Vilma+Ralph=Noynoy-Serge
Serge Osmena withdrew from the Liberal Party’s senate slate this week.
Osmena says he could not tolerate being in the same senatorial slate as Ralph Recto.
Recto, erstwhile friend of Manny Villar and Arroyo regime ally, has flitted on over to the Liberal Party bearing gifts; namely the name and clout of his wife, Batangas governor Vilma Santos and the promise of delivering the province to the LP. Batangas has never really been a Liberal bailiwick and the chance to pick up some local leaders there could help Noynoy Aquino’s election.
The problem that Osmena had with that was that Recto, until a f ew days ago was part of the Arroyo regime, having served as loyal senator and economic planning secretary. Osmena argues that the presence of Recto (and Caloocan mayor Recom Echeverri who has also jumped on the LP bandwagon) undermines the message that Noynoy Aquino is a nontraditional politician. It also undermines the oppositionist credentials of Aquino and the LP (Echeverri was also a package deal with the highly regarded Quezon City mayor Sonny Belmonte).
Pragmatists in the LP say that the Recto-Santos couple give them ground troops in Batangas, something that the LP sorely lacks. Its also gives them Vilma Santos, one of the few administration and showbiz politicians who is actually considered to have done a good job in office. But she came with a price. Her husband.
Thus has been the classic dilemna of the Liberal Party since I have known them. How does a reformist party win power without resorting too much to the type of political horsetrading that kills reforms? How far can one party use traditional political methods to attain power without being swallowed up by the traditional politicans?
There are purists who say one must not make political compromises, must not play transactional politics, and must not be tainted with any association with traditional politicians. Since that’s not possible in reality, most political purists–while well meaning–have by default excluded themsleves from the political process altogether and are left shouting at their TVs.
On the other extreme are the traditional politicians who view politics as a series of transactions meant to advance nothing more than the interest of the highest bidder (and themselves in the process). To them platform is meaningless and anyone who tries to advance common good is nothing but a holier-than-thou do gooder. You don’t have to look far to find one of them.
Both extremes are unrealistic and unacceptable. The Liberals have tried to find the balance between the two and sometimes its not an easy task. They have encouraged civil society and nontraditional organizations to join them and help put together an nontraditional campaign infrastructure. They have also tried to build the traditional political machinery..the tried and tested get-out-the-vote infrastructure controlled by local politicians in exchange for patronage. Leaning too far towards the NGOs is unlikely to get anyone elected, while doing too many deals with the pols will alienate the nontraditional forces backing the LP which are responsible for his sky high poll numbers and also essential for election victory.
The decision to bring Recto into the fold was one of those hard choices. Many people objected to Recto for the same reason Osmena did. Osmena is not a purist, but for him it was to much. Others argued that they were needed to win Batangas. In the end, Aquino decided to go with the Rectos and Osmena decided to go it alone.
Will Osmena’s departure lead to more? Will Aquino’s poll numbers take a hit from the Recto deal?
In the end, does the LP gain more than it loses by playing footsies with Recto and Echeverri?
November 19th, 2009 15:06
The more things change, the more they remain the same. “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose” - Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr.
November 19th, 2009 16:20
sometime’s it’s as simple as amor propio. serge wasn’t consulted, and he’s disgruntled. the question remains whether this means he will junk noynoy or is simply walking away from the lp he never really liked anyway.
the real dilemma is not the lp which is a party like any other, but the question of is the noynoy campaign an lp campaign or a broader coalition campaign? if lp, then them’s the breaks and vilma is the key, sad to say she’s married to ralph. if broader than lp, then the problem can only get worse until attended to: who is consulted and who calls the shots?
but at the heart of all the criticisms is a pretty feeble understanding of politics, whether old or now. it requires taking sides: for or against a candidate. no candidate in any system ever won by turning away people; nor can a candidate who is in harmony with the zeitgeist go about scorning people. if that were the case no one should be allowed to change their minds from the moment candidates declare. that’s why there’s a campaign: to get people to choose sides even if this means changing existing sides.
so the real question is what’s the deal: is it an under the table deal, what considerations are involved? if someone wants to help, then they ought to be able to help, so long as affiliation doesn’t entail something illegal. and most of all, in an election in which the leadership is to be decided, redemption is something that ought to be available to people, officials or non-officials. better late on the road to damascus than never to be converted at all. in the end whether voter or candidate, official or non-official, you can’t read people’s minds, its public actions that count, and while it’s perhaps nice to see people prepared to down with gma’s ship the same way you have to grant it to marcos loyalists they stuck it out through thick and thin with the dictator, on the whole it’s better to choose the right side of history.
November 19th, 2009 16:52
MLQ,
Serge is not junking Noy. He’s not supporting any other candidate for president.
November 19th, 2009 17:04
Same old trapos……….
November 19th, 2009 18:29
I don’t think Noynoy’s poll numbers will get a hit; where else can we turn to?
November 19th, 2009 18:30
The exodus of politicians from Lakas-Kampi just means that in order to survive in the current environment lets all jump ship and hope that a more stable boat fishes us out.
This is the situation and I honestly am sick of the political culture in our country. Next thing you know, the machinery that Lakas-Kampi was boasting will only exist in their dreams. I’m predicting more defections to LP and NP.
“Parties change, but you still have the same people”
It’s all about surviving the environment!
Too bad Osmena had to jump from a good ship, but I commend his stand!
November 19th, 2009 19:29
Nonoy will surely win the election but he got to win in a LANDSLIDE so that the opponent will not stand a chance for dagdag bawas. I think Nonoy will have Recto in his slate is a good move because Vilma is much more credible that Gloria.
November 19th, 2009 19:55
traditional politicians. urgh! If we want an old school style politics so go for Aquino and friends. Recto is a terrible political butterfly and the Aquinos are just simply making a political strategy to win Batangas.
November 19th, 2009 21:25
I don’t understand Osmena, He didn’t object when a couple of characters more unsavory than Recto ran on the GO ticket in 2007. Serge was campaign manager of GO. If he could hold his nose them why can’t he do it now?
November 19th, 2009 22:25
Calculated risk. Politics is still a numbers game. How much can Serge contribute against Recto’s?
Serge can’t rally majority of Cebu and Bacolod behind Noynoy-Mar tandem. Simple logic will point to take in Recto and Vilma.
The unseen side of it, shows a questionable LP’s selection criteria, who is fit for LP and who is not. If Noynoy-Mar is already strong in S.Luzon, why take Recto and Vilma? Do they still need Bongbong Marcos to solidify Ilocos?
November 20th, 2009 00:36
If you cannot live with a person. Then, get
out from his sight. Recto and Vilma Santos
are typical Filipino politicians. Political
Opportunists who will jump over the fence. If
the grass is greener on the other side.
These are our political leaders. No principles.
No loyalty, except their own stomachs…
November 20th, 2009 02:09
Wala na tayong magagawa sa kalakaran ng politika sa Pilipinas… History na iyan… simula’t simula pa ang mga naging Pangulo ng Pilipinas galing din sa kabilang partido ng sila ay kumandidato kaya kung gusto nating mabago ang kalakaran ng politika sa ating bansa kailangan ay alisin natin ang mga Aquino, Cojuangco, Marcos, Osmena, Recto, Arroyo, Escudero, etc… Mga pangalan na mula ng magkaroon ng eleksiyon sa Pilipinas ay nakikita na natin. Dapat maghalal na tayo ng mga bagong pangalan tulad ng mga Perlas, Cruz, Sy, Dimaano, Bonifacio, Rizal, etc… mga pangalan na hindi kilala sa politika…
November 20th, 2009 02:36
Ricky,
Politics is not a science, and I’ll prove it to you. You formulated:
Vilma+Ralph= Noynoy- Serge
If this were true:
Noynoy= Vilma+ Ralph+ Serge
by transposition, which is a win-win proposition for Noynoy.
Maybe what you want to formulate was:
Noynoy=Vilma+ Ralph- Serge
And if politics is indeed a science, all you have to do to fix this dilemma is introduce a negative before Serge, like so:
Noynoy=Vilma+ Ralph -(-Serge)
which will result to our winning formula, thus:
Noynoy= Vilma+ Ralph+ Serge,
if you still remember your basic algebra.
Now, what is that negative that you can introduce before Serge? I have no idea. You may know some political hacks who can figure out something.
But then again, politics is not a science. (I wonder what the political science majors will say about this!)
Politics is neither a science, nor even an art, to stab your co-politicians in the back with a stilleto, rotate it around, then lick the wound afterward, as they lay down dying. (Gruesome!)
And then again, you know I’m just playing with words here. Thanks.
November 20th, 2009 06:39
What is Manzano thinking? Perhaps the Edu ego is in the work!
Somebody ought to investigate his bloated claims of experience outside of the entertainment industry particularly his US military service. I recall reading an article where he claimed to have started in the Philippine movie industry when he was 18. A draftee or a military recruit has to be 18 and above. He also is the only US navy personnel that i know who was able to make movies and at the same time serve the US military. Not even Elvis Presley, nor Mohammad Ali achieved that feat! I recall in the same article he claimed to have completed a college degree from La Salle.
November 20th, 2009 07:19
Coyote,
According to “Edu”, he served in the US Air Force. In what capacity I do not know. He may have been a Reservist or in the National Guard which, after basic training and “A-School”, only requires one weekend per month active duty and may be called to full active duty depending on the needs of service. In any case, until the Op Iraqi Freedom, the Air Force was the closest thing to civilian life you could ask for. That is with the exception of Pilots, SARs and Para-Rescue.
Should you feel the need to confirm or negate his military status, send a request to the Air Force Archives. I’m sure you can find it on the Net.
November 20th, 2009 10:03
Just a question for the sake of argument. I’m playing devil’s advocate:
Did Vilma Santos really do a good job as mayor and governor? I remember reading about a lot of development under her administration, including streetlights and other projects. But I also remember reading that when Ralph was senator, the bulk of his pork barrel funds went to Vilma’s area.
So my question is, is Vilma’s good track record a result of her leadership or her husbands financial support?
Just asking. Personally, I’m more interested in seeing a few really honest hard-working candidates on the slate than all the popular entertainers in the world.
November 20th, 2009 11:09
Pat,
Very clever.
To extend your hypothesis, when it comes to force:
Erap = Mikey x Chavet2
November 20th, 2009 16:06
Thanks, Alice! ;>) ;>)
From algebra, we go to physics.
F=ma
force equals mass times acceleration.
Force is Erap, who still claims he never stole public money. (”Jose Velarde did it!”)
Mass is Mikey with a ton of lead in his body, but with sticky fingers: everything he touches turns into sheet. Sample, ZTE-NBN, North Rail, South Rail, etc. (Come on…I’m not going to spell it correctly. We are PG 13 here.) Look at la Gloria, Mikey touches her, and look what happened. Or has he? She claimed she was getting a lot of sex, didn’t she?)
Acceleration is Chavit who is like a speeding bullet train bound to crash at any time. (Sure, I beat my wife, but I did not kill her, did I? She must be thankful!)
The result was a 20-kton nuclear eraption, sending Erap out to exit via the back door of Malacanang through the filthy Pasig River. And to this day claiming, “I did not resign, I left the Palace to avoid bloodshed.”
(Anybody wants to talk about chemistry?) hehehe.
Okay chito. You may give us now your patented
Economics+Advertising+Law=SUCCESS! theory.
:>)
November 20th, 2009 17:09
Sure, Serge is water and Ralph is oil. They’re immiscible; won’t mix. The LP needs a strong catalyst, for Noynoy to achieve the right solution.
November 20th, 2009 22:44
i don’t think noynoy needs vilma santos nor recto to win… vilma is just there as a drawing power, much like edu is to gibo… i also don’t believe she has done a good job as a public official, although i’d give her the benefit of the doubt that she is an honest public official…
in the muddled political world that we have, it’s inevitable that one has to play fire with the devil, i just hope that noynoy has the b*lls to stand on his own 2 feet, and not let his trapo handlers run the show for him…
i still won’t vote for recto… let’s not forget how he defended his former master, her excellency gma… (ewwwww)
a party’s senatorial slate says a lot about the kind of office that particular presidential candidate will run in case he wins office… so selection of its senatorial slate spells a lot… may noynoy not forget why he is topping surveys now… nasa huli ang pagsisisi
November 20th, 2009 23:29
leonard,
I tried the air force site, no help. Privacy rights may have something to do with it. I am not sure if the military is covered by Freedom of Information Act. It has to be Manzano who will have to initiate the request before it can be released.
His claims just dont add up.
November 21st, 2009 08:01
Coyote,
Here’s a link that can get you started…
http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/public/general-public.html
Under the Freedom Of Information Act, you can request limited info on former US Military Personnel (branch of service, years of service, type of discharge, MOS).
Good hunting!
November 21st, 2009 09:11
Coyote,
I have just read an article in the Opinion section of the PhilStar entitled “Edu Is Game Na For VP”. In it, the author states (mind you, it possible that her facts and/or dates are inaccurate) that “Manzano was head of the Quality Control and Evaluation Unit of the Missile Engineering Group of the US Air Force in 1973″.
Now, if Manzano was born in 1955 and guessing he joined the Air Force at age 18 in 1973, it would be IMPOSSIBLE for him or anyone to have gone through “Boot Camp”, “A-School” (etc) and receive a MOS of that standing in less than a year (let alone Rank). Furthermore, to be the “head” (I think the author used the wrong term) of such a Unit (or any Unit) would mean he would have to have a Rank of E6 or higher (most likely higher). That is of course if the Air Force during his time at SAC deemed NCOs as “Heads” and NOT Officers.
Again, I’m basing this on the article in PhilStar however, if Manzano has, at some point, corroborated this record then there is definitely reason to doubt.
November 21st, 2009 10:37
Hey guys,
I’m carrying this reaction from JV Ejercito to the departure of Serge Osmena.
MAYOR JV: OSMEÑA SHOWED HE IS A MAN OF PRINCIPLE
San Juan City Mayor Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito commends Senator Serge Osmeña’s decision to leave the senatorial ticket of the Liberal Party (LP), saying that the former senator displayed a strong conviction to promote new politics.
“Senator Osmeña showed he is a man of principle,” Ejercito said.
“In including Ralph Recto in its senatorial slate, the LP proved it is no difference from other parties employing politics of accommodation,” Ejercito said, adding that personal interest and ambition is prevalent within LP.
“Accepting PaLaKa members will not fit the image LP wants to project. How can LP, which is supposed to be the “righteous” party, promote politicians who are in conflict with their own principles?” he said.
November 21st, 2009 11:58
“Proved it is no difference from other parties employing politics of accommodation”…
Well ‘dares da problem rat dare’! Is anyone really surprised that in Philippine politics, a political party would stoop to such tactics? That’s the norm isn’t it?
Although, the Recto situation does stink to high heaven of “compromise”.
November 21st, 2009 12:31
Osmena departure from LP connotes one thing he is definitely not a TEAM PLAYER. Man of principles, Nay. I doubt it.
November 21st, 2009 12:36
When Noynoy visited our Province, the trees were festively adorned with yellow ribbons. We were told that this welcoming gesture was the initiative of our “Political Godfather”, who like his prodigies, the Congressman and Governor, has until now been a staunch supporter of GMA and LAKAS/KAMPI. If this is anything to go by, it would seem that the king rats of Visayas will soon desert the sinking ship, as a matter of political expediency.
For Pat,
If Mayweather decides not to face the prospect of humiliation at the hands of Manny P, I wonder if we could promote Chavit to have a go. He knows a thing or two about boxing, and is rarely absent from the ring. It might be a more even contest!
November 21st, 2009 13:13
Chavit knows boxing and quite a bit about whipping.
November 21st, 2009 13:19
The first day of filing of candidacies was like a circus and a zoo. All kinds of creatures, freaks, looneys and clowns.
The Comelec should have charged admission fees for the entertainment.
November 21st, 2009 13:40
Erap , Villar and the rest are all pakawala ng administration to work against Noynoy. So take your side…..
November 21st, 2009 13:47
Ricky,
Of course, Mayor JV as an opponent would have to rub it in. For a man praising another for his principles, what has the mayor got himself? Nothing!
I admire Serge myself for his purist view of politics, but he’s got to grow up. He’s got to learn that politics is accomodation, politics is negotiation, politics is addition. He’s got to give Noynoy a chance to win. His public display of dismay detracts from his principled support for Noynoy. In a field of disorganized ideologies, a coalition of some semblance of tangential but coherent forces is what you may just summon to coalesce against the opposition. Most of the time, you fight wars with what you’ve got; not with what you should have.
Alice,
One would need cojones to fight anybody other than a helpless, hapless woman or a defenseless man with his pants down.
November 22nd, 2009 11:28
Recto is bad enough, but Lim and Duterte are not Liberals by any stretch of imagination, and far worse than Recto
all three belong with Teodoro.
November 22nd, 2009 12:00
i hate those “balimbings”. i would definitely erase them in my list for the 2010 election. di bale nang kulang wag ko lang sila maiboto. btw, i want to share what the Professional Heckler posted in his blog, something from Conrado de Quiros…
The Liberal Party adopted it.
“The 2010 election is a fight between good and evil,” i.e. Noynoy and the Liberals, the good side; GMA and her allies, the evil side.
Over the weekend, several allies of GMA defected to the Liberal Party, and more are expected to jump ship as the deadline for the filing of the certificates of candidacy nears. Question: Does the shift in allegiance automatically make the turncoats “good,’ or do they remain evil?
please discern well.
November 22nd, 2009 13:06
…slim pickings out there. where can you find twelve capable, principled, dedicated individuals with integrity, honesty and passion to run the country? where are the carandangs, the quezons, the navarros, the roques, the robredos, the penafrandas even?
November 22nd, 2009 14:09
the turn of events look scary, old trapos (recto’s in batangas, echeveri in caloocan, del rosario’s in davao norte, to mention some) jumping to the LP bandwagon. it could be a strategy to win by accepting these bunch but is it a right move? where do we go from here? accepting more? trading principles just to win? where’s the drive to fight corruption now? when the crooks and unacceptables are now within.
November 22nd, 2009 16:54
…as they say in Lithuania, “Tough sh*t!” It’s a dilemma. Toss a coin, maybe?
November 22nd, 2009 18:32
If the leader is fighting corruption , will the follower be not afraid to be a corrupt official. The greed at least will be minimize to minimum.
November 22nd, 2009 19:08
didn’t Cory’s brother steal right under her nose?
November 23rd, 2009 00:28
Leonard,
Exactly! It just doesn’t add up. The guy if elected is a breath away from the position of Commander in Chief.
I think the Philippine media has a responsibility to investigate whether Edu’s claims are legit. This is not just coming from a rumor mill, but from Manzano’s own mouth. He created irreconcilable facts. The voting public has a right to know if what he is claiming to be who he is, is true. If Abunda’s graduation and Kris Aquino’s pregnancy were on primetime news, regardless that these two were not aspiring for a political position. I don’t see a reason why Manzano’s questionable experience is not given the same news coverage. They will have to hire a genius PR to convince me that Abunda’s and Aquino’s situations are different than Manzano, and for me to believe that the company has no bias.
In the muddled world of politics, the media is our only source of facts. But I doubt ABS-CBN News group will. The guy and his show is a money maker for the same company that the news department works for. I doubt Ressa will lock horn with a big name celebrity who draws paycheck from the same bank account as she is, unless she is willing to risk getting a call from her corporate boss. In the eyes of the corporate executives, the likes of Ricky, Che Lazaro, Quezon, Failon are dispensable but not the Revillame’s, the Sanchez’s and the Manzano’s. For these companies, ratings rule!
November 23rd, 2009 12:26
I agree with you, coyote and Leonard. The “legitimate” media should be involved in investigating these claims—whether they be made by their own or not. But more than checking up on Manzano’s background, I find it surprising that these media are not running after the alleged report that 10 million pesos went with each signature that exonerated Villar from the C-5 extension imbroglio, even when these signatures came before the so-called Senate committee-of-the-whole could even hear the case! (Further, where is invetigative journalism when there is an alleged report that a senator is demanding 40% cash advance from contractors before they can proceed with a $320 million road project in his province?)
I beg to disagree with you, though, with your statement that Carandang, Lazaro, Quezon and Failon are dispensable. They themselves are the backbones of the ABS-CBN/ANC news department. And I don’t think Ressa, my favorite former CNN Jakarta bureau chief, would sacrifice her journalistic integrity just because the news is closer to home.
November 23rd, 2009 12:36
…but then again, do you really think Manzano has a chance? Come on! If the field is limited to four veep candidates, Manzano will be last—my fearless forecast.
November 23rd, 2009 20:16
Never mind ethics. Just baby win at whatever the cost! Our smart friends in blogosphere can rationalize it for us (through FABLES)!
November 24th, 2009 00:03
I wasn’t bothered with the addition of the Rectos as much as SB and Echeverri-both very corrupt mayors. Grabe, TRAPO to the max!!!!!!
November 24th, 2009 14:37
I doubt Manzano has a snowball’s chance in hell of even coming close to winning. However, the more I think about it, the more it nags at me. If Manzano has represented himself falsely insofar as his MOS is concerned, then he should be called out on it. Worse yet, if he had NO Military service whatsoever, then it should be reported.
Wasn’t this the guy who, in front of a crown and the media in Makati, tore up his US Passport in an effort to prove he was Filipino? That doesn’t sound like proud US Veteran to me!
November 24th, 2009 14:40
Correction, second paragraph, line one…
“Wasn’t this the guy who, in front of a crowd…”
CROWD as in a lot of people… My bad.
November 24th, 2009 16:10
Leonard, coyote:
I just have talked with a brother of mine who is a retired US Air Force (E-8) sargeant. He confirms Edu was indeed in the US Air Force and adds that it could be possible to be a crew chief, with, at the most, an E-5 rank, in four years.
November 24th, 2009 22:58
Pat,
If your brother is correct, Edu would have been making movies at the same time that he was an active member of the US air force. He has been consistent with his claim that he started in the movie industry at the age of 18. He must have paid his way out of the air base every time he flies to the philippines to shoot. As I said not even Elvis was given the privilege to do that! Either way Manzano is lying!
November 25th, 2009 01:43
With or without serge osmena, aquino would win anyway…so who cares about serge leaving the LP…Though it seems trapo for LP to have recto and echeveri in their party, the fact is, it is still their constituents perogative whether to vote them or not…At least for now, LP has Santos and BElmonte who proved themselves worthy to be reelected or for belmonte’s case, seek higher position…these 2 people did a lot to their constituents in batangas and QC…we cannot remove the fact that politics is still needed in order to ensure victory which in turn, will lead our nation towards good governance,economic stability, peace and order, population management, food security, etc…
November 25th, 2009 03:28
coyote,
Here’s the short info on Wikipedia about Manzano: born 1955, joined the air force at 17 and served for 4 years. (1972-73 to 1976-77). His first movie according to his filmography was 1979. That would put him at 24.
At any rate, I wouldn’t lose sleep about it if I were you. It’s not that he’s claiming he won 27 medals like Marcos, nor three medals like John Kerry while in the service. He may have misspoken when he said he had joined the movie industry at 17. I mean, what would he have gained if he lied about it? It’s not that he is claiming he is a hero, right?
November 25th, 2009 07:15
Pat,
Thanks for the info from you brother. E5 in four years? Only in the Air Force (HA HA).
November 25th, 2009 07:21
Ricky,
I am hoping you will write something about the incident in Maguindanao. That’s way beyond the normal political killings. That’s Nazi Germany SS style! I doubt that El Salvador was ever THAT bad or the perps so brazen back in the day!
46 (FORTY SIX) people were apprehended, taken to a location and murdered.
November 25th, 2009 11:18
Premeditated murder, if I am not mistaken, or was it a coincidence that the Provincial excavator just happened to be on top of a deserted hill in the middle of nowhere?
It remains to be seen whether Mrs. Arroyo, who it seems is politically linked to the Ampatuan Clan, and greatly indebted to them for helping her win the 2004 and 2007 elections, will have the guts to see this through. She may be concerned that if she goes after them, the Ampatuans might spill the beans about what really happened in Maguindanao in the last two elections.
November 25th, 2009 17:24
Leonard,
You are right..it’s akin to atrocious Nazi massacres in Western Europe in the 40’s..it really bothers me.The campaign season hasn’t even started,election day hasn’t even come..
What have we become as a people and a country?
November 25th, 2009 18:55
Gibo is the defense secretary and all he had to say regarding the massacre is that he will expelled the suspect. WHAT A JOKE.
November 25th, 2009 22:08
pat, leonard,
common pat, i know you are smarter than that. wikipedia is the most unreliable source of facts, Edu or his PR agent could have entered it themselves.
Two things that Edu might have done to enter in the service as a 17 year old minor. One, he would have to be an emancipated minor to legally get pass by the age limit. To do this he would have to show the emancipation order from the court. Second, he would have doctored his birth certificate to show that he was eighteen.
And leonard was right, its just impossible to have an E5 designation in a matter of 4 years, regardless if one gets a purple heart in his rookie year.
But i agree with you, the guy has no chance. However the issue here is character. The character of a vice presidential candidate.
Frankly I am just getting tired of Filipino “celebrity” whose ego is as big as Mount Rushmore! Leadership is a serious matter and for these people to think that they can represent 95 million people because they are matinee idols are beyond my understanding.
November 25th, 2009 22:53
Maybe we can just ask Ricky to include this topic when and if he does a one-on-one with Edu on his Big Picture show. Or maybe Ricky can just ask Pinky Webb when he meets her in the hallways of ABS-CBN.
November 26th, 2009 16:00
Pat,
I would like to see that interview.
Ricky,
If you happen to interview Manzano, would you mind asking about his US Air Force record? In particular;
How many years did he serve?
What was his MOS?
Where was his Permanent Duty Station?
I would alos be interested to know if he was able to obtain a new US Passport after tearing his old one to shreds in front of the media?
Thanks
November 26th, 2009 19:40
Since when did inclusion in a particular Senatorial slate preclude anyone from pursuing their true interests once they get elected?
Recto may have been included in the LP Senatorial slate but that doesn’t stop him from advancing the interests of his true friends, PGMA and Villar, once Recto is re-elected to the Senate.
Or have you forgotten the 2007 Senatorial elections when the so-called Genuine Opposition (GO) Senatorial candidates were victorious.
What happened after they got elected?
The pro-administration Senators retained their strategic power in the Senate as the victorious opposition Senators promptly fought amongst themselves.
November 27th, 2009 11:55
and through all that hulabaloo not a peep from the presidential candidate himself? why so silent, Noynoy?
November 30th, 2009 09:19
Whats wrong with recto? I mean, why did Osmena leave when Recto came in?
December 2nd, 2009 15:28
for as long as parties remain idealogy-LESS, this horsetrading will continue to thrive and maybe even evolve into something more disgusting as time goes.
i am sympathetic to the Liberal Party, and I support their decision to bring in Recto, they if someone like Echiverri has gone past their “salaan”, then I think LP’s got some serious “strainer” problem.
the sentiments and soundbites from LP at the time when Mar made way for Noy seems so far away now. As one sees who their takin in their party.
Still, I remain a believer of Noy, and that he is tough enough to fend off influences inside the party that goes against the grain of the same reason why people like me are holding him high on a pedestal.