(This is a repost)
Dear Friends,

After several emotional and stressful days following the release of the Commission on Elections’ resolution declaring Benjamin Dy as the winner of the 2007 Isabela gubernatorial race against incumbent Governor Grace Padaca, we can now take a moment to breathe a sigh of relief. The Dy camp’s motion for execution pending appeal was denied, allowing Gov. Padaca to continue as Isabela governor even as she appeals the COMELEC Second Division’s controversial decision.


In the course of five days, we, the friends and supporters of Gov. Padaca, have managed to raise funds for the publishing of a public statement declaring our support for her. The statement was signed by Filipinos from around the nation, including Isabelinos and overseas Filipinos. It was published in the Philippine Star last December 16, 2009 in a full page advertisement. A Tagalog version was also published in Abante the following day, December 17, 2009.


We also came out in support of Gov. Padaca on December 17 when hundreds of supporters from different groups held a peaceful rally in front of the Comelec office as the Second Division decided on the Dys’ motion for execution pending appeal. Among those who came were Gov. Padaca’s fellow Kaya Natin! Champion for Good Governance, Pampanga Gov. Ed “Among Ed” Panlilio, himself awaiting the COMELEC 2nd Division’s decision on the recount case in his province; Atty. Roberto “Bobby” Laurel, president of the Lyceum of the Philippines University where Gov. Padaca graduated as magna cum laude; Arch. Adonis Simpao, the official Liberal Party candidate going up against none other than Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Pampanga’s second congressional district; running priest Fr. Robert Reyes, and YouTube star Mae Paner a.k.a. Juana Change.


Since December 12, people had been generously giving various amounts to fund the publication of the statement and the rally through bank deposits and cash donations. Governor Padaca and the leaders of Kaya Natin! have always been a champion of transparency and accountability, and as such, we would like to practice what we preach. Below is the summary of the donations we have received from December 12-18, 2009 as well as the expenses we have incurred for this cause.


TOTAL DONATIONS: Php 325,218.50

EXPENSES: Php 204,686.75

BREAKDOWN OF EXPENSES (in Php)

Noise Barrage (Dec 14, ADMU Gate 2.5) 186.75

Tarps 3,500

COMELEC Rally 12,000

Philippine Star full page ad 151,000

Abante full page ad 38,000

CASH ON HAND (for future activities): Php 120,531.75


As of December 19, 2009, we have officially turned over the remaining funds to Governor Padaca, which she advises to keep on hand for future activities related to the case.


On behalf of Governor Grace Padaca, we would like to sincerely thank everyone for believing in the truth and in the integrity of Gov. Padaca, for donating to our fight, and for upholding the standards of good governance not just in Isabela but in the entire Philippines. We hope that you will continue to support Gov. Padaca and our other Champions of Good Governance and Ethical Leadership as we continue to fight the good fight in our country.


We pray that God will reward your generosity a hundredfold!


Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!


Kaya Natin,

Kai Pastores

Harvey Keh

(this is a public statement from a group who believes that Gov. Grace Padaca is the Legitimate governor of Isabela)

By now, most of you will have known the situation that Isabela Governor Grace Padaca is in.. After beating fiercest opponent, former Gov. Benjamin Dy of the 40-year-old political dynasty, by more than 17,000 votes last 2007, she resumed her job of being Isabela's chief executive for a second term. Under her leadership, Isabelinos enjoyed more than five years of good governance.

However, early last week, the Commission on Elections Second Division with Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle, and Elias Yusoph decided that Gov. Padaca had in fact lost to Dy by a margin of 1,051 votes. They cited electoral fraud as the main reason, something that almost everyone finds hard to believe. Even evidence presented by the Dys is questionable and can still be rebutted by Padaca's camp.

On Monday, December 14, Gov. Padaca and her lawyers will file a motion for reconsideration at the Comelec office. Normally, the party being ousted can still assume the position he or she is in until the case goes to the Supreme Court and the final decision given. But Benjamin Dy has filed a motion for execution pending appeal, so that even while the case is being heard by the appropriate offices, Padaca needs to vacate the governorship and Dy can immediately assume the position.

The Comelec issued a 12,000-page resolution for Padaca's case. How much easier would it be to issue a one-page decision approving Dy's motion for execution pending appeal?

We need to let Commissioners Ferrer, Tagle, and Yusoph know that Filipinos will not tolerate corruption in an institution as significant as the Commission on Elections. They need to know that they cannot just side with anyone, but with the truth. If we make our voices heard, it will give them a chance to think about what they are going to do.

We will be releasing a public statement which anyone who agrees can support and sign. In order to create maximum impact, we are planning to publish the statement together with the names of the supporters in a major newspaper. We will need funds for this, and so we ask for people with good hearts who are willing to contribute any amount towards this cause. We plan to publish the statement below on December 16, giving us only a few days to raise the money. We would appreciate any and all assistance that we can get in ensuring that Gov. Padaca gets a fair decision.

Moreover, we will also be holding a peaceful rally on December 17 in front of the Comelec office, to show the Second Division that Filipinos are watching and standing guard for the truth, and to show support for the embattled Governor Padaca. Assembly time is 6:00 in the morning in front of the Palacio del Gobernador in Intramuros, Manila. Further details will be announced as the plans are smoothed out.

Below is the public statement that we need to publish. If you agree and want to sign the statement, kindly email your complete name, place of origin, and contact details to kai.pastores@yahoo.com. If you wish to contribute to have the statement published, you may send your donations to:

BPI Family Savings Bank
SA # 5976 2700 47
Acct Name: Karla Pastores

or

Bank of the Philippine Islands
SA # 3086 3883 46
Acct Name: Harvey Keh

Please fax the deposit slip to 02-4265657 or email a scanned copy to kai.pastores@yahoo.com for proper accounting. Thank you very much and we hope you can help disseminate this!:)

PUBLIC STATEMENT OF SUPPORT FOR GOVERNOR GRACE PADACA

We, democracy and freedom-loving Filipinos, fully stand by Isabela Governor Grace Padaca who we believe is the legitimate winner of the 2007 gubernatorial elections in the said province amid an unfair ruling by the Commission on Elections Second Division composed of Commissioners Nicodemo Ferrer, Lucenito Tagle and Elias Yusoph.

As fellow Filipinos, we believe that this resolution to unseat Governor Padaca in favor of former Governor Benjamin Dy is highly questionable and the evidence raised forth against Padaca raises significant doubt as to the validity of Dy’s claims of electoral fraud resulting to his loss.

The May 2007 elections saw Governor Padaca win by 17,007 votes over Benjamin Dy. Had Governor Padaca used dishonest means, this kind of margin will be next to impossible to pull off given that Padaca’s resources are scant and her political machinery nonexistent. If there is a candidate with a vast campaign fund and an organized machinery, it would most certainly be the Dy family who have been in power in Isabela for over forty years, until Padaca defeated them in the 2004 elections.

Governor Padaca has shown integrity as the highest government official of the province, not to mention efficiency and strong political will, all without dubious, illegal transactions. Her campaign against illegal logging in the Sierra Madre mountains has so far proven successful especially after Typhoon Pepeng hit Northern Luzon late this year. Her other programs have greatly benefited the people of Isabela, including health, education, good governance and electoral reforms.

In the past five and a half years that Governor Padaca has served as the local chief executive of Isabela, she has encountered numerous unnecessary problems, among them flagrant non-cooperation by some government offices with the provincial government leading to conflicts. These particular offices are not known to support Governor Padaca; however that does not give them an excuse to disregard common courtesy and protocol and fulfill their duties as required by law.

This should not be the case for any government official. Padaca won in 2007 via a clean and honest election and deserves to be treated as such. The Comelec’s resolution ousting Padaca is not the first attempt of her opponents at regaining control of Isabela. However, the people of Isabela themselves have shown that they have chosen Padaca to govern them for another term, and they, along with the rest of the Filipinos who believe in her and in justice, will not rest until the truth prevails.

We call on all supporters of Governor Padaca as well as Filipinos who believe in good governance to fight against corruption and injustice being done to a good Filipino leader. We believe that this issue is not confined solely to the borders of Isabela, but concerns all Filipinos. We cannot let this happen in Isabela inasmuch as we refuse to let it happen in our own provinces, cities, and municipalities. The fight here is between right and wrong, between good governance and corruption, between truth and falsehood. If we let this injustice happen, we will continue to be at the mercy of a corrupt system that seeks to destroy democratic institutions which were established to serve the needs of the people, not the interests of a selfish few. As citizens of the Philippines, we have the duty to preserve the integrity of our democratic institutions and hold accountable officials who fail to uphold the truth.

Let us not allow evil to triumph and together let us take a stand for the truth, for justice, and for good governance. The fight of Isabela is a fight of the entire Philippines.

Who would have thought it would take the death of a human being to bring about the rebirth of a nation? If this paradoxically sounds like the saga of Ninoy who sacrificed his life against a dictatorship, a new catalyst highlights the other dimensions of injustices and inequalities that systematically and continuously plague this country. Rejuvenated by the passing away of Ninoy's better half and venerated beacon of democracy, the people wage anew the fight against deplorable practices of traditional politics and the wanton corruption of democratic principles by enterprising breeds of greedy and self-serving politicians. Indeed, the spontaneous outpouring of grief during Cory’s wake and funeral cortege was more than just an expression of public condolence; in fact, this was a very strong statement of a national convalescence in search for change.

It was difficult not to take notice of this new wave of people power—of the wisdom of crowds clamoring for the restoration of genuine reforms in the socioeconomic and political climate across the archipelago. If the recent poll surveys are indications of smart choices, then we know who these crowds look up to.
We therefore welcome the declaration of Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino to run as President. In the same spirit, we also thank Senator Manuel “Mar” Roxas, who gave way to extend his hand of unity with Noy and become his running mate as Vice President in the coming 2010 National Elections. We trust the duo best represents a team who shall heed and carry on the people’s aspirations for a better Philippines—dear motherland we have longed to see stand tall again, lifted back to her lofty position of respect and dignity she once enjoyed in Asia and the rest of the world.

We, the undersigned, therefore express our firm and wholehearted support for the Aquino-Roxas ticket, predicated upon mutual crusade and participation in the restoration and promotion of good governance, transparency, accountability, and honesty and integrity in government. As Mindanaons, we also stand behind a team who we believe will pursue the attainment of lasting peace, the promotion of development, and the care for the environment. Inured already as we are by cynicism of political promises, we remain fervent in our hope that these visions will not be regarded as mere motherhood statements but as categorical targets for reforms to bring back our trust and respect to the government.

Thus we enjoin everyone to rally their support behind the Noy-Mar tandem by making this forum the start of a people's campaign for genuine change in the sociopolitical landscape.

Done this 30th day of October 2009, in the City of Cagayan de Oro, Mindanao, the Philippines.

CPM-CDO, YCD, BALAOD-MINDANAW, BALAY MINDANAW, AKABAYAN-CDO AND CONCERNED KAGAY-ANONS

2010 Philippine Presidential elections is fast approaching

Political ads are already shown in our television sets. Politicians are gearing up for the electoral contest, big political parties are merging in order to be stronger in the hope of capturing a big portion of the political pie.

But what’s in it for the ordinary folks. Elections after elections s/he listens to the same old promises, the same thing over and over again. There are a growing number of people, the youth especially, who are already apathetic about elections, saying whoever wins nothing will change, so why vote?

Elections after elections, recycled politicians addicted to power and corruption, run for office in the hope of holding on to it. When their term ends, this just run for another position for a term and then run back again to the position they so desire. While Political dynasty is forbidden in the constitution, it is practiced anyway with no enabling law to back it up and give it some teeth. It is not surprising to see a municipality or province which is run by a family or clan.

For the “Trapos” (Traditional Politicians) the criteria for a candidate are popularity, money, and machinery. It does not matter whether the person has integrity or not. He or she just need those three. When the name of Chief Justice Puno came up as a possible presidential candidate, these trapos said that he has a dim chance of winning because he has no money and machinery.

While there are really good and progressive politicians there are only a handful of them. These few are constantly harassed for being good and honest with their job. Take for example Governor Ed Panlilio, as a result of his expose that a palace staff distributed envelopes containing Php 200,000.00 Php 500,000.00 after the meeting of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo with 200 officers of the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines, he now faces a recall of elections on the ground of loss of confidence. The recall makes no sense at all. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo cheated in 2007 election, and yet she got away with it.

The House of Representatives showed its true colors when they passed a resolution extending the life of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) for the second time and without compulsory mode of land acquisition which is the life and soul of CARP. These landlords get elected because they have the money to win it and when they get elected, they bring hell just to protect their own interest.

However inspite of all these, Elections is also a time to hope. A hope that somehow things will change and new, progressive, honest politicians and with integrity will somehow get elected and be thorn among the traditional corrupt and recycled politicians. A hope that gives a man the passion to volunteer for a clean and honest elections and that somehow our democracy will work. Though that hope have been frustrated many times before, it still persist. A light amidst the encroaching darkness.

I don’t know what to make of this but it seems that Erap Estrada still is an influence in the Philippine political landscape. In the recent surveys, He belongs to the top five.

Whenever I think of Erap, I think of EDSA 2. I was college student then and people were filled with outrage over Erap’s corruption, at the same time filled with hope at the possibility of a brighter future for the Philippines.

Well, EDSA 2 did succeed, Erap was ousted, resigned (or whatever the term) from his office. I thought the Philippines was given a second chance at progress. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, effortlessly succeeded into office at the expense of the peoples effort. She took part of the movement only after it was clear that the Estrada administration is going down. She waited, politically calculating, knowing that under the constitution she is the constitutional successor.

Civil Society was reluctant and hesitant but people had no choice. She became the President without effort and then cling to the office of the President with all the executive power she could muster.

We should never forget about “hello garci”, ZTE-NBN Scandal, fertilizer scam. All these things are connected. Out of a total disrespect for the spirit of EDSA 2, she pardoned Erap. In public she says, its for Healing the country because it has become polarized. But of course at the back of our minds we know it is a political move for political gains.

ERAP still tallies in the surveys because the current administration stinks of corruption and we are no better than before. This article is supposed to be about ERAP but I guess I could not tell the difference between an ERAP administration and an Arroyo administration.

“Bagong Bahay, Lumang Pako”

It's still 2008, yet the 2010 presidential election campaign has already begun.

Manny Villar

Manny Villar has this ad concerning OFW’s. The ad says he paid the fare of the abused Overseas Filipino Workers, saying “tulungan natin sila”. It is already Public knowledge that he will be running for President this coming 2010 elections. He probably paid more for the television ad than the fare of those OFW’s. This ad says that when he becomes president he will look after the plight of the working Filipinos abroad.



Noli De Castro

His ad has been running for a while through PAG-IBIG or the other way around. Maybe it is really a PAG-IBIG advertisement and he is there because he is the chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) who happens to be running for President in the 2010 elections. This ad basically says that when becomes president, he will have housing as a priority. Noli has come a long way from Newscaster, senator and then vice president.



Loren Legarda

I have just noticed this ad wherein she is surrounded by poor people and then she says “panahon na ng pagbabago”. Change being the theme of the ad. She will probably pattern her campaign with that of Barack Obama. The problem is I could not relate Loren with that of Change.





Mar Roxas

Well he has no ad yet but I expect Mr. Palengke will be back on TV soon. Mar Roxas was popular back then when he was still the DTI secretary but when we he became a senator, I rarely hear his name in the news. He was declared by the Liberal party to be their standard bearer in the upcoming 2010 movement.There is already the Mar Roxas for President in 2010 movement. He has also been featured in entertainment News because of his relationship with Korina. The presence of Korina will definitely boost his campaign.






Wait a minute, Does the omnibus election code provides for a specific campaign period and prohibits early campaigning?