Despite glitches, voters up 3x in HK on second day of OAV

Despite glitches in at least two of the counting machines, almost 3,000 Filipinos in Hong Kong voted on the second day of the overseas absentee voting (OAV), or almost triple the number of votes cast when the voting started Saturday.

“Today [Sunday], 2,901 votes were cast by Filipinos in Hong Kong, or almost three times the number of votes cast yesterday," said Vice Consul Val Roque of the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) in Hong Kong in an e-mail sent to GMANews.TV.

The number of voters in Hong Kong when the OAV opened reached only 997 as of 6 p.m. Saturday.

The increase was recorded even as problems with the Precinct Count Optical Scan (PCOS) machines in two precincts stalled the registering of votes for as long as two hours, according to the election watchdog Kontra Daya.

Kontra Daya said the PCOS machines for Special Board of Election Inspectors (SBEI) nos. 15 and 16 broke down and rejected ballots, delaying the recording of votes by two hours in SBEI no. 15 and by about 45 minutes in SBEI no. 16.

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal, however, earlier said only one PCOS machine malfunctioned and it took an hour to be fixed.

Overseas Filipinos are only allowed to vote for president, vice president, 12 senators, and a party-list group.

Glitches

In a statement Sunday, women’s group Gabriela-Hong Kong, one of the only two accredited groups of poll watchers in the OAV in Hong Kong, said the PCOS machine at SBEI no. 15 rejected the ballots of seven voters at around 8:30 a.m.

Two new machines were brought in but only one of the seven rejected ballots were accepted. The first machine was then brought back at around 10:00 a.m. and turned off for about 20 minutes to dry it as it reportedly became damp.

The machine started working a little past 10:30, the group said.

Meanwhile, the PCOS machine for SBEI no. 16 started rejecting ballots at around 8:30 a.m., but was fixed after 30 minutes. It started accepting ballots at around 9:15, a Gabriela poll watcher stated.

“The glitches in the PCOS machines here in HK may be a prelude to the possibilities of problems and disturbances when elections start in the Philippines on May 10. With the sheer number of voters in the Philippines per precinct, one cannot help but fear the possibility of massive disenfranchisement," poll watcher Aaron Ceradoy said.

Info drive

Despite these technical problems, Roque said the PCG in Hong Kong remains committed to making the OAV in the Chinese special administrative region as efficient as possible.

“We worked today for 10 hours, and during this period we attended to roughly 5 voters per minute. My colleagues track these figures as we aim to make the voting center as efficient as possible. An efficient voting center and voting process elicit positive feedback from the voters and encourage other registered Filipinos to take part in our electoral exercise," Roque said.

Roque added voter’s education campaigns, which include text blasts of invitation to vote, distribution of sample ballots and a computerized voter and precinct search service, will continue for the remaining 29 days of the OAV.

“We have a full voter's education schedule for all the remaining Sundays of the voting period. These will mainly be in parishes and Christian congregations outside Hong Kong Island," he explained.

In Singapore meanwhile, voters in the OAV reached only 275 as of 5:30 p.m. Sunday when the voting center closed, a slight increase from the 218 voters who came on Saturday.

There are 589,830 registered Filipino absentee voters across the world, with 95,355 in Hong Kong and 31,851 in Singapore.

As of 11:20 a.m. Sunday, only a little over 4,000 Filipinos overseas have voted according to the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Source - KBK, GMANews.TV


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Villar is most trusted bet in May 10 polls — Pulse Asia

Only Senators Manuel Villar Jr. and Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III enjoy majority trust ratings among those seeking to become the country’s next President, with Villar having a slight edge over Aquino in Pulse Asia’s latest survey.

The survey, conducted last January 22 to 26, said 70 percent of the 1,800 respondents had "big trust" in Villar, slightly better than Aquino’s 64 percent.

Pulse Asia earlier released a presidential preference survey conducted during the same period, where Aquino was preferred by 37 percent of voters, and Villar by 35 percent.

The two were virtually tied for first place since the survey had a ±2 margin of error (See: Aquino, Villar neck and neck in latest Pulse Asia survey)

Based on the poll results released only on Wednesday, Villar’s trust rating improved by a point from a similar survey last December, while the number of those who said they were undecided dropped by 2 percentage points to 18 percent.

On the other hand, Aquino’s trust rating dropped by 8 points, while the rate of undecided respondents in the trust survey increased by 6 percentage points to 23 percent.

Both Villar and Aquino, however, added two points to their distrust ratings of 12 percent each from two months earlier.

The survey was conducted in the heat of Senate floor debates on the C-5 Road extension issue, where Villar allegedly enriched himself and his property companies at the expense of the government.

Ambivalent on Teodoro
Meanwhile, former President Joseph Estrada, a convicted plunderer but released after he was pardoned by the present administration, posted practically the same trust and distrust ratings (33% versus 37%).

Public assessment of the trustworthiness of former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. — the administration bet — is divided, with 36% of Filipinos ambivalent on the matter, 32% trusting him, and 31% distrusting him.

Senator Richard Gordon had a 26-percent trust rating against 32 percent who distrusted him.

The survey said the other presidential aspirants posted near to small majority distrust ratings — Senator Jamby Madrigal (47%), Olongapo City Councilor JC de los Reyes (50%), Kilusang Bagong Lipunan bet Vetallano S. Acosta (51%), evangelist Eduardo Villanueva (53%), and Center for Alternative Development Initiatives (CADI) President Jesus Nicanor Perlas (54%).

Campaign strategy
Political analyst Ramon Casiple, executive director of the Institute for Political and Economic Reform (IPER), said Villar’s political ads that played up his rags-to-riches story appeared to have worked wonders for his image despite the C-5 controversy.

"These must have had a huge impact since majority of our voting base are from Class D and E," he told GMANews.TV in Filipino.

He also claimed the C-5 issue was difficult to grasp and had not been explained in detail to the public.

Casiple added that Villar's ability to come up with a senatorial slate composed of both rightist and leftist elements — among them Ilocos Norte Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., son of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos, and militant leaders Satur Ocampo and Liza Maza — must have strengthened his support base.

Benito Lim, Ateneo de Manila University political science professor, said Aquino’s trust rating had likely gone down because the public no longer approves of his continued use of his parents’ legacy in his presidential campaign.

"Noynoy's campaign managers erred [when they allowed him to] keep on using his parents' names," Lim told GMANews.TV by phone.

He said Filipinos don't like it when somebody, even a son, exploits people they have come to respect — his parents, for instance — former President Corazon Aquino and Senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., now both deceased.

Lim also said Aquino’s repeated campaign promise that he would not steal was not boosting his presidential bid since politicians before him had made and broken that promise.

In contrast, Villar’s campaign strategists appeared to be doing the right thing by spending on TV and radio ads and getting popular celebrity endorsers.

The analyst claimed Villar and Nacionalista Party stalwarts had directly addressed the C-5 Road controversy, while Aquino had not been clear about his plan on Hacienda Luisita.

"These issues are toxic to both of them but at least Villar and his friends… have tried to show that the project had benefited the public. Aquino on the other hand, has only said he would do something about it Hacienda Luisita, and that he is just a minority stockholder," Lim said.
Source— NPA, GMANews.TV


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Noynoy bucks special powers

Liberal Party standard-bearer Sen. Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III believes there is no reason to grant President Arroyo emergency powers to deal with the current energy problems brought about by the El Niño phenomenon because the “crisis” could be artificial.

Aquino pointed out there are several ways to help Mindanao deal with its power problem and granting the President emergency powers should be the last resort.

Aquino told editors, columnists and reporters of The STAR that his camp was verifying reports that the energy crisis was artificial and could only be used to further the interests of some groups in the run-up to elections.

He said based on reports, Luzon and the Visayas were not yet affected by the blackouts and only Mindanao has been hit so far.

Aquino said the source of the energy problem must also be looked into properly, as some energy issues could have been addressed early on.

“We want to know, is it because of mismanagement? Is it a prelude to some monkey business come election day? Therefore if it is artificial, the emergency powers will not have any basis,” Aquino said.

Sen. Francis Escudero also said in a radio interview he would not support the granting of emergency powers because it might only be abused by the administration.

Malacañang earlier welcomed a proposal to grant emergency powers to the President in order to address the power crisis.

The Palace said Mrs. Arroyo would consider the proposal of Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, a member of the opposition, to call a special session of Congress and declare a state of emergency in Mindanao.

Aquino and his running mate, Sen. Manuel Roxas II, have expressed concern over the power outages especially because the country will have its first automated elections in May.

Enough powers

Even Nacionalista Party standard-bearer Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. and his partymates yesterday rejected the proposal to grant emergency powers to the President.

“Emergency powers are not needed,” Villar said after campaigning in Mandaue, Cebu yesterday.

Villar added that Mrs. Arroyo has enough powers to address the energy crisis.

The NP standard-bearer also questioned why issues on energy are being raised anew months before the elections.

The party-list group Gabriela shared Villar’s sentiments.

“We fear that Mindanao, where Arroyo ‘secured her triumph’ over her opponents in the previous elections, would again become her instrument to stay in power,” said Rep. Luzviminda Ilagan.

“While the fact that another El Niño phenomenon is looming cannot be discounted, the government’s deliberate neglect in putting in place mitigating measures cannot be overlooked,” she said.

Gabriela said it is alarmed that instead of setting into motion the government’s backup power initiatives as promised in the Philippine Energy Plan, Arroyo allies in the House are selling the idea that she be given emergency powers to address this crisis, particularly in Mindanao.

No worries

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated yesterday that power interruption on election day is not a cause for concern.

Comelec Commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer said power outage would not cause failure of elections on May 10 primarily because the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines would be equipped with batteries.

“We have backup generators in different towns and when it comes to the operation of the PCOS machines, each unit will have batteries that last for 15 to 16 hours,” Ferrer said.

It was predicted that the country will experience a 440-megawatt power shortage in May, prompting calls to hold a special session for both chambers of Congress to solve the energy crisis.

Some sectors fear the possible power outage on election day will result in a failure of elections.

“I think it’s impossible... Even in places where there’s no signal, voting will not stop. We can continue with the voting and ballots will be stocked there inside the ballot boxes,” he said.

He maintained that since the machines have batteries, they could continue counting the ballots and eventually produce election returns even when there is a blackout.

“So the problem that they are talking about refers to the transmission, not to the actual voting. But if the transmission fails, we can also do a manual transmission,” Ferrer added.

Power summit

Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) Public Affairs Committee (PAC) chairman Kalookan Bishop Deogracias Iniguez, meantime, expressed support for the holding of a summit to find solutions to the energy crisis.

CBCP treasurer Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco added: “If it is necessary to obtain the objective, then I am for the summit. I believe even without the looming power crisis, everybody should conserve energy and protect the environment.” - With Christina Mendez, Sheila Crisostomo, Michael Punongbayan, Evelyn Macairan

Source - Philstar.com
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Villar confident of getting Cebu vote

Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar Jr. on Saturday expressed no worry getting votes in Cebu province despite its being a known administration bailiwick.

"We are not worried about Cebu at all. At the appropriate time we will be announcing the people who are supporting us and who we will support," Villar told reporters in a press conference here.

According to Commission on Elections statistics, Cebu province has a total of 2.416 million registered voters as of December 2009.

Villar refused to name the provincial aspirants to elective positions that he will be supporting, saying "it will not be fair for anybody who may want to join us later, who may want to join our bandwagon. I would have to leave things at that."

The NP presidential bet said the alignments would be known days before the elections.

"Very confident kami sa suportang inaasahang makukuha namin sa mga darating na panahon. Sa akin ang mahalaga dito talaga ay tao at yun ang aming pinagsusumikapang makuha," the NP presidential bet said.

(We are very confident of the support we expect to get in due time. For me, what’s really important is the people’s vote, and that’s what we are trying our best to get.)

Earlier in the day, Villar and his ticket visited Opon Public Market in Lapu-lapu City, then proceeded to a residential area in Barangay Suba in Cebu City. They received warm welcomes in both areas.

The NP bet said they were surprised with the reception they got from the Cebuanos.

"Natutuwa naman ako, ibang klase ang pagtanggap dito sa Cebu so far and akala namin mahirap talunin talaga yung nakita naming reception sa Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz pero grabe dito sa Cebu at sobra ang init ng pagtanggap, talagang dinudumog ang grupo namin ng mga tao," Villar said.

(I’m so glad, Cebu’s welcome to us has been extraordinary so far. We thought it would be hard to top the warm reception we saw in Iloilo, Aklan and Capiz. But Cebu is just too awesome, the incredibly warm welcome, our group is simply overwhelmed by the crowds.)

Asked if they are exerting extra effort to woo Cebuanos, Villar said they are.

"Masasabi ko yan pero hindi ko matatanggap na administration bailiwick ang Cebu, nakikita ko na opposition bailiwick na ang Cebu (I can say that but I can’t accept that Cebu is an administration bailiwick; I see it now as having become an opposition bailiwick)," he said.

On Sunday, Villar is set to go to the annual general conference of the United Pentecostal Church to be held at the University of Mindanao in Matina, Davao City.—Amita O. Legaspi/JV, GMANews.TV

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No 'ex-deals' with celebs for voters’ education endorsements — Comelec

While admitting it needs star power to improve its voters’ education efforts, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is not keen on tapping celebrities with probable violations of election law for endorsing candidates in the May polls.

Comelec legal department head Ferdinand Rafanan said the Comelec is not considering having "exchange deals" with such public figures who may be charged for violating Republic Act 9006 or the Fair Elections Act.

“E, pangit po. Hindi porke’t sila ay tumulong, kung kapalit naman ay ang di pagpaparusa sa paglabag sa batas (That will be improper. We cannot allow celebrities to help our voters’ education efforts if they do so to evade possible prosecution from violating the law)," Rafanan said in an interview on dzXL radio.

He added the Comelec cannot afford more blows to its credibility, especially with the elections just three months away. Some Comelec officials such as Virgilio Garcillano and Lintang Bedol had been linked to scandals involving poll fraud.

Garcillano, former Comelec commissioner, figured in alleged massive poll fraud – the so-called “Hello Garci" controversy in the 2004 presidential elections.

The "Hello, Garci" mess refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations between President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and former commissioner Garcillano wherein the rigging of the May 2004 polls to benefit her were supposedly discussed.

“Ang Comelec ay bumabangon lalo lugmok sa nakaraang iskandalo (The Comelec is trying to regain its credibility from past scandals)," he said.

Under Section 6.6 of the Fair Elections Act, “Any mass media columnist, commentator announcer, reporter, on-air correspondent or personality who is a candidate for any elective public office or is a campaign volunteer for or employed or retained in any capacity by any candidate or political party shall be deemed resigned, if so required by their employer, or shall take a leave of absence from his/her work as such during the campaign period: Provided, That any media practitioner who is an official of a political party or a member of the campaign staff of a candidate or political party shall not use his/her time or space to favor any candidate or political party."

On the other hand, Rafanan said the Comelec can afford to tap star power for its voters education as it has some P4 billion from savings in the automated election budget, and may spend it on voters’ education.

“Ang savings natin sa automated budget P4 billion. Marami tayong gagastusin para magtagumpay (Our savings from the automated budget amount to P4 billion. We can afford to spend to make the automated polls a success)," he said.

He added celebrities who have not endorsed candidates and are offering their services will be welcome.

Meanwhile, Rafanan said party-list groups must help out, too, by going to the grassroots level to educate voters on the automated polls.

“Sa dami nila, dapat maraming nakakaalam(if the party-list groups are really doing their job … their sheer number would be a big help to the poll body's education efforts at the grassroots level," he said.
Source — LBG, GMANews.TV


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Villar, Legarda woo voters in Roxas home province

ROXAS CITY - Nacionalista Party standard bearer Manuel "Manny" Villar Jr. and his party mates on Wednesday began to woo residents of Capiz province, hometown and bailiwick of Liberal Party vice presidential bet Manuel "Mar" Roxas II.

First to arrive at the airport here around 6:30 a.m. were NP senatorial candidates Gilbert Remulla, Adel Tamano, Satur Ocampo, Liza Maza, Rep. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Gwen Pimentel, daughter of Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr.

Also present was Martin Querubin, representing his father, resigned Marine Col. Ariel Querubin who is still detained at the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (Isafp) compound in Camp Aguinaldo.

They held a motorcade while waiting for Villar and his running mate Loren Legarda of the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC).

Villar and Legarda arrived around 9 a.m. They immediately proceeded to the city hall where they were met by Mayor Vicente Bermejo. Villar then went to a nearby church to pray.

Mobbed by students

His next stop was Colegio dela Purisima Concepcion, one of the largest Catholic schools here, where students cheered, chanted his name and shook hands with him. The school was celebrating its foundation day.

The students sang Villar's popular campaign jingle. Female college students even kissed the NP presidential bet.

Asked if she would vote for him, Marivic, a 20-year-old business administration student, answered in the affirmative.

"Na-appreciate namin iyong effort niya pumunta dito sa lugar namin. Ang layu-layo namin sa Manila (We appreciate his effort to visit us, considering that our province is so far away from Manila)," she told GMANews.TV.

Diana Blancaflor, another business administration student, said it was the first time a presidential candidate went to their school.

"Dati hindi namin alam ang iboboto namin. Ngayon alam na namin (Before, we didn't know who to vote. But now, we know)," she said.

To win in Capiz?

Villar then visited the Roxas City Public Market and the Capiz State University where they also received a warm welcome.

In a chance interview, Villar was optimistic that they will be able to get the votes of Capiz residents come the May 10 polls. "Sa palagay ko mananalo kami rito. Napainit ng pagtanggap sa amin at naniniwala ako na gusto na rin ng mga Capizeño na magkaroon ng kaunlaran at pagbabago itong lalawigan."

Aklan leg

The NP ticket also visited towns in Aklan.

In a press conference in Balete, Aklan after attending the inauguration and blessing of a public market there, Villar and Legarda admitted that they went to Capiz "to test the water, prove our political strength, and it looks like we were able to pass the test."

“It’s a tactical strategy. Kailangang makapa rin namin ang aming suporta maski na dun sa lugar ng kalaban (We also need to get a sense of the support we have even in the areas of our opponents)," Villar said.

He added: “Nagpapahiwatig lang ito na ang Nacionalista Party ay hindi takot. At ang grupo namin ay hindi takot pumunta sa anumang lugar, kalaban man o hindi (This only shows that the Nacionalista Party isn't afraid. And our group doesn't fear going into whatever area, hostile or not)."

Legarda said the support of the 13 of the 17 mayors of Cebu for their tandem only proves that the province is no "(Mar) Roxas territory."

"Baka dating balwarte nila (Maybe [Cebu] was their former bulwark)," the senator said.

NP is set to go on Thursday to Iloilo, a territory claimed by the Liberal Party as its bulwark, and Cebu, a supposed administration bailiwick, on Saturday and Sunday.
Source - RSJ/JV, GMANews.TV

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Makati court allows Trillanes, Lim, 16 others to post bail

A Philippine court has allowed detained Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, resigned Army general Danilo Lim and 16 others facing rebellion charges in connection with the November 2007 siege of the Peninsula Manila hotel to post bail, giving them temporary liberty while the case is being heard.

Josfa Valencia, clerk of court of Branch 150, told GMANews.TV that Judge Elmo Alameda of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 had found insufficient evidence not to grant the senator's plea for bail. The decision was signed on February 16.

Allowed to post bail with Trillanes and Lim were 16 other servicemen who participated in the 2007 mutiny, where soldiers took control of the hotel in Makati's central business district, trapping several civilians, including journalists covering the standoff.

Shortly after the motion to post bail was granted, Trillanes and Lim issued separate statements welcoming the development.

"I am very happy for my companions as their long awaited freedom is finally at hand. More importantly, this is a victory for our justice system. I thank Judge Elmo Alameda for displaying fairness and impartiality in his decision to grant bail," he said. "This proves that there are still bright spots in the judiciary."

For his part, Lim, a senatorial candidate of the Liberal Party said: "I extend my gratitude to Judge Alameda for treating us fairly and without prejudice. His decision, though granting me and my men only temporary liberty, is a clear victory for those who are fervent in pursuing justice."

Standoff

During a Makati court hearing on Nov. 29, 2007, Trillanes, together with other soldiers slapped with coup d' etat charges in connection with the 2003 Oakwood Hotel mutiny, slipped past court security and marched towards the Peninsula Manila hotel.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV is mobbed by photographers and reporters during the Peninsula Manila stand-off on Nov. 29, 2007. Joe Galvez file photo

The officers marched through the streets of Makati City. The mutineers called for the ouster of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and seized the second floor of the hotel along Ayala Avenue. After several hours, Trillanes and Lim surrendered to government forces once a military armored personnel carrier had barged into the hotel lobby.

Trillanes and the mutineers were arrested while several journalists that covered the event were detained. The journalists were later released.

In a separate report, dzMM radio quoted Alameda as saying that the 18 accused must post a P200,000 bail.

Ernesto Francisco, Trillanes's lawyer, said they would ask the court to lower the bail bond since his client could not afford it.

"The hearing for our bail petition took too long. The Justice department presented too many witnesses, but the court found that the prosecution had failed to present strong evidence in the rebellion case, so now they may post bail," Francisco said in Filipino.

Freedom still uncertain

Francisco claimed that all the accused in the Peninsula Manila siege, excluding Trillanes and Lim, "will surely be set free."

The lawyer said they were still unsure if the two leaders could go out on bail pending other charges apart from the rebellion case.

Trillanes is also facing charges of coup d'etat over the Oakwood incident as well as mutiny charge before a military tribunal. On the other hand, Lim is also facing mutiny charges before a military court in connection with the alleged coup d' etat in February 2006.

"We have yet to check with the military if Lim will be allowed to go out of detention. But he should be," Francisco said.

Lim is a senatorial candidate of the Liberal Party. He was earlier allowed to fly to his home province of Nueva Vizcaya to attend a celebration in his alma mater. [See: Makati court gives Danny Lim 3-day freedom]

Francisco said Alameda's decision to grant Trillanes bail could help their camp convince Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 — now hearing the senator's case for the Oakwood mutiny — to also allow him to post bail.

The lawyer noted that except for Trillanes, the rest of the accused in the Oakwood mutiny had been out on bail.

The senator is being detained at the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center inside Camp Crame in Quezon City for rebellion charges.

While jailed, Trillanes still won in the 2007 senatorial elections, where he placed 11th after earning around 11 million votes.

Respect court decision

Meanwhile, military spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner was quoted in a radio report as saying that the Armed Forces of the Philippines would respect the court decision.

However, Brawner said he had yet to consult with the military's Judge Advocate General's Office about the implication of Alameda's decision on Lim's other case.

A radio dzMM report said Lim's wife Aloysa had rushed to the PNP custodial center after hearing about the court decision and visited her husband.

The wife was quoted as saying that the "wheels of justice are still turning."
Source — with reports from Sophia Dedace, LBG/NPA/RSJ, GMANews.TV

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Lim, Trillanes to remain in jail despite bail - AFP

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV and senatorial aspirant former Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim will remain in jail despite being allowed by a Makati court to post bail on a rebellion charge, the military said on Wednesday.

“The group of Senator Trillanes cannot be released until after the military has agreed already, because they are still facing general court martial," said Armed Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr.

He said the two have pending cases before the military tribunal in connection with alleged attempts to overthrow the Arroyo government.

“Under the military law, there is no such thing as bail," Brawner said.

Brawner made the statement after the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 150 granted the plea for bail of Trillanes, Lim and 16 other soldiers. The bail was set for P200,000 each.

Brawner said the military is securing a copy of the court decision for study and “to determine the circumstances, the basis" why Trillanes and Lim were allowed to post bail.

Trillanes, a former Navy officer, is facing conduct unbecoming of an officer and a gentleman before a military tribunal for his participation in the July 27, 2003 Oakwood Mutiny. He is also charged with coup d’etat before a Makati court for the same reason.

On the other hand, Lim and 17 other Army and Marine officers remain charged with violation of several Articles of War, including mutiny, before a general court martial for the alleged plot to overthrow the Arroyo government in February 2006.

He is also facing court martial for the so-called Manila Peninsula siege in November 2007.

Trillanes also took part in the Manila Peninsula siege but was not charged before the military tribunal as he was already a civilian then. He was deemed separated from the military when he ran for senator in the 2007 elections.

Government prosecutors, meanwhile, will contest the Makati court’s decision, according to Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. “Our government prosecutor definitely will set their motion for reconsideration in motion," he said at a press briefing in Malacañang.

Both Lim and Trillanes are detained in Camp Crame, the main headquarters of the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Source - with Aie Balagtas See/KBK, GMANews.TV

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5 presidential bets vow to go after Arroyo over ‘Hello Garci’

At least five presidential aspirants on Monday vowed to go after President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in connection with the “Hello Garci" if they get elected into office.

Among those who said they would reopen the case if they get into Malacañang were opposition candidates Sen. Benigno “Noynoy" Aquino III (Liberal Party) and Sen. Jamby Madrigal (independent).

Bro. Eddie Villanueva (Bangon Pilipinas), JC delos Reyes (Ang Kapatiran) and Nicanor Perlas (independent) also vowed to put a “closure" on the controversy, where President Arroyo is accused of rigging the 2004 elections to favor administration bets.

“Only in the Philippines can a president be caught talking to her election commissioner asking for a million votes and still stay for another six years," said Madrigal during the Foreign Correspondents' Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) presidential forum at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Makati City. [See: Hello Garci timeline]

“It is essential for any government to be able to determine how the system failed, what went wrong and why is it so difficult to correct the system that resulted in a mandate that's been questioned," said Aquino.

Villanueva said the next administration “should not neglect [its] duty to the Filipino people and to history."

Other opposition bets, former President Joseph Estrada (United Opposition) and Sen. Manny Villar Jr. (Nacionalista Party) were not present in the forum.

Administration standard-bearer Gilberto Teodoro Jr. (Lakas-Kampi-CMD) said he would not initiate a re-opening of the Hello Garci controversy, but added that he would not stop any independent, “unbiased" to reopen an investigation.

"Whatever the outcome, we shall respect it," he said.

Sen. Richard Gordon (Bagumbayan) said he would rather “move on" if he gets elected, and focus on his administration's own problems. “There are a lot of problems in this country that have to be solved."

The Hello Garci scandal refers to the alleged wiretapped conversations where vote rigging in the 2004 elections was discussed by, among others, a woman presumed to be President Arroyo and man presumed to be then Commission on Elections (Comelec) Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.
Source - KBK, GMANews.TV

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Presidential bets begin courting religious votes

Presidential and vice presidential candidates have started courting religious groups, a week after the official start of the campaign period for national posts.

Over the weekend, Nacionalista Party standard bearer Senator Manuel Villar and his running mate Loren Legarda traveled to HongKong to attend the anniversary of a chapter of El Shaddai in the special Chinese region.

El Shaddai leader Bro Mike Velarde accompanied both candidates to Hong Kong, the largest concentration of overseas Filipino workers.

However, Velarde has yet to announce his choice for president and vice-president in the May polls.

On Sunday, former President Joseph Estrada attended the 25th anniversary celebration of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ organization and held a meeting with its founder, Pastor Apollo Quiboloy. [See: Erap woos Quiboloy, bishops]

Villar also went to see Quiboloy after the official campaign period kicked off last February 9.

Gilberto Teodoro Jr. of Lakas-Kampi-CMD and Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Bangon Pilipinas also met with the religious leader.

Religious votes matter in close fights

However, two political analysts belittled the religious vote, saying that these groups deliver only a small portion of the votes.

Only 30 percent of the El Shaddai members cast their votes while 80 percent or around 2 million members of Iglesia ni Cristo do so, political analyst Mon Casiple said.

"Hindi ganoon kabigat pero in close fights, these votes matter," Casiple said in a phone interview with GMANews.TV.

(Only in close fights do these votes matter.)

Benito Lim, a professor at the Ateneo de Manila Univesity-School of Social Science, shares Casiple’s observations.

"Sa botohan hindi ganoon ka-significant dahil hindi naman lahat ng members nila bumoboto sa sinasabi nila lalo na sa urban regions pero kung close fight pwedeng deciding factor kung mabubuo ang boto ng religious group," Lim told GMANews.TV in a phone interview.

(The vote of a religious group may be a deciding factor in case of a close fight.)

This was what President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did in 2004, Lim said.

"Noong umiikot siya sa Quezon City, nakafocus ang mata niya sa Iglesia Ni Cristo. Alam niya na kung ang kandidato overwhelming ang resulta from INC pwedeng manalo," Lim said.

(When she campaigned in Quezon City, she was eyeing the Iglesia Ni Cristo. She knew that a candidate that had the overwhelming support from the INC could win.)

Candidates promise political positions in exchange for votes

Some candidates “wheel and deal," offering government positions for religious leaders’ and/or their relatives, in exchange for votes, Lim added.

Some candidates are “ruthless opportunists," Lim added.

"They go to these groups not because of similar religious or moral beliefs but because their interests coincide," Lim said, adding that some speeches are even tailor-made according to their audience.

Lim also believes that the Catholic vote is not a significant vote in the country except when the Church campaigns for a certain issue. He said this is the reason most of the presidential candidates backed out from supporting the reproductive health bill.

This view was shared by Casiple, who said that the Catholic Church historically meddles in the political arena most of the time.

But at the same time, Casiple placed little premium on the Catholic vote.

"Hindi factor ang Katoliko kasi hati-hati sa kandidato bukod pa sa puro Katoliko din naman ang mga kandidato kaya yung minority talaga ang nililigawan nila," he said.

(The Catholic vote is not a factor because such support is split among candidates on top of the fact that most of the bets are Catholic. This explains why candidates seek endorsement of other religions.)

Politicians woo religious groups because they stick to their choices, unlike the Catholic Church.

Casiple added that the Iglesia ni Cristo – which reportedly practices bloc voting – usually sides with the one who is winnable.

"Ang Iglesia last minute nagdedecide. Di ko alam kung sinasadya nila pero they tend to favor those leading at the time," he said.

(The religious group decides at the last minute. I’m not sure whether this is done deliberately but they tend to favor those leading at the time.)
Source - GMANews.TV

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