24 March 2010
Graduation Day!
Classmates and teachers have made all the learning fun. As you leave school to join the work force, bring all the memories and forget none, for they will always remind you that in school these good things began. Happy graduation! Read more...
23 March 2010
Speaking of Land Grabbing
A Villar ally is one to speak of land grabbing
“NP senatorial bet Adel Tamano, who spoke against Sen. Noynoy Aquino in Tarlac yesterday, was kind enough to bring up the issue of land grabbing. He is running under the wing of Manny Villar, who has a colorful record of bribery and land grabbing, which Villar tries to cover up using an over-funded propaganda machine.
“Tamano should learn to look at his own patron’s backyard before commenting on issues of which he only has sound-byte comprehension. The Luisita property was legally acquired by the Cojuangco family. This is hardly the case for some of the lands acquired by the real estate mogul, Manny Villar.
“Villar has displaced over a thousand people in San Pedro, Laguna. He has grabbed the ancestral land of indigenous minorities, the Dumagats of Norzagaray, Bulacan. He has grabbed and converted much-needed rice lands in Iloilo to benefit his real estate development company Camella Homes. Now Villar wants to grab Malacanang at any cost, even if it means manipulating the truth and misleading the Filipino people.
“Manny Villar’s lack of principle, his abuse of his elective office, and his preference for transactional politics to sate his insatiable hunger for power falls within the culture which the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino seeks to end. If our country is to progress, we must elect a leader of unquestionable integrity—the coming elections may be our last chance to do so.”
March 22, 2010
Edwin Lacierda
Spokesperson
The Presidential Campaign of Benigno S. Aquino III
22 March 2010
16 March 2010
7 Reasons Why We are Supporting Noynoy
By: A Family from Baguio City, Philippines
1. We see the handiwork of God in his candidacy –Ninoy died for the country and his widow became president after people power. After battling cancer, Cory went home to the Lord which ushered in an unprecedented showing of support and love for a former president. This showing of support miraculously bankrolled into a people’s call for Noynoy to run for president even if he had no plans of doing so. These events could only be orchestrated by a sovereign God who has compassion over nations shackled by the blight and darkness of arrogant and shameless corruption.
2. He inspires hope — Prior to Noynoy’s candidacy, we were resigned to our fate of just choosing the utopian lesser evil among traditional, same old, eager beaver presidentiables. None of them inspires hope. But all that changed when Noynoy responded to that God-given calling in his life to serve the Filipino people whom his father died for . Tears of hope from the hearts and eyes of ordinary Filipinos flowed when he declared his candidacy. Upon learning of Noynoy’s candidacy, a Bureau of Customs employee said, “Salamat. Pwede na ulit mangarap.”
3. He is honest — Ballsy Aquino Cruz, Noynoy’s sister declared on national media that she is willing to be shot if anybody could present evidence that her brother is a thief. This sincerity is unparalleled even among the closest family and relatives of the other presidentiables. None of the other presidentiables’ sisters or brothers would like to end up dead. Noynoy was reared in an environment of honesty as exemplified by the lives of his parents. Indeed, an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
4. He has strength of character — We don’t need a president who will hang a shingle in Malacanang that reads, ” Business as Usual”. He is the only candidate that we believe when he says he will clean house because he is clean.
5. He is humble and not in love with power — Everything about him is not contrived. Ordinary people like us could see through spin doctor- managed acting among public officials and candidates. But we see in Noynoy the sincere simplicity of a simple man, who although pedigreed, is not self-centered, power and recognition hungry. He doesn’t mind having thinning hair, simple clothes and a down-to-earth manner of speaking. More so, his humble spirit was manifested when he sought God’s direction first before plunging in the presidential race.
We could see that his reluctance to seek the presidency is genuine. We believe that power should be given to those who have strength of character because they are not obsessed nor in love with it. And yes, Mr. Gary Olivar, Malacanang spokesman, Noynoy is his own man because true manhood could only come from a humble spirit.
6. He alone could mobilize people power – No other presidentiable could ask the Filipino people to bankroll his campaign and credibly call for volunteers. In this country where the norm is patronage politics and presidentiables spend billions just to win an election, Noynoy is the only presidential candidate as of press time who is being swamped by a snowballing groundswell volunteer support from unknown, ordinary Filipinos from Luzon to Visayas without any budget. Noynoy is the anti-thesis of patronage politics because he could ask for volunteers to spend time and resources to campaign for him.
7. He is the good in this fight between good and evil – No other opposition candidate had earned the most vicious attacks from Malacanang and the other political parties who are fielding candidates in the presidential race than Noynoy.
In fact, some parties are already demolishing the people’s perception and argument that the 2010 presidential race is a fight against good and evil. Noynoy’s detractors would like to brush aside the morality of the elections because morality in government leadership is not a campaign strategy that could propel their traditional, same old, eager beaver presidential candidates.
It is true what Earl Spencer said ,that true goodness is threatening to those who are on the other side of the moral spectrum. In this fight versus good and evil, Noynoy credibly represents the good.
In his declaration speech, he was unmindful of politics or a possible loss of votes when he said he desires justice over the unresolved issues and cases the Marcoses committed against Filipinos. That to us, is true goodness, because it is a conviction that stands up for what is right no matter what the consequences are. Mabuhay ka Noynoy!
Mabuhay ang Pilipinas!
15 March 2010
Principled Leadership Needed to Fight Corruption
LP Senatorial Candidate Acosta: Principled Leadership Needed to Fight Corruption
“Nakakalungkot at nakakahiyang isipin na mismong ang gobyerno ni Arroyo ang sumusuko at nawawalan na ng tiwala sa kakayahan ng mga Pilipino na manindigan laban sa korupsyon,” Liberal Party senatorial candidate Neric Acosta reacts to the statement of deputy presidential spokesperson of Malacanang, Gary Olivar, that “…corruption is an old, old problem. It is one of culture, di lang institution, pati kultura natin sa pulitika at civic life.”
Malacanang points to the Filipino culture and the election-season mudslinging as the primary reasons for the Philippines’ being named as the fourth most corrupt country in Asia. Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy (PERC) conducted the survey.
Change in Perspective
“Kailangan nating palitan ang ating pananaw sa kakayahan ng mga Pilipino. Hindi dahil laganap ang korupsyon sa ating lipunan at sistema, katulad ng pananaw ng Malacanang, hahayaan na lang ba natin at magsasawalang kibo ba tayo? Huwag tayong magbulag-bulagan at gawing dahilan ang kultura sa paglaganap ng korupsyon. Sa halip, dapat magsilbing ehemplo at magsilbing instrumento ang pamahalaan sa pagsugpo ng korupsyon sa ating lipunan,” ang sabi ni Acosta. Corruption is not a hopeless case as presented by Malacanang because in the beginning, the Arroyo leadership is the problem! In the Arroyo government, corruption has reached record-highs.
Lingering illness
Acosta asserts that almost all the socio-economic problems haunting our country now points to the prevailing problem of massive corruption. “Ang mga pondong dapat nakalaan sa mga batang gustong makapasok, makapag-aral at makapagtapos ay sadyang ibinubulsa at winawaldas ng mga taong nasa katungkulan. Kung walang corrupt, walang maghihirap!”
Acosta expressed dismay over the massive corruption in the country and the danger it poses to the minds of the youth if the next government does not address head-on this “lingering illness.”
Exemplary and Principled Leadership
“Matagal nang naghahanap ang mga Pilipino ng mahusay at mapagkakatiwalaang pinuno. Likas sa bawat Pilipino ang kabutihang loob at pagiging marangal. What our country really needs now is an exemplary and principled leader. And I put emphasis on the word principled,” Acosta said with strong conviction.
11 March 2010
Twilight: Eclipse - Watch the Eleven Second Teaser Trailer
HERE is the (eleven second!) trailer for the eagerly-awaited new movie Twilight: Eclipse – the third installment in the Twilight film franchise.
The film — starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner — hits theaters June 30, 2010.
Here’s a plot summary of The Twilight Saga: Eclipse:
As Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge, Bella once again finds herself surrounded by danger. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob — knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella has one more decision to make: life or death.
Rob, 23, recently insisted everything in Eclipse is more intense than its predecessors.
“In Eclipse there’s a lot of fighting and conflict,” he said.
“It’s really escalated. It’s much more tense and it’s at a lot faster pace.”
In Eclipse, schoolgirl Bella has to battle with her passion for Edward and for werewolf Jacob Black, played by Taylor Lautner.
Noynoy Reacts to Latest Pulse Asia Survey
PRESS STATEMENT OF SENATOR BENIGNO S. AQUINO III
February 3, 2010
1. I am not surprised with this turn of events. First, our opponents have had a long head start in this campaign. And while I diligently perform my functions as a legislator, the others are practically campaigning fulltime, neglecting their mandate with those who entrusted them with their votes. Second, for all the unprecedented and sustained ads spending in all forms of media of the other camp and the unrelenting and increasingly below-the-belt and baseless black propaganda against me by my opponents, not to mention the harassment we have been continuously getting from this administration—the arbitrary transfers and replacement of police directors, the inexplicably adverse rulings we have been getting from Comelec for our local executives, the abrupt cessation of government projects in provinces friendly to us and lately even the denial of venues for our rally sites– I am surprised that I am still on top of the surveys.
2. By the day, it is becoming clear that an unholy alliance is developing between this administration and my opponent. No wonder the Palace spokesman couldn’t restrain himself in expressing his gratitude to one of my opponents for keeping quiet on the many issues confronting this administration.
3. Of course, that is not to say that we do not face challenges in the campaign. Quite a lot, I must say, foremost of which is the ability to bring our message—a clean, decent, transparent and accountable government will put an end to massive corruption, dedicate precious public resources to basic services for the poor and alleviate our people’s hopelessness and poverty—across to as many of our people as possible. It is a strong and relevant message that we are certain has had and will continue to have traction among more and more of our voters. We have been able to address this. In the coming days, we will be able to do this with greater frequency and in a sustained manner through ads.
4. On top of this, I believe that our comparative advantage—the organizational strength coming from our ability to mobilize volunteers all over the country—still has to make itself felt in the campaign. We expect that to happen as we formally start the campaign this February, the historic People Power month.
5. I have been through this before. When I first ran for office as a Congressman in 1998, I faced eight opponents and initially attracted about two-thirds of the votes. After the eight ganged up on me, throwing everything they could at me, my numbers fell to half of what I started with. But since the issues they threw at me did not stick and since I brought a message of change and hope, in the end, I prevailed with plenty to spare.
6. What should not escape all of us is that I still lead the surveys—from the time I declared my candidacy to this day. I would like to assure everyone, especially our supporters, that as the formal campaign period starts, we will work harder to make sure that we remain on top of the fight and the hope of our people for a clean, competent and compassionate government through my tandem with Senator Mar Roxas will be fulfilled.
08 March 2010
Noynoy Aquino: A Summary of What He Stands For
Taken from the cover story of the international investment magazine, Asian Tigers, February 2010 issue. ~Marisse Reyes,
Beyond the call of official duty
… Ballsy Aquino Cruz, the oldest daughter, was overheard to have asked Noynoy over the phone, “Are you willing to give up six years of your life?”
It was a modest question, coming from someone who had served as her mother’s private secretary during her presidency. IN her humility she had forgotten to acknowledge that their lives had already been intertwined with that of our nation…suffering through their father’s imprisonment and assassination, their mother’s reluctant presidency and selfless dedication in service to the nation.
On September 9, 2009, the 40th day after the death of his mother Corazon Aquino, Noynoy Aquino announced his presidential bid. A text message that day suggested that if you multiplied the 9-9-9 by 3, you would get 27. His father Ninoy Aquino was born on November 27. Noynoy would run in 2010, 27 years after Ninoy’s assassination. Also, 9-9-9 was the 252nd day of the year. If you added the digits, it also yielded a 9. Is it his destiny?
In 1996, ten years after the historic EDSA Revolution, Cory Aquino may have been prophetic in her warning that:
Challenges to our freedoms continue to lurk in dark corners, some of them disguised as anti-crime legislation or as proposed constitutional reforms to streamline government.
They also come in the shape of recycled and unrepentant politicians, and discredited ideologues that would talk advantage of the democratic space, which the EDSA Revolution had created in our society.
But mostly, these challenges take the form of a general apathy among our people, a tendency to leave everything in the hands of the leaders, and just heap the blame on them if something goes wrong.
I believe that such apathy, which has allowed the return of discarded ideas and personalities in the highest levels of governance, goes against the spirit of EDSA. Our national situation demands nothing less than a return to, the revival of the Spirit that brought us all to the defense of the Republic, our people and the democratic way of life in the dark days of martial law, and into the dawning of a new day at EDSA.
I do not speak only of providing our warm bodies when needed to make a national statement, but a generosity of spirit, a sharing of our time, efforts, resources and our very lives if needed, to see to it that others might improve their lives.
I speak of living in the Spirit of EDSA in all our endeavors, whatever is our state and calling in life.
Beyond his father’s request to take care of his mother and sisters, armed with the courage of his parent’s, Noynoy’s SOCIAL CONTRACT WITH THE FILIPINO PEOPLE is a call to action. His platform is a commitment to change that Filipinos can depend on. With trust in their leaders, everyone can work and build a future together.For the economy, he sees farms and rural enterprise as vital to achieving food security. His is a leadership that will execute all the laws of the land, with impartiality and decisiveness.
In his VISION FOR THE PHILIPPINES, Noynoy sees:
The MISSION which he has chosen to accept is that:
We will start to make these changes first in ourselves by doing the right things, by giving value to excellence and integrity and rejecting mediocrity and dishonesty, and by giving priority to others over ourselves.
When Noynoy announced his decision to run, Fr Manny Domingo, former parish priest of Don Bosco Makati, expressed what many Filipinos now feel: “I HAVE BEEN GIVEN HOPE.”
Asian Tigers magazine