Candidate Profile: Bayani Fernando

A professional Mechanical Engineer. He is the founder of the BF GROUP OF COMPANIES, dealing with construction, steel, manufacturing and real estate. He has built the country’s tallest building, shopping malls, industrial and residential subdivisions and facilities. He is a former Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways.

He was a three-term City Mayor of Marikina, who transformed the former municipality into one of the best-managed cities and a paradigm of responsive and effective governance. During his incumbency, Marikina City was accorded 55 citations and distinctions

As Chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Metropolitan Manila has been dramatically changing into a livable metropolis. With his exceptional administrative skills and leadership qualities that have now become the yardstick of performance, he continues to prove himself as an agent of positive change. This earned him the moniker “Mr. Governance”.

For his outstanding work, he was conferred the Doctor of Humanities, Honoris Causa, Ateneo de Cagayan, The Outstanding Filipino(TOFIL) Award for Government Service, the H.R Reyes Academic Medallion of Honor, Central Colleges of the Philippines and Doctor of the Public Administration, Honoris Causa by the polytechnic University of the Philippines.

Mr. Political Will. “ Suaviter in modo, fortiter in re” a Latin phrase which means “ Gentle in manner, Resolute in action”. He speaks and deals with people from all walks of life with amiable bearing of a real gentleman but decides and acts with a firm political will, uncompromising with his principles. From his passion of building structures, he now prides himself as a builder of character.

Other Information

• Born : April 25, 1946
• Birth Place : San Juan, Rizal
• Nationality : Filipino
• Political party : Lakas-CMD (1992–Present)
• Spouse : Ma. Lourdes Fernando
• Residence : Marikina City, Metro Manila
• Alma mater : Mapua Institute of Technology
• Occupation : Mechanical Engineer
• Profession : Politician
• Religion : Aglipayan

Links

• official Website

The 2010 Philippine Election

The 2010 Election is the Philippines is the most vibrant election of Asian Democratic history… The Philippines will choose leaders to lead the Philippines to progress.

The Republic of the Philippines is a constitutional democracy, with the President as head of state. The president and vice president are elected by the people for six-year terms. The national government has three coequal branches that exercise a system of checks and balances: executive, legislative, and judicial.

The executive branch consists of the President and his Cabinet. The Senate and the House of Representatives make up the bicameral legislature. The Supreme Court heads the systems of courts under the judicial branch.

Congress consists of a 24-member Senate and a 250-member House of Representatives. The voters of the entire nation elect senators to six-year terms. Voters from different districts elect 200 of the representatives to three-year terms. The remaining 50 representatives are selected from lists drawn up by the political parties to ensure representation of women, ethnic minorities, and certain economic and occupational groups. The number selected from each party’s list is about one-fourth of the number of the party’s elected representatives. All Philippine citizens who are at least 18 years old may vote.

The Philippine Constitution is the fundamental basis of the laws of the land. The country has had several Constitutions, but the current one was adopted through a nationwide plebiscite in 1987. It is supported by other laws, such as the Civil Code, the Labor Code, the Omnibus Investments Code, and the National Internal Revenue Code, as well as by rules and regulations passed by government bodies. The latter include rulings, letters of instruction, circulars, memoranda, administrative orders, judicial orders, and pronouncements, as well as laws adopted by local government within the scope of the Constitution.

History:

The Philippines is an archipelago of 7,107 islands located in Southeast Asia. It is a democratic unitary presidential republic with diplomatic relations with most other countries in the world and is a participant in the international scene. The Philippines is classed as a developing country although it was once the second largest economy in Asia. Filipinos are mostly of Malay descent with a little Chinese, Spanish and American. The population is predominantly Roman Catholic although there is a large Muslim population in the south.

The Philippines was discovered in 1521 by Ferdinand Magellan who was later killed in a battle with local chieftain, Lapu-Lapu. Several decades later, Spain returned and established the Philippines as a colony in 1565. The archipelago remained under Spanish control until 1898 despite brief British occupation of Manila 1762 – 1764. Towards the end of Spanish rule, Filipinos developed a sense of liberalism and nationalism. Individuals such as Dr. Jose Rizal and Andres Bonifacio sought independence, the former through peaceful negotiation and reform and the latter through outright revolution. Revolution finally came and Filipinos began their struggle for independence which was proclaimed by General Emilio Aguinaldo in 1898. Independence was short lived and 1898 marked the beginning of American colonial rule which lasted until 1946, with three years of occupation from Japan 1943 – 1945. President Ferdinand Marcos proclaimed martial law in 1972 and exercised legislative powers. Martial law was ended in 1981 and the assassination of Ninoy Aquino in 1983 let to the ouster of Marcos in 1986. A number of unsuccessful military coups have been launched against some post-Marcos governments but the largest threats to national security are the communist and Muslim insurgencies.

When Corazon Aquino came to power in 1986 through the People Power movement, Democracy came back at last to the Philippines.

On February 22, 1986, the People Power Revolution was triggered after two key Marcos allies, Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Armed Forces Vice-Chief of Staff Fidel Ramos called on Marcos to resign and holed up in two military camps in Quezon City. Aquino, who was in Cebu City when the revolt broke out, returned to Manila and insisted on joining the swelling crowd that had gathered outside the camps as a human barricade to protect the defectors.On the morning of 25 February 1986, at the Club Filipino in San Juan, Aquino took the presidential oath of office administered by Supreme Court Associate Justice Claudio Teehankee. Marcos himself was sworn into office at Malacañang Palace on that same day, but fled into exile later that night.

The relatively peaceful manner by which Aquino assumed the presidency through the EDSA Revolution won her widespread international acclaim as an icon of democracy. She was selected as Time magazine’s Woman of the Year in 1986. She was also nominated to receive the Nobel Peace Prize but lost to Elie Wiesel also in 1986. In September 1986, Aquino delivered a speech before a joint session of the United States Congress which was interrupted by applause several times, and which then U.S. House Speaker Tip O’Neill hailed as “the finest speech I’ve ever heard in my 34 years in Congress.” Above the din of cheering officials, Senate Majority Leader Robert Dole said to Mrs. Aquino, “Cory, you hit a home run.” Without missing a beat, Aquino smiled and shot back: “I hope the bases were loaded.”

After Cory’s Glorious Presidency which brought back Democracy in the Philippines, Fidel V. Ramos followed in 1992, Joseph Estrada in 1998 and Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2000.

The current Presidency under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is one of the most unpopular in Philippine History.

The big question — Who will succeed her as the 15th President of the Republic of the Philippines?

Who will emerge triumphant in the 2010 Philippine Election?

http://www.2010philippineelection.com/

MANNY VILLAR TOPS THE PULSE ASIA SURVEY

MANNY VILLAR TOPS THE PULSE ASIA SURVEY

Senator Manuel Villar is number One in the people’s choice for the country’s next President, according to the August 2009 Ulat ng Bayan national survey of Pulse Asia.

The nationwide survey, conducted from July 28 to August 10, was undertaken by Pulse Asia on the “Filipino’s Presidential Preference for the May 2010 Elections.”

The Respondents answered the Question:

The survey question was, “Of the people on the list, whom would you vote for as President of the Philippines if the elections of 2010 were held today and they were presidential candidates? (Sa mga taong nasa listahang ito, sino ang inyong iboboto bilang President ng Pilipinas kung ang eleksyon ng 2010 ay gaganapin ngayon at sila ay mga kandidato sa pagkapresidente?)”

The survey resulted as follows -

• Manny Villar (25%)
• Joseph Estrada (19%)
• Noli de Castro (16%)
• Francis Escudero (12%)
• Mar Roxas (11%)
• Loren Legarda (6%)
• Jejomar Binay (4%)
• Eddie Villanueva (1%)
• Richard Gordon (1%)
• Bayani Fernando (1%)
• Gilbert Teodoro (<1%)
• Ed Panlilio (<1%)
• Nicanor Perlas (<1%)
• JC delos Reyes (<1%
• Ronaldo Puno (<1%)

Twenty-five percent of the respondents said they would elect Villar as the next President if the May 2010 elections were held now. Following Villar were former President Joseph Estrada (19%), Vice President Noli de Castro (16%), Senator Francis Escudero (12%), and Senator Manuel Roxas (11%).

The other choices for President obtained six percent or less — Senator Loren Legarda (6%), Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (4%), and Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Bayani Fernando, Senator Richard Gordon, and Jesus is Lord Movement head Eddie Villanueva with one percent each.

Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, Pampanga Governor Eduardo Panlilio, environmentalist Nicanor Perlas, and John Carlos De los Reyes of Kapatiran got less than one percent each.

The three percent (3%) of the respondents either refused to answer, had no answer, or were undecided.

GILBERT TEODORO : I AM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, AND I AM NOT QUITTING

GILBERT TEODORO : I AM RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, AND I AM NOT QUITTING

In line with the recent quitting of Mar Roxas for running as President in the 2010 Presidential election. Everyone was questioning if Sec Gilber Teodoro would quit the the 2010 Presidential race.

Teodoro was quoted as saying, “Malaking kasinungalingan yan. I am determined to run for president. Ako determinado at hindi matigas ang ulo ko. Iba yong determinado kaysa matigas ang ulo.”

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro denied he is quitting the 2010 presidential race. He even Reiterated that he is determined to seek the highest post in the land.

Teodoro, who is seeking the presidential nomination of the Lakas-CMD, made the statement in response to allegations reportedly made by another presidential candidate of his plan to drop his bid to run for president in next year’s polls.

Gibo as he is fondly called, said he favored granting autonomy to “major progressive regions” of the country to free up resources of the national government that could be utilized to develop the marginalized regions of the land.

Everyone is waiting for the official endorsement of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on who will be the official standard bearer of the Administration.

Senator Mar Roxas II has announced his withdrawal from the 2010 presidential race

Senator Mar Roxas II has announced his withdrawal from the 2010 presidential race, at a press conference at Club Filipino, Green Hills, San Juan, September 1 2009. Senator Roxas has given way to his Liberal party-mate Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy” Aquino III as the standard bearer of the Liberal Party in the 2010 presidential elections.

Here is the transcript speech of Senator Mar Roxas at Club Filipino, Greenhills, San Juan.

Country above self. Bayan bago ang sarili.

Iyan ang habilin ng aking lolo, President Manuel Roxas.

Our nation is in trouble. Leadership is bankrupt. Institutions are in disarray. People are hungry.

Noynoy Aquino and I share the same outrage over the mess we are all in, the same way we share the solution-clean, honest, selfless public service.

Marami at matindi ang mga problema ng bansa. Kailangan nating ayusin. Matindi ang kalaban. We need a determined force for good far stronger than the festering evil around us.

We need to fight just as our own fathers fought dictatorship, and just as both died believing that good will conquer evil.

Noynoy and I want to make a difference, but we also know that we need to unite to achieve what we want.

I am the President of the Liberal Party.

It is within my power to preside over a potentially divisive process or to make the party a bridge for the forces of change. I choose to lead unity, not division. Bilang pinuno ng aking Partido, magdedesisyon ako.

Mahal ko ang Partido Liberal. My grandfather founded it. My father led it during the most difficult times of Martial Law. Sa harap ng peligro, sa kabila ng napakaraming tukso-hindi siya sumuko.

He inspired me-to stay the course, to fight the good fight, to pass the test of true character. To believe.

Over the weekend, Noynoy and I had many long conversations... Masinsinang usapan. We agreed: Let us forget about ourselves for a moment. This is not about us, this is about our people and our country. This is about our common dream. The dream of our parents.

But let us not remain a country of dreamers. Tama na ang pangarap. Gawin na natin, ngayon.

Today, I am announcing my support for the candidacy of Noynoy Aquino for President in 2010.

Noy has made it clear to me that he wants to carry the torch of leadership.

The passing of our beloved former President Aquino has reawakened a passion among us. I acknowledge this as fuel to bring us to the realization of our dream: Good will triumph over evil.

Ito na ang pinakamabigat na desisyon sa buhay ko. Maniwala man kayo o hindi, ginagawa ko ito para sa bayan, para sa inyo. I do this for unity in support of change. And if that means that somebody must make the sacrifice, it must be me. Ako na.

To you Noy, I say: I began the campaign to sow the seeds para sa pagbabago at reporma. You must now be the one to grow them in the arena of leadership.

Hindi kami maghihiwalay ni Noy. I will stand with him.

At sa aking mga kababayan, sa mga nagtiwala sa akin: Mahal na mahal ko po kayo. Mahal na mahal ko po ang ating bayan. Hindi rin tayo maghihiwalay. Itutuloy natin ang pagbabago sa ating bansa. Itutuloy natin ang laban para sa reporma!

Kay Noy, at sa aking mga kababayan: Country above self! Bayan bago sarili!

Hindi ko kayo pababayaan! Lalaban tayo!

{via ABS-CBN News}

Welcome to Vote Smart 2010!

This blog aims to inform the uninformed about the importance of being well educated on the current issues affecting the Philippines today.

A great problem of the Filipino citizen today is the fact that he/she remains passive about the issues affecting them. It is not that we are uninterested - we are, and we definitely have a lot to say.

But do we say it? We don't. And what is our where our greatest problem lies.

We are simply content with taking a back seat for the belief that one voice doesn't matter, and that your vote really won't make a difference.

But it does make a difference.

It is time to breed a new Filipino. A Filipino that cares, that takes a stand, that makes his voice heard.

You CAN do it. You CAN make a difference.

VOTE.

But before you vote, KNOW the facts.

Knowledge is power, and if we know what affects us, how it affects us, we will be able to take a stand and help our nation.

Stay tuned! :-)

Reforms in 2010 Means Saving Lives and Giving Hope

TODAY, I will attend a funeral of a youth leader who worked concretely for reforms in the 2004 elections by campaigning for a presidential candidate who he thought embodied the hope for a new Philippines. I saw Malvin Ordeniza (1980-2009) worked earnestly in the 2004 campaigns because he believed that without reforms in 2004, he and the rest of his fellow youth would be a lost generation. Five years ago, he saw for himself how a flawed system of elections that is personality- and patronage-based ruled by money and violence robbed him of his future. Five years after, the governance the resulted from that flawed elections took away his life when he was not given his needed medical attention because he did not have the money to pay for it.

Reforms in 2010 are not ideas that are up there. Change that needs to happen in 2010 is not an abstract concept. It’s real. It costs and will cost lives of people. We must make change happen in 2010 or the likes of Malvin who believed in change and worked hard for what he believed in will perish; and our country will not only lose another generation, it will lose hope.

The Citizen Reform Agenda 2010

In the Philippines, we probably have the broadest, most dynamic and innovative reform work in the world; yet it is also probably the most ineffective in bringing about structural change, particularly these recent years. It is unfair to say that the reform movements are at fault. They are doing all they could but the prevailing political order, the patronage-based politics, is just too deep-seated in society. To have a chance of making a dent, the reform movements need to be a formidable force and they can only do so if they recognize their common interest and common agenda; and work together to transform politics.

This is a formidable task and it requires a lot from us. The Citizen Reform Agenda 2010 is our humble contribution to this cause. There is no way that this space alone can transform the reform movements into a formidable force, but it is a key process in making that happen. The agent, the person, the one who will be the leader, is critical, especially for us Filipinos. But the reform agenda we want, the issues we find most critical, that’s the soul of our struggle. That’s what will endure. Hence, efforts like this must be undertaken, though it is hard and tedious.

This is a space and a process for bringing together the reform groups and linking their advocacies to a key political process, the elections in 2010. It also serves as a mechanism to fill up the gap of underperforming political parties that are supposed to be doing the interest-aggregation and agenda formulation. It also aims to promote issue-based and platform-oriented elections in 2010.

First, we had to look back to the past and know the previous reform agenda and issues. Second, we had series of consultations and consensus-building inviting the broadest possible representation of the reform movements in the Philippines. We had the process of review and finalization of key agenda and issues involving the participating citizen organizations. Finally, we presented the reform agenda and issues of the citizens to the public.

The next phase for CReforms 2010 is to engage the candidates and political parties; as well as the public. But to effectively do this, we must also engage a critical player that mediates the message and the messenger, the media. The ASoG has partnered with the biggest networks in the country to aid in the dissemination of the citizen reform agenda and issues and in promoting issue-based politics in 2010.

The CReforms 2010 was able to engage about a hundred citizen organizations. They are from different persuasions ideologically, politically and even meta-physically. They are working on different development themes of CReforms 2010. There were some of these groups who would never attend the same event, but they were able to get pass that. These are reform-oriented and progressive groups with different background and varying perspectives.

The outputs of this process are the key reform agenda and issues on Anti-Corruption, Political and Electoral Reform, Environment and Sustainable Development, Local Governance and Human Development (Education, Employment, Housing and Health).

These development areas do not at all encompass the entire development or reform areas; but we selected these for a simple and practical reason that the School and our key partners have solid work and expertise in these areas. Furthermore, other groups are very active consolidating the agenda on other areas like poverty reduction, economic development and peace.

These key reform agenda and issues identified during the consultation and consensus-building process are developed into Agenda Papers, which the participating groups and organizations would hopefully use in engaging the platform-development of candidates and political parties. Finally, a covenant for reforms entitled “We Will Make Change Happen in 2010” on an audio-visual presentation (available through YouTube) is prepared to be an instrument for CReforms 2010 to engage the candidates and political parties in the 2010 elections by soliciting their commitment to the covenant and response to the key agenda and issues in the CReforms 2010 Agenda Papers.

Key Reform Agenda and Issues

The agenda on anti-corruption calls for the promotion of a culture of transparency and openness in government by providing the public access to information and avenues to participate in governance. It also calls on the professionalization of the bureaucracy, the strengthening of the autonomy and accountability of local government units and the reforms in the justice system.

The agenda on political and electoral reform include the implementation of the constitutional provision banning political dynasties, the strengthening of the political party system and the reform of the Sanggunian Kabataan (SK) as vehicle for youth participation in democratic governance. It also includes the call to consider Constitutional reforms such as federalism to expand local initiatives, shift to a parliamentary system to broaden people’s participation in legislation and governance and limiting the role of COMELEC to election administration by defining a separate system to handle election protests.

Key reform agenda on local governance that would ensure substantive decentralization include four main points: (1) More devolution and autonomy from the national government through a policy review on the Local Government Code of 1991; (2) Installation of a more equitable system of local finance management that effectively equips local governments of resources for their service-delivery and administrative needs; (3) Substantive constitutional reform that explores federalism as a viable political framework in empowering local government units and decentralizing political power; and, (4) Strengthening transparency and accountability mechanisms for local government units that equal the power that is devolved to them.

The agenda on human development calls for a development of a strong domestic economy that respects labor rights; the installation of quality and accessible education; public access to healthcare services; and the improvement of housing program implementation with emphasis on the respect for human rights.

Lastly, the agenda on environment and sustainable development calls for the adoption of Philippine Agenda 21 as an alternative sustainable development framework; structural reforms on environmental laws and implementing government agencies such as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources; a sustainable ecological management that will enable the restoration of forests and biodiversity; and the development of a comprehensive plan to address the impact of climate change.

We call on the public to engage the candidates on these issues and the others they find most critical. Let us “reclaim our future by making the 2010 elections center on issues and platforms, not personalities; on principles, not money politics; on reforms, not patronage.” Most importantly, let us all work for reforms in 2010 because it means saving lives and giving hope a chance once more.

By Joy Aceron

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Joy Aceron is Instructor at the Political Science Department of the Ateneo de Manila University and concurrently the Associate Director of Center for Social Policy of the Ateneo School of Government heading Government Watch and Political Democracy and Reforms (PODER).