
Katulad ng dati, ang sagot ng Comelec, okay lang daw lahat at hindi ra mangyaayri ang “failure of elections” na kinakabahan ng marami.
There are three changes that would be happening in May and June that should be a cause of concern for the Filipino people.
No, we are not talking about the presidency. It’s not the replacement of Gloria Arroyo after June 30, 2010 that we are worried about. It’s more of she might be replacing herself.
The most discussed impending change is in the judiciary, when Chief Justice Reynato Puno retires on May 17.
Article VIII, Section 4(1) of the Constitution states that any vacancy in the Supreme Court shall be filled within 90 days of the occurrence. Gloria Arroyo’s minions say that she can appoint Puno’s replacement because he term ends on June 30.
However, Article VII, Section 15 of the Constitution prohibits midnight appointments . It states that after two months immediately before the next presidential election and up to the end of his/her term, a President or acting President shall not make appointments except temporary appointments to executive positions when continued vacancies will prejudice or endanger public safety.
Update: Brad Pitt and Angelina suing News of the World Hollywood’s Golden couple, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have officially split. I’m sad because I’m…
EstradaThe presidential bid of Joseph Estrada can be summarized in three words: it is about I, Me and Myself. He is the male counterpart of the faded silent movie-era star Nora Desmond in Billy Wilder’s classic film, “Sunset Boulevard.” It tells of a failed screen writer who gravitates to Desmond, who dreams of making a cinematic comeback. In the end she kills the screenwriter in a jealous fit, and ends up losing all touch with reality, thinking that the news crews covering the murder are a film crew that has begun filming her comeback role.
One of the Nora Desmond character’s famous lines is “I am big! It’s the pictures that got small.” In his mind, Joseph Estrada is still the big shot matinee idol, champion and idol of the masses; but the reality is it’s his fantasy of relevance that has enlarged over time even as his box office and electoral clout has diminished. This is not to say that the clout has evaporated totally or that he hasn’t retained his fan base. He obviously still does.
The surveys show him increasing his percentage but it needs to be asked if this is purely a function of his reclaiming his constituency, or more the interaction of official concessions and that constituency rallying because of these unexpected signs of official favor.
Prior to Estrada’s throwing his hat into the ring, the legal consensus was that the Constitution prohibited former presidents from seeking the presidency. This was a view we believe was widely shared by the public. The Palace, for its part, had tried to limit Estrada’s freedom of political action by holding over his head a condition in his pardon that stated he would give up political aspirations. But when the deadline for the filing of candidacies for 2010 approached, the Palace itself announced it had no intention of blocking his comeback plans.
Talaga naman. Hindi ko alam kung sino ang mas matindi ang tama, si Gloria Arroyo o si Marlene Aguilar-Pollard.
Kasi, sabi ni Aguilar-Pollard nakilala raw niya si Mayor Andal Ampatuan sa isang gabing pamamalgi niya sa detention quarters ng National Bureau of Investigation at sinabi niya sa media na huwag daw husgahan ang suspek sa pagpatay ng hindi kukulang sa 57 na tao sa Maguindanao dahil “mabait” naman daw. Dios mio naman!
Ito namang si Arroyo, sa interview sa kanya ni Joe Taruc sa DZRH, sinabi niya na “swerte” raw ang susunod sa kanya dahil matatag daw ang ekonomiya na kanyang iiwanan. “Alam mo siguro, suwerte yung susunod na pangulo sa akin.Iyong susunod na administrasyon maipagpatuloy lang niya, uusbong ang ating bansa.”
Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III yesterday vowed not to impose new taxes or even increase tax rates if he is elected president.
“My vision is to transform our country into one where we have lower tax rates enjoyed by all, rather than have some enjoy absolute tax exemptions while we burden the rest of the economy with very high tax rates,” Aquino said.
Aquino spoke before businessmen and the diplomatic corps during the “Presidential Candidate Series” sponsored by the Makati Business Club at the Manila Peninsula Hotel.
Aquino’s “no new taxes” approach was similar to then US presidential candidate George H. W. Bush’s famous phrase “Read my lips: No new taxes” at the 1998 Republican National Convention when he accepted the nomination.
“With universal low tax rates, we will encourage entrepreneurs and enterprises to invest and create jobs in any industry,” Aquino said to wide applause from the audience.
He said an Aquino administration will pursue the rationalization of fiscal incentives to investors to lower the budget deficit and stem revenue losses.
This week has been designated “National Cancer Consciousness Week” in an effort to fight one of the top killer diseases in the country.
Being informed is one of the weapons to fight cancer.
Puerto Galera-based artist Bernadette Wolf sent an article about avoiding cancer.The article says every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have multiplied to a few billion.
When the person’s immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and forming tumors.To improve one’s immune system a healthy lifestyle, which includes healthy diet, is important.
Now, that the specter of a failure of elections is becoming more and more real, the senate presidency becomes a crucial position.
Under the law on succession, in case of a vacancy in the presidency, the vice president takes over. If the VP is unable to assume the presidency, next in line is the senate president and then the speaker of the House of Representatives. If the there is no one qualified, Congress shall pass a law to provide who shall serve as acting president until the president or vice president shall have been elected and qualified.
But what if no winner is declared for the national positions by June 30, 2010., when Gloria Arroyo’s stolen presidency ends? There would be no Congress to pass the law. The remaining 12 senators would not consitute a quorum to elect a senate president to replace the current senate president, Juan Ponce Enrile,who is running for re-election,
There would a political vacuum and that’s very dangerous. Enrile had mentioned the possibility of a military takeover.
Lito Banayo, in his column in Malaya last Wednesday, mentioned a plot to depose Enrile and install a pro-Gloria senate president who would serve as acting president. Joker Arroyo? Edgardo Angara? Manny Villar? (Come to think of it,Villar’s term for senator is still up to 2013. If he loses the presidency, he goes back to the Senate.)
Nasa taxi ako kahapon ilang minuto pasado ng 12 ng hapon nang lumabas ang balita na lumisan na si Press Secretary Cerge Remonde ng 11:51 ng umaga sa Makati Medical Center.
Sabi ng taxidriver, “Kung sino-sino ang kinukuha, bakit hindi pa tumbukin ang talagang yun dapat kunin.”
Nakuha ko ang ibig sabihin ng driver. Nang sabihin ng radio reporter na kaya pinuntahan ng kanyang driver si Remonde (at doon na natagpuan sa bathroom na walang malay) dahil may naka-schedule na press conference sa Malacañang, sabi ng driver, “Ayaw na siguro ng Panginoon na magsinungaling pa siya.”
Mahirap talaga magtrabaho para kay Gloria Arroyo. Kahit mabait ka na tao, kahit wala kang ginagawa na masama para sa sarili mo, mahirap ka hahanga-an ng taumbayan.
