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As the May 14 polls near, we notice that the National
Citizens’ Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) is not ready to
conduct a quick count of the votes. It is still alive, but as many
have noticed it no longer enjoys its past prestige.
We do not even know who are its
leaders. Mr. Jose Concepcion is no longer there, and where are the
bishops who support free elections. Even the PPCRV, which is the
Catholic watchdog group, seems to be lukewarm to Namfrel. In my own
town of Odiongan, Romblon, the Namfrel has been dissolved, to the
consternation of my activist nephew.
We need a new Namfrel—one that
is weaned away from the tradition of the Magsaysay era when the
Central Intelligence Agency of the United States was active in
Philippine elections. At that time—when the US was concerned about
the future of democracy in the Philippines—Namfrel was born to
make sure that no anti-US was elected in the country.
I think the Namfrel of recent
years is an honest movement. But it should repackage itself to be
able to adjust to the new situation.
Maybe Namfrel has, in fact,
repackaged itself already. It has been accepted as a member of the
Volunteers For Clean Elections, or VforCE, the election watchdog
group that says it will have 1 million volunteers throughout the
country to watch a report anomalies in the May 14 election.
The VForCE claims “to bring
together the various Church-related organizations that have for many
years worked to protect the integrity of the electoral process,
including Namfrel, PPCRV and NASSA Votecare.” In addition, VforCE,
its ads say, “also counts on the leadership of the CEAP, MAPSA,
AMRSP, Makati Business Club (MBC), the Integrated Bar of the
Philippines (IBP), One Voice and CODE-NGO.” To be included in this
group, maybe Namfrel has really become acceptable to Church groups
and others whose leaders were disappointed in it in the 2004
election.
Batangas port better than
Manila’s
If you travel by ship within the
Republic, you cannot help but compare the efficiency of the Manila
pier to that of the Batangas port. And in my experience, the
Batangas one appears to be better, in terms of safety and
efficiency.
In the Manila ports, you can feel
the presence of the syndicates fleecing the passengers. And the
bureaucracy in this premier city is just too slothful that if you
take a car to travel, you will be subjected to a lot of harassment.
In the case of Batangas, one does
not feel the oppression present in many other ports. In my recent
travel, entering and exiting the port was just too easy. But this
does not mean that security was compromised. My only comment about
Batangas is that there are many idle buildings. Also, the waiting
areas are just too hot on summers.
By the way, Batangas is the
vanguard of the nautical highway concept of the President which
provides for an efficient entry and exit of goods to and from
Manila. The Montenegro Shipping is the lead group for this concept,
having replaced Viva Shipping which dominated the Batangas sea-lanes
in the 70s 80.
Second look at Cesar Montano
We give way in this space to an
email from an admirer of TU senatorial candidate Cesar Montano.
Right now, Montano is out of the magic 12 in the surveys of Pulse
Asia and Social Weather Stations, but is in number 8 in Team
Unity’s own survey. Will he make it?
“In a graduation speech at the
Lyceum where Cesar studied civil engineering, he admitted that it
was President GMA who convinced him to run. But his decision to go
ahead was made by his wish to go beyond culture, beyond film. He
said that his award-winning films like Muro Ami, Jose Rizal, Bagong
Buwan and Panaghoy sa Suba are not enough legacy.
“His films have been acclaimed
internationally. They mirror the harsh reality of Philippine life
and the lessons of history. He has portrayed the national hero Jose
Rizal and has played roles that mirrors the giyera sa Mindanao. He
has films that expose child labor at its worst and the need to save
our rivers.
“He has said that ‘social
justice’ will be at the core of his platforms and advocacies. Now
he is saying, “Pangalan ko, paninindigan ko.” His core programs
carry the acronym CESAR which means Children, Environment, Social
Services, Agriculture and Rural Infrastructures.”
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