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FINALLY, after weeks of keeping media in suspense,
the Genuine Opposition (GO) opened its new headquarters located in
Makati City.
With the theme, “Kontra sa
Nakawan, Sagot sa Kahirapan,” Sen. Sergio Osmeña, GO campaign
manager, who had shied away from the limelight, finally appeared and
introduced the new GO logo.
The new logo of GO is patterned
from the Philippine flag with red, blue and yellow colors.
The “GO” is stretched in
yellow with the three stars and the sun in the tail end. It has
three “tails” with red on top signifying war.
“It is on top because the
Filipino people are at war. At war against corruption, at war
against human-rights violation then at war against hunger, at war
against high prices, at war against poverty,” he said.
San Juan mayor and deputy
campaign manager, Joseph Victor Ejercito, showed to the media a
handwritten warning which was later placed on the entrance to the
headquarters the quotes, “Bawal and ASO, Bawal ang TUTA.”
Considered by many to be mean and
wicked, the initials ASO (meaning dog in Tagalog) is being used to
refer to Angara, Sotto and Oreta, former opposition colleagues now
allied with the administration’s Team Unity.
“Tuta” (meaning puppy or in
the militant code “running dog”) again cruelly refers to “Team
Unity, Team Arroyo.”
The new headquarters is on the
third floor of the Manila Bank Building, 4772 Ayala Avenue, Makati
City.
--Francis Earl Cueto
Dato Arroyo has a challenger
The President’s son, Dato
Arroyo, unlike his brother Rep. Mikey Arroyo, will not run unopposed
in the Second District of Camarines Sur.
Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya
Jr., whose appointment to the Cabinet left the district seat vacant,
confirmed that Mayor Abang Mabulo of San Fernando town is bent on
challenging Dato in the May 14 election.
Mabulo, in his early 40s, is a
three-term mayor, and is describing himself as a full-blooded
Bicolano.
Andaya, the acknowledged kingpin
of the district, said charges of Dato’s being a carpetbagger would
certainly be raised by the opponents, but he is confident that it
would not wash. He pointed out Dato speaks the native tongue, having
made Camarines Sur his virtual home since 1995.
He believes that Mabulo does not
pose any serious threat to Dato. He pointed out that all mayors in
the district are supporting the bid of Dato for the district seat in
Congress.
--Efren Danao
GO candidates deny
sliding down campaign bids
TWO senatorial candidates from
the Genuine Opposition on Monday denied a report in a daily (not The
Times) that they, along with three fellow senatorial aspirants from
the Team Unity, are preparing to withdraw.
Tomas “Butch” Africa,
campaign manager of Sonia Roco, told reporters that they would
demand a public apology from the writer of the article entitled “5
Senate candidates seen lowering sights.”
“We will try to get a statement
from the reporter, kung wala siyang basehan, a formal apology should
be in order,” he said.
--Francis Earl Cueto
Noynoy Aquino to revive
study-now-pay-later program
Genuine Opposition senatorial
candidate Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel on Monday decried the
continued and uncontrolled rise in tuitions, adding that education
is being made difficult for many young Filipinos especially those
wanting to earn a college degree.
Pimentel said that arresting the
continued increase in tuitions will be high on his agenda if elected
to the Senate.
Pimentel, former commissioner of
the National Youth Commission representing Mindanao, said the youth
have simple dreams, and that is to be able to earn a college degree.
Meanwhile, fellow GO senatorial
candidate Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino 3rd said for his part that he
would revive and invigorate the “Study Now, Pay Later” education
program that was originally broached by his father, the late
Filipino martyr and former LP senator, Ninoy Aquino Jr.
--Francis Earl Cueto
Durano: ‘Hello, Garci,’
corruption
now nonissues to electorate
The “Hello, Garci” or
wiretapping controversy, the issue of massive corruption in the
Arroyo administration, and similar negative and “hate-oriented”
issues which the opposition claims to have hounded the present
administration are now nonissues as far as the electorate is
concerned.
Team Unity spokesman Ace Durano
offered this assessment on Monday, saying the voters are more
intelligent now and are much more concerned with productivity and
the economy. They see the economic gains achieved by the Arroyo
administration, rather than the past “hate issues” raised by
people who just want to bring down the administration without
offering solutions to problems.
Durano said the allegations of
corruption in the Arroyo administration would certainly be a thing
of the past for voters come May 14 elections.
For instance, Durano cited a
recent Pulse Asia survey as proof that voters are looking at the
positive side of the administration as compared with the past
surveys conducted sometime last year.
“Based on the most recent
survey, which is the one by Pulse Asia, a majority of the voters
when asked what are the attributes that they look for in a candidate
or in a ticket, the top four reasons they cite were all
economics,” Durano told reporters at a news conference.
“And the way we frame our
program, the way we frame our communication has always been this
is—about the economy, about sustaining the economic growth of the
country. And I think this is the reason why slowly, more and more
voters are convinced that Team Unity is the ticket with a solution
to the [pressing problems in the country],” Durano added.
As far as Durano is concerned,
the opposition’s relentless campaign to destabilize the Arroyo
administration has certainly turned off the electorate, not to
mention the fact that the Genuine Opposition has failed to present
to people their alternative agenda to respond to the country’s
problems.
“The top issues on the mind of
the voters are economic in nature. And this is really our main
message. Team Unity is a solution to our political bickering; it is
a solution to the long standing challenge of the government or the
country, which is sustainable economic development. And that is the
solution we are presenting to the voters,” Durano stressed.
The administration’s Team Unity
has predicted a collapse in the GO merely because it lacks
cohesiveness, especially among its members.
“The way I look at the
opposition, I see individual candidates. I do not see a slate. I do
not see a cohesive group. I do not see a common agenda. I do not see
a common direction. What they have are individual candidates,”
Durano pointed out, adding that Team Unity is nothing compared to
the opposition.
“One of the strengths of Team
Unity is the fact that there is a common direction, there is a
common agenda. And we all know that as far as public governance is
concerned. No one person can make it happen. It requires collective
leadership.”
--Maricel V. Cruz
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