LAST March, I was invited as commencement speaker of the Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) in Zamboanga City, one of the biggest state universities in the Philippines. During my brief stay, I was able to sit down and talk with some student leaders. I started our discussion with a question. “Who among you here still believes and supports President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” I asked. About a third of them raised their hands. “Who among you here wants the President to resign and step down,” I continued. About half of them raised their hands. I pressed on and asked again, “Who among you here is still undecided?” still some few raised their hands. But when I asked, “Who among you here wants change and reforms in our country and government?” All of them raised their hands.

When I got back to Manila, I held the same discussion with some student leaders from Miriam College in Quezon City and I got a similar response. What am I trying to say?

1. Yes, our country is divided on how we view President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. You have on one side, a group supporting Arroyo despite all the anomalies, allegations of corruption and scandals that have rocked her administration, while on the other, you have groups and highly-influential leaders which have called for her immediate resignation and ouster from power.

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MANY people dismiss the strength of a youth vote. In the last three elections (2001, 2004 and 2007), the youth have constituted a bulk of the votes, enough to make a candidate win, but these votes were dispersed. Pundits say that because the youth’s voting patterns can’t be classified as much as other demographics, a so-called youth vote does not exist.

But the youth definitely has an agenda to pursue. In 2005, the National Youth Commission (NYC) reported that across regions, education, employment and health ranked as the top three survival and developmental issues of which the youth were most concerned. Substance abuse, juvenile delinquency and child abuse were also cited as the top protection issues and governance (national, local and in the Sangguniang Kabataan), youth involvement and access to information as the top participation issues. So how can a demographic with a concrete agenda and shared aspiration not constitute a powerful voting bloc?

In the last 2004 presidential elections, around 13 million voters were within the 18- to 24-year-old bracket and almost five million of them were first-time voters. Unfortunately, roughly two million more failed to register. In the same year, the President won with only one million votes more than her closest opponent. Had the two million youth voters registered and voted, it could have tipped the scale. In fact, the youth comprised a third of the overall voting population in 2004 and had they rallied behind a single candidate, who embodied their aspirations, that candidate could have won with at least 15 million votes.

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MANILA, Philippines — Yes, former president Joseph Estrada has a “50-50 chance” of running in the 2010 presidential elections, but only as a last resort, a spokesman for the opposition said Tuesday.

Lawyer Adel Tamano said that Estrada’s claim of possibly running again as president was a message “for the opposition to come together.”

“[Estrada’s] claim is consistent with the clamor of the people,” he said.

DRE uses a touch-screen or touch-pad technology for voting, while OMR requires voters to fill up a paper-based ballot which is fed to a specially designed machine, similar to a scanner.

The Comelec en banc, however, has decided to use the DRE technology for the whole province of Maguindanao, which was contrary to the advisory council’s recommendation which limited the use of DRE in two cities or municipalities.

The advisory council has recommended the DRE technology in two cities or municipalities.

Jimenez said the Comelec en banc decided to use the DRE for the whole province of Maguindanao to test the technology in time for the 2010 elections. The ARMM automated polls is a test pilot leading to the 2010 presidential elections, the Comelec spokesperson said.

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Pretty ironic if he does end up endorsing Villar, if you remember the dramatic role Villar played in the impeachment of Estrada in the House of Representatives when Villar was the Speaker

At any rate, Erap is saying that his candidate for 2010 should be “pro-poor” and “anti-corruption,” according to this Breaking News article.

Here’s an excerpt:

Estrada issued the statement in response to reporters’ questions on what his criteria was in choosing the standard bearer of the opposition.

But at the same time, Estrada refused to name his candidate, saying that all presidential aspirants of the opposition would go through a process of selection that would include a series of three surveys to determine winnability.

Earlier in the day in Dinalupihan, Estrada was reported as having hinted that he was going to endorse the candidacy of Senate President Manuel Villar, who was said to be eyeing the presidency.

Here’s an excerpt from the Breaking News story:

“I think it’s too early to mess up and confuse the public. It’s all right for them to prepare for their candidacy individually. But to stir up public attention and consciousness about 2010 is bit too early,” he said at the Kapihan sa Senado.

“If [the presidential hopefuls] make 2008 a highly politicized year, because it’s already campaign or election mode, they will forget about any reforms of getting through Congress,” he added.

Angara said his advice goes for everyone thinking of running for president in the 2010 elections, including Senators Loren Legarda, Panfilo Lacson, Richard Gordon, Manuel Villar, Manuel Roxas II, and even Bayani Fernando, chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority.

Um, anybody have an idea how to keep 2008 “politics-free”? I mean, this is the Philippines. Any suggestions?

Here’s an excerpt from the “Lack of transparency in Comelec selection process hit” Breaking News story of INQUIRER.net reporter Veronica Uy:

On Monday, the Malacañanag-formed search committee submitted its five nominees to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo but refused name them.

“[This] lack of transparency is unconstitutional… The people have the right to know who the nominees are,” said Majority Floor Leader Francis Pangilinan.

The seven soon to be vacant seats in the poll body are currently being occupied by Resurreccion Borra as acting Comelec chairperson, Commissioners Florentino Tuason, Romeo Brawner, Nicodemo Ferrer, and Rene Sarmiento, and the still-to-be-confirmed Moslemen Macarambon.

Here’s an excerpt from the Philippine Daily Inquirer article:

Zubiri, whose 12th-place victory in last year’s senatorial election is being contested by Pimentel, said he was certain of serving the entire six years of his term despite what he termed the “mind-conditioning” by his rival in the ongoing recount of votes being conducted by the Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET).

Zubiri was reacting to Pimentel’s claim that the empty ballot boxes from Sultan Kudarat province negated Zubiri’s 31,000-vote margin in the area, giving Pimentel a 12,000-vote lead over Zubiri in the national tally.

How about you? Who do you think really won?

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Here’s an excerpt from Veronica’s article:

MANILA, Philippines–Senator Manuel Roxas II, who has been reported as the standard-bearer of the Liberal Party in the 2010 elections, has evaded all political questions regarding the presidential polls.

At a press conference in Pasay City, Roxas finished off all political questions with a presentation of three items on his legislative agenda: cheaper medicines, removing the value-added tax on petroleum products, and exempting minimum wage earners from paying income tax.

“[The elections] is still far off. We need to respond to the everyday needs of Juan Dela Cruz” was his response to questions regarding his presidential bid in 2010, the reported talks between the administration party Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and his Liberal Party, and former president Joseph Estrada’s intention to run again in two years.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. says it is too early to talk about his political plans, after administration officials broached the idea of his running for president in 2010. Teodoro says he will focus more on work. His wife, Tarlac Representative Monica Prieto-Teodoro, said she would support whatever decision her husband makes.

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