Politics

WHILE the number of registered overseas absentee voters increased this year, it is still far behind the one million target for next year’s polls.

MANILA, Philippines – He may be down, but he’s definitely not out. Former House speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., who formed Lakas-CMD in 1992 but was forced to quit following his falling out with President Arroyo, has launched a so-called “conscience hotline” for “lost” party members.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manuel Villar has emerged as the top choice of Filipinos to be the next president in the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.

MANILA, Philippines – A majority of Filipino adults remained dissatisfied with the performance of President Arroyo, the Social Weather Stations (SWS) reported yesterday.

REMARKABLE advances have been made before the economic landscape changed so radically in 2008.

MANILA, Philippines – Filipinos abroad are more eager to participate in the forthcoming 2010 presidential polls than past elections.

Many senatorial hopefuls of diverse political persuasions are scaling down their election plans in 2010 because of poor ratings in recent surveys.

MANILA, Philippines – The race for the 2010 presidency is narrowing down to three choices, with Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. now taking the lead from Vice President Noli de Castro, a survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) showed.

The consortium of Smartmatic and Total Information Management (TIM) that won the bidding for the May 10, 2010 poll automation project has committed to complete the canvassing and counting of votes not less than two days.

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Noli de Castro has remained as the country’s top performing and most trusted government official in the country while President Arroyo continued to receive the highest disapproval rating, a recent survey by Pulse Asia revealed yesterday.

LEAD PACK: It is too early to credit the Korina Sanchez factor, but her prospective bridegroom Mar Roxas has just vaulted five percentage points from way behind to join the lead pack in the May 2010 presidential race.

MANILA, Philippines – Vice President Noli de Castro has remained the top choice of Filipinos to succeed President Arroyo in 2010, according to the latest Pulse Asia survey that included new names as possible presidential contenders.

Year after year, the Bicol region (Region 5) is at the bottom, together with ARMM, of the Neda ranking poorest or most underdeveloped region of the country.

‘Gov’t beholden to very few who hold RP wealth’ DAVAO CITY, Philippines—The Philippines remains in the control of oligarchs because the government is beholden to them, according to Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

MANILA, Philippines – A national identification system is in the offing. The Social Security System (SSS) is leading other government agencies in drawing up guidelines for a unified ID and is starting the bidding for its manufacture.

Several more Third Force type movements have emerged. So far nameless, a movement led by Independent Sen. Kiko Pangilinan, actress Sharon Cuneta, Akbayan Rep. Riza Hontiveros Baraquel, Naga City Mayor Jesse Robredo and former Bukidnon Rep. Nereus Acosta has surfaced. It looks pretty much like a Liberal Party faction as Pangilinan, Robredo and Nereus Acosta…

MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Noli de Castro and senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero retained their positions as the “top recommended successors” to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in the Social Weather Stations (SWS) Survey for the First Quarter of 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – Two electoral watchdogs denied yesterday reports that they have severed ties with the social arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines.

Religious group leaders Mike Velarde of El Shaddai and Eddie Villanueva of the Jesus is Lord Movement cannot join the moral force initiated by Supreme Court Chief Justice Reynato Puno if they run for public office in 2010.

MANILA, Philippines – Speaker Prospero Nograles continued to receive a low satisfaction rating among top government officials, excluding President Arroyo, a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) revealed yesterday.

Among top government officials, Filipinos are satisfied with Vice-President Noli de Castro the most, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey done in the first quarter of 2009.

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Rodolfo Biazon rejected yesterday a proposal of National Security Adviser Secretary Norberto Gonzales to establish an interim transition government after the 2010 election.

MANILA, Philippines – If the presidential elections were held today, it would be a tight four-way race among Vice President Noli de Castro, Senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda and Francis Escudero, according to a recent survey by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

A non-governmental organization said yesterday that no Filipino company alone has the capacity to pursue the automation project for the local and national elections in 2010.

THERE are three automated systems being considered for the 2010 elections.

President Arroyo, who staked her claim for a mandate through the fraud-ridden 2004 elections by capturing the votes in the Visayas and Mindanao, is now overwhelmingly rejected in both regions with a net rating of net negative 33 in the Visayas and a net negative 40 in Mindanao, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey…

MANILA, Philippines – Sen. Manny Villar welcomed yesterday the results of a survey conducted by University of the Philippines students where he topped the list of presidential contenders.

MANILA, Philippines – More than half of Filipinos are dissatisfied with the performance of Mrs. Arroyo, giving her a “bad” net satisfaction rating of negative 32 percent, according to the latest survey of the Social Weather Stations Inc. (SWS).

MANILA, Philippines – Senators maintained there are enough safeguards in the Poll Automation Law against cheating and that doomsayers should just help the Commission on Elections carry out a successful computerized elections in 2010.

Catholic bishops are divided on what automation system should be adopted for the 2010 national polls, with one bloc preferring the position of the Commission on Elections (COMELEC) and the other bloc lobbying for the open election system (OES).