Next stop: Mindanao! After doing the rounds in Quezon City, Tacloban and Cebu City, the colorful Register and Vote (RV) bus is now set to visit Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao! On July 30, 2009, the RV bus, which symbolizes the Register and Vote (RV) Campaign, will tour around CDO in the hope to draw out around 5 to 9 million Filipino voters for the May 2010 elections. And not only that — the presence of the RV bus and its “RV drivers” led by Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan will also signal the start of the much-awaited Cagayan de Oro leg of “Rock The Vote” — a FREE concert featuring various artists.
Check out how the RV bus looks like:
The RV Campaign aims to empower especially the first-time voters, encourage political participation among disenfranchised Filipinos and strengthen democratic processes for good governance. The RV Campaign is also a collaborative effort among progressive public servants, youth leaders and reform advocates that believe in the power of the vote to challenge “politics as usual.”
According to the RV Campaign organizers, young Filipinos aged 35 and below will comprise 54% of the voting population. Around 5 million of them will be first time voters. Hence, the need to step up the drive for people to register and exercise their right to suffrage.
The people behind the RV Campaign include Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo, Misamis Oriental Governor Oscar Moreno, San Fernando Pampanga Mayor Oca Rodriguez, former Bukidnon Rep. Neric Acosta, AKBAYAN Rep. Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, youth leader Bam Aquino, author Alex Lacson, Isabela Governor Grace Padaca and Ifugao Governor Teddy Baguilat.
Meanwhile, the “Rock The Vote 2009” FREE concert in Cagayan de Oro City Mindanao will be held on July 30, 2009, 6PM at the Xavier University Gymnasium. The concert will feature popular bands Hale and Spongecola, crooner Luke Mejares and other surprise guests.
Everyone especially the youth are invited to come!
By the way, if you wish to take part in this event as a BLOGGER or if you and your organization/group wants to be at the event, please don’t hesitate to CONTACT MINDANAOAN. Don’t forget to include your full name, name of group/organization and contact details.
After the CDO leg, the RV bus will then visit Zamboanga City on August 28, 2009. Stay tuned for more details. Please don’t hesitate to bookmark this page for updates or better yet SUBSCRIBE TO MINDANAOAN 
LikeMINDANAO – Davao City Mayor Rodrigo “Rody” Duterte is bequeathing his thrown throne (thanks for pointing out this typo, Sir Mike! Ayayay!) And his daughter, Davao City Vice Mayor Sara “Inday Sara” Duterte is, naturally, next in line.
Recently, I was in my hometown Davao City for a Philippine Councilors League gig. The boys provided the live band entertainment the night the closing ceremonies was held (June 27 at Grand Regal Hotel Ballroom, Lanang) and there were roughly a thousand councilors from all over the Philippines present. The night’s guest speaker was no other than Inday Sara.
Actually, while the boys and I were waiting for the program to begin, you could hear the buzz. A lot of councilors were curious about her — how she looked like (how come she didn’t look like her father? asked a councilor), if she was as “astig” as her dad, if she had the makings of a mayor. Mindanaoan councilors talked about her and shared their thoughts about her (she’s half-German that’s why she’s “maputi” and she used to be “bugay” and didn’t invite many people to her wedding). Amid the pieces of trivia, Vice Mayor Duterte would still be happy to know that most of the words used to describe her were positive.
So of course that piqued my curiosity. Was the young Sara, who’s also a lawyer, ready to govern my beloved hometown? Does she have what it takes to keep Davao City as alive and as booming as it is right now? Would she be able to keep Davao City’s image as a business friendly and safe community? Can she make good decisions on her own? Or would she still rely on her father, who’s supposedly keen on running as her vice mayor next year?
During her speech, Sara, who was declared by a Davao City councilor as “the next mayor of Davao City,” sounded so passionate about Davao. She described Davao complete with statistics to boot.
Although it wasn’t the first time I heard her speak, it was the first time that I noticed the slight quiver in her voice…most probably because she had so many things to say about my hometown and she was aware that she only had a few minutes to catch the councilors’ full attention.
Not to mention she only had a few minutes to prove to the councilors that she could do a good job as her father’s successor, too, and that she indeed had the makings of being “the next Davao City mayor.”
Still, despite her noticeably shaky voice, Inday Sara Duterte charmed her way to the hearts of the councilors that night. It also helped that she came in with a big smile and confirmed that yes, she didn’t look much like her dad because her mother was German and that yes, she was “bugay.”
Some of my earlier questions got answered after listening to her. I’m not too sure if the councilors got the answers they needed, though. I’m not too sure if they left Davao armed with more answers rather than questions.
I know one thing for certain, though. Next year’s elections in Davao City will be very interesting and Sara Duterte will be one person to watch out for.
If you’re as baffled yet curious as I am with all this Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson versus Senator Manuel “Manny” Villar “ethics war,” then you might want to give this a read. Here’s the full text of Senator Ping’s privilege speech yesterday, April 27, 2009, delivered before his fellow legislators.
(Privilege Speech)
By Hon. Panfilo M. Lacson
Senator
April 27, 2008
This will be a short privilege speech. At the outset I would like to
thank the minority leader for yielding the floor to this
representation and likewise to the lady senator from Antique.
Mr. President, I stand on a matter of personal and collective
privilege. Last Monday, 20 April 2009, this representation took the
floor to clarify certain misleading statements made by some of our
colleagues at the minority bloc in connection with the ethics
complaint against a member of this chamber. Thereafter the gentleman
from Las Piñas stood on the floor of this Senate, ostensibly to
respond to my privilege speech delivered last Monday.
Sa kanyang talumpati, Ginoong Pangulo, kasama sa maraming binanggit ni
Senador Manuel Villar Jr. ang mga sumusunod and I quote: ‘I was
accused on this floor. I will answer it here on this floor, hindi po
doon sa kangaroo court ng ethics committee headed by no less than one
of my accusers and the members of which are all presidentiables.’
Sa pangalawang pagkakataon sa kanyang talumpati noong Lunes, sinabi
rin niya ang sumusunod: ‘Mahaba pa po Ginoong Pangulo ang aking
gustong sabihin. Subali’t ang issue po ngayon ay ang ethics committee.
Ang C5 sasagutin ko yan. Hindi ako natatakot pero hindi po sa ethics
committee, dito sa floor.’ Upang maiwasang ibahin na naman ng ilan
nating mga kasamahan dito sa Senado ang mga binitiwang pananalita ni
Sen. Villar, minabuti ko bigkasin ang bawa’t kataga, walang dagdag,
walang bawas at naaayon sa journal and transcript of records ng
Senado.
Mr. President, for the record, the ethics committee is not a kangaroo
court. In fact, it has not constituted itself as a body to exercise
its adjudication functions. And I am not the accuser. The senator from
Bicol region and Pampanga, Jamby Madrigal, is the complainant and
therefore his accuser.
My privilege speech last Sept. 15, 2008 regarding the issue of double
insertion in the 2008 national budget is not even part of the
complaint filed by the lady senator from Bicol. The complaint is about
allegations of conflict of interest and improper conduct committed by
Sen. Villar in realigning the road right of way for his own benefit
and self-interest.
Dahil sa Senado, Ginoong Pangulo, naiparating sa sambayanan ang mga
masasamang gawain ng isang itago na lang natin sa pangalang Jose Pidal
at ang malawakang illegal gambling katulad ng jueteng na talamak sa
buong bansa.
Dahil sa Senado napalitaw sa sambayanan ang katakot-takot na
corruption sa iba’t ibang sangay ng ehekutibo, particular dito ang
gahiganteng tongpats sa NBN ZTE deal, ang pagkakagamit ng pondo ng
bayan sa mga pekeng fertilizer sa pagpapalakad ni Undersecretary
Jocjoc Bolante, maging ang nakakahiyang pagka-blacklist ng World Bank
mismo sa ilang mga kontratista na nagnenegosyo sa ating pamahalaan.
Hindi naman siguro maganda Ginoong Pangulo sa pananaw ng bayan at
lalong hindi makatarugnan kung tayo ay nag-iimbestiga at pumupuna sa
kamalian ng ibang sangay ng pamahalaan nguni’t mananahimik na lamang
tayo kung isa sa atin ayh naparatangan ng kamalian.
Kaya may committee on ethics and privileges ang Senado, at maging ang
Mababang Kapulungan meron ding kaukulang komiteng tulad nito.
Ginoong Pangulo ang katotohanan ay dapat lumitaw. Ito ang batayan ng
katarungan. But Mr. President, the gentleman from Las Piñas refuses to
recognize the ethics committee as constituted by this Senate. And by
his own statements made on the floor of this Senate last Monday, April
20, 2009, he repeatedly vowed that he would answer Senator Madrigal’s
accusations not before the ethics committee but on the floor of the
Senate.
Ginoong Pangulo, upang mabigyan ng karapat-dapat na proteksyon at
integridad ang Senado bilang institusyon na kinabibilangan ng bawa’t
isa sa atin at kinikilala ng sambayanang Pilipino bilang sandigan ng
katotohanan at katarungan at ayon na rin sa ginawang pakikipagugnayan
sa mga regular na kaanib ng ethics committee na nagbigay ng kanilang
pahintulot sa akin, ay nais ko pong hilingin na ipaubaya natin sa
Committee of the Whole ang pag-alam ng katotohanan tungkol sa kasong
sinampa ni Senadora Jamby Madrigal laban kay Senador Manuel Villar Jr.
Lest this move be misinterpreted to mean otherwise, this
representation as chair and all the regular members of the committee
on ethics and privileges are not, I repeat, are not abandoning our
sworn duty entrusted to us by our peers. Neither is it to accept the
accusation by some of our peers that we in the Senate ethics committee
cannot act with fairness, probity and impartiality. We have, I repeat,
acted with utmost respect for due process and according to the tenets
of fairness especially upon a peer in this august body.
But so as to strengthen the institution that is the Senate, and to
protect it from unwarranted assaults upon its collective integrity, I
therefore move Mr. President that the responsibility of the ethics
committee pertinent to the case filed by Sen. Jamby Badrigal against
Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. be henceforth undertaken by all of us in the
Senate acting as a Committee of the Whole.
I also move that the Senate President be the presiding officer of the
Committee of the Whole and that the proceedings be in accordance with
the rules of the committee on ethics and privileges as published in
the Official Gazette last March 23, 2009.
I so move, Mr. President.
The next Philippine national elections may still be a little over a year away from today but the various personalities believed to be among the “2010 senatoriables” and “2010 presidentiables” have started to make their presence felt here in Mindanao.
Just a few days ago, Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay paid Cagayan de Oro City, Mindanao a visit. He was the guest of honor in an SK-related event, I think. However, sources told me that he also proceeded to the Province of Bukidnon to meet some political allies.
Care to guess what they discussed?
Senator Mar Roxas, on the other hand, has also been visible around Mindanao as of late. Touted as the Liberal Party’s presidential bet, Senator Mar has been doing the rounds here as commencement exercises speaker.
Same thing with the solon from Sorsogon, Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero. He was in Iligan City, Davao City, Ozamis City, Cagayan de Oro City and Maguindanao recently. Chiz’s office also released some video greetings wherein he spoke in various dialects including Bisaya.
Check out his Kaamulan 2009 greeting for the people of Bukidnon (this video also appears in Bukidnon Online):
The Office of Senator Richard Gordon, meanwhile, has also been on a roll as of late. I’ve been receiving a ton of press releases/media statements from his office.
Another Mindanaoan believed to have very good chances of winning a Senatorial seat has also slowly but surely started to become more and more visible — Atty. Adel Tamano.
With these types of direct and “subtle” PR efforts, you can’t help but wonder if the campaign season has already begun. When does being a public servant end and being a “presidentiable” or “senatoriable” begin?
And more importantly — given all their visits and PR campaigns here in Mindanao — do you think they’ve tickled the Mindanaoan’s fancy?
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Sen. Chiz Escudero urges Malacanang to diverte imported rice to Mindanao refugees
July 9, 2009
Commentary, Cotabato, Food, Government, Headline, Mindanaoan Update, News, Personalities, iligan city
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At least someone’s thinking about Mindanao and Mindanao refugees! Opposition Sen. Chiz Escudero yesterday said that the government should act immediately to divert shipments of imported rice to central Mindanao so that the 380,000 refugees in evacuation centers won’t go hungry after a UN agency halted its food relief operations in the region.
“We are faced with a humanitarian crisis that could become a disaster if this administration fails to act quickly to fill in the gap left by the UN World Food Program,” Escudero said.
“Part of the rice we have been shipping in from abroad can be diverted to the ports of General Santos and Cotabato City. This will not make a dent in the NFA’s 82-day buffer stock,” he said.
He also called on the government to ensure the safety of the staff of the UN agency which suspended its program on Wednesday after a series of bombings in Cotabato and Iligan cities that killed six and wounded dozens of other people.
At the same time, Escudero reiterated his call for the resumption of talks between the government and Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) even as he condemned the brutal terrorist attacks which have mostly killed civilians.
“We are now reaping the results of a failed peace policy. The old ways of thinking have not worked. Perhaps it is time for the people to find novel ways to stop the bloodletting,” he said.