By Kristine L. Alave
Inquirer

FORMER congressman Robert “Dodot” Jaworski Jr. has vowed to continue his fight for the post of Pasig mayor as the Commission on Elections will start recounting votes from 1,317 of the city’s precincts Monday.

“I want to get closure. In my heart, I know I won in the last elections. I won’t give up the fight. This is for the sake of the people,” Jaworski told the Inquirer.

He reiterated his claim that the official results of the city’s mayoral race in the May 14 elections did not tally with his watchers’ numbers.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Commission on Elections (Comelec) has accredited the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting (PPCRV) as its citizen’s arm for the October 29 Barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) elections.

In a resolution, the Comelec en banc granted the PPCRV’s August 10 petition seeking accreditation.

The Comelec said that it has considered PPCRV’s commendable participation in past electoral exercises as well as its commitment toward honest, clean, credible, and peaceful elections, for its accreditation of the group.

It added, the PPCRV has also sufficiently complied with the Comelec’s accreditation rules.

The Comelec said that the PPCRV will conduct poll watching and assist voters in various precincts, and assist the Comelec in providing voter’s information and values education in municipalities, cities and provinces. Beverly T. Natividad

By Charlie Señase
Inquirer Mindanao Bureau

COTABATO CITY–After almost five months of waiting, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) has finally proclaimed three winning candidates in this year’s gubernatorial race in Shariff Kabunsuan province.

In July, Governor Zaldy Ampatuan of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) appointed provincial officers-in-charge while waiting for the Comelec’s proclamation of winning bets.

The proclamation was delayed by the election protest lodged by opposition gubernatorial bet Tocao Mastura and his partymates.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–The Philippine National Police (PNP) has identified at least 4,511 villages throughout the country as hotspots for the upcoming October elections, PNP Chief Avelino Razon Jr. said Tuesday.

At the same time, Razon said the PNP will work with the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to ensure that the barangay (village) and Sangguniang Kabataan (youth council) polls will not be disrupted by threat groups like the communist rebels, terrorist groups and private armies of some politicians.

Razon presented a report on the October 29 elections to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo during Tuesday’s meeting of the National Security Council in Malacañang. He said he will submit the same report to the Commission on Election Wednesday.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Richel Umel
Inquirer

ILIGAN CITY, Philippines–The special Provincial Board of Canvassers (PBoC) of Lanao del Norte has proclaimed former Iligan City Councilor Vicente “Varf” Belmonte as the winning congressional candidate for the province’s first district, including this city.

Belmonte’s proclamation on Wednesday came after the second division of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) in Manila finished the canvassing of the certificates of canvass (CoCs) from the district, which also includes the towns of Linamon, Kauswagan, Bacolod, Kolambugan, Maigo, Tubod and Baroy.

Belmonte, of the United Opposition, garnered a total vote of 60,054 over his closest rivals, Angelique Badelles of Kampi (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino or Partner of the Free Filipino), who took 46,630 votes, and former Lanao del Norte governor Imelda Dimaporo of Lakas, who got 44,343 votes.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Christian V. Esguerra, Alcuin Papa

View the NBN contract and related documents

MANILA, Philippines–One man’s scandal can be another man’s excuse.

The controversy hounding Commission on Elections Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. has given congressmen yet another reason to justify their move to postpone next month’s barangay (vilage) and youth elections.

Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles Wednesday urged senators to support the House bill resetting the elections to May 2009 if only to allow Abalos to concentrate on his “defense” in the $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) project.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By DJ Yap
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines–The Makati court handling the coup d’etat case against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV will hear on Friday his motion appealing the ruling rejecting his request for furlough to attend Senate sessions.

Judge Oscar Pimentel of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 will hear the arguments of both parties on whether he should reverse his decision denying Trillanes leave to perform his Senate duties while under detention.

On Thursday, the prosecution panel led by Assistant Chief State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon and State Prosecutor Juan Pedro Navera filed another pleading opposing Trillanes’ motion, which they said smacked of special treatment.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–A major media organization assailed reported plans of the Commission on Elections to file charges of electoral sabotage against two media personalities the poll body accused of cooking up stories meant to discredit its reputation.

The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said it was “appalled” by the threat voiced by election commissioner Nicodemo Ferrer and called it “an assault on press freedom and freedom of expression.”

In a statement signed by chairman Jose Torres Jr., the NUJP called “ridiculous and outrageous” Ferrer’s reason for filing the case — to “cleanse the (journalism) profession” — and his equating the alleged false news and comments of the unnamed journalists to electoral sabotage, a non-bailable offense punishable with life imprisonment.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

By Maila Ager
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines–Heeding the call of the opposition, incoming Cebu Representative Pablo Garcia has vowed to surrender his Speakership bid should he lose in secret balloting that he has proposed ahead of the July 23 opening of Congress.

Garcia and his supporters, led by Kampi (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino, Partner of the Free Filipino) president and Camarines Sur Representative Luis Villafuerte, are pushing for an all-party caucus, to include members of the opposition group, to decide who should be the next Speaker.

While the opposition has been invited in the caucus, the choice of candidate for the Speakership would only be between Garcia and incumbent Jose de Venecia.

[Read the rest of this entry »]

I AM happy that the Inquirer keeps credible columnists like Randy David, Walden Bello, Solita Monsod, MLQ III and a lot more.

What I don’t understand is that amid the scholarly written articles, there comes Ramon Tulfo writing about the newly elected governor of Pampanga, Father Ed Panlilio, whom he thought was losing in a fair battle.

I’m really vexed at the thought that the Inquirer also keeps rotten tomatoes like Ramon Tulfo in their newspaper.

[Read the rest of this entry »]