Politics

Benchwarmers or true leaders?

Women candidates a puny
minority in nat’l, local races

by Edz dela Cruz

ONE OUT of four senatorial bets in today’s elections is a woman, the highest rate of female participation yet in the senatorial race in the country’s history. But there is hardly a stir of excitement even among women’s rights advocates, who are apparently expecting little from these women, even if they end up winning.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
The re-electionist senators

SALNs bare some, mask other details

by Karol Ilagan and Rowena Caronan

IT MIGHT well be because he has had to fill out only two of them, compared to his colleagues who have already collected quite a pile. Whatever the reason, Aquilino Martin ‘Koko’ L. Pimentel III emerged as having the most detailed Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) among the six senators who are running for re-election this Monday. Indeed, almost all of the columns in his forms are filled out — from his assets and liabilities to his business interests and relatives in government.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
The House’s wanna-be senators

Propped by rich clans, big donors

by Rowena Caronan and Karol Ilagan

BAYAN MUNA party-list representative Teodoro ‘Teddy’ Casiño ranks 283 out of 284 members of the Lower House in terms of declared net worth. That may be why among the five current district representatives who are running for a Senate seat in the upcoming elections, Casiño — or to be more exact, the organization he had been representing in Congress — received the most contributions during the 2010 polls.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
They wannabe senators again

No paupers despite break from politics

by Karol Ilagan and Rowena Caronan

THEY HAD been out of Congress for the last three years or more, but the nine former legislators who are among the 33 senatorial candidates in the upcoming elections were most probably far from turning into paupers because of any lack of work.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
New, old-new wannabe senators, too

Family wealth, spouses’
assets boost a few newbies

by Rowena Caronan and Karol Ilagan

HOW RICH are the Binays? Vice President Jejomar ‘Jojo’ Binay never fails to point to his humble beginnings, but for decades now, there has been non-stop whispering that he and his family have come a long, long way from Culi-Culi.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
Sidebar

Wealth + donors + clans = power base

TO EACH his own power base.

Among the six senators who are raring to return to the Upper House, lawyers Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, and Koko Pimentel all belong to political families. Sonny Trillanes and Gringo Honasan are both ex-military men and presumably can count on support from their former colleagues in the armed forces. Trillanes also has strong ties with key campaign donors, as does Loren Legarda, a former broadcast journalist.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013
Sidebar

Sons & daughters

IF TEDDY CASIñO is looking mighty lonely in the Senate race, it’s not only because he’s running as an independent. Among the House members now seeking a Senate seat, Casiño is the only one without a relative to share campaign war stories with.

Read more… | Posted Sunday, May 12th, 2013

The Comelec in NCR: Reality bites

by Kezia Grace Jungco, Gabrielle Nicole Ilych Mana-ay, Lavilyn Hysthea Malte, Ma. Josebelle S. Bagulaya, Maya Angelique B. Jajalla, and Cristina Celine Aquino

IT’S THE homestretch to the May 13, 2013 midterm elections, and the field personnel of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) are now feeling the pressure of the last of its pre-election preparations. These include the final testing and sealing (FTS) of the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines, and coordinating and training the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) who will mainly administer matters on election day. These tasks go alongside their continuing responsibility to instruct voters on what should be done before, during, and after the elections; monitor campaign activities; and enforce campaigning and campaign finance rules.

Read more… | Posted Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
Manila

Not enough staff, too many voters

by Kezia Grace Jungco and Gabrielle Nicole Ilych Mana-ay

THE COUNTRY’S capital has a population of 1,652,171 (as of the 2010 Census), making it second only to Quezon City’s 2,761,720. Manila, however, occupies an area of only 24.98 square kilometers, or less than a sixth of Quezon City’s 171.71 square kilometers. That makes Manila the most densely populated city in the country, with more than 66,140 inhabitants per square kilometer in 2010, according to the National Statistics Office.

Read more… | Posted Wednesday, May 8th, 2013
Quezon City

Local government as source of succor

by Lavilyn Hysthea Malte

IT’S A good thing that the Quezon City government seems to be responsive to the needs of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in the field. After all, a majority of the Comelec district offices in Quezon City seem to be suffering from inadequate funding and supplies from the Commission's head office in Intramuros.

Read more… | Posted Wednesday, May 8th, 2013

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