Press Releases
Welcome, Burma’s Aung San Suu Kyi, to the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats
Jul 8th
I welcome the entry of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi into the Council of Asian Liberals and Democrats (CALD), a prestigious organization of liberal political leaders in the Asia.
In a meeting in Manila recently, on the occasion of the conference “Asian Liberal Parties in Power: Getting There, Remaining There” held on June 28-29 at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati, the CALD Executive Committee (Execom) made a decision to bestow an honorary individual membership title to Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Laureate and one of Asia’s most revered icons of democracy.
As a former CALD chairman, I am hopeful that the entry of Daw Aung More >
Why overrule Devanadera’s verdict?
Apr 18th
Acting Justice Secretary Alberto Agra’s order dropping the charges against Zaldy Ampatuan, the suspended governor of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and his cousin Akmad Ampatuan, the former acting vice governor of Maguindanao Province, was uncalled for and only reinforces the prevailing fears of a possible whitewash of the case in the minds of the families of the massacre victims.
Given the sensitivity of the case, Secretary Agra should have allowed the private prosecutors to present the evidence in court and let the judge decide whether the murder charges against Zaldy and Akmad Ampatuan would be dropped or not.
The More >
We should amend election laws
Mar 16th
We need to amend election laws to effectively regulate campaign expenses of candidates seeking public office.
I have been involved in seven national elections and this year’s election campaign is the most expensive that I have ever witnessed. It is deplorable how rich candidates achieve greater media mileage with loads of TV infomercials and political advertisements shown prior to the official campaign period, placing the poorer candidates at a great disadvantage when the official campaign period starts.
If elected back to the Senate, he would propose the amendment of existing election laws to cover the loopholes that are being gravely abused by More >
Greed, corruption nullified gains of EDSA I
Feb 23rd
The culture of corruption and greed that has prevailed over the government with impunity is the main reason why the promise of the 1986 EDSA Revolution has remained unfulfilled.
The spirit of the People Power Revolution that deposed a dictator and brought back democracy to the country was nullified because of the culture of corruption and greed that prevailed over the country with impunity during the Arroyo administration.
Worse, public cynicism and disdain for the country’s political leaders had reversed the gains of EDSA I due to persistent allegations of corruption that have reached scandalous proportions and mind-boggling figures.
These cases of widespread More >
Lack of concern hurting fishing industry
Feb 22nd
Today, I want to assure the people of Gen San that I will vigorously and relentlessly pursue efforts toward boosting our local fisheries industry and at the same time work on achieving peace and development in Southern Philippines.
I feel for the fishery sector as much as I share the peace and development aspirations for Mindanao. The South Cotabato area alone is rich in natural resources and has enormous potential for eco-tourism. I encourage the people of Gen San to explore all possibilities and pursue opportunities.
We need to renegotiate the bilateral Fishing Agreement with Indonesia that will allow Filipino fishermen to More >
No need to reconcile with GMA
Feb 21st
Our conflict with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was never personal. We just differed vastly in our definitions of good governance.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita had said the President was open to reconciling with her political detractors before she leaves office on June 30. Ermita made the statement after former House Speaker Jose de Venecia was seen shaking hands with the President in a public event, a gesture that indicated that the two political figures might have buried the hatchet.
To this I say there is no need for me or the members of the Liberal Party (LP) to reconcile with the President. Our More >
Leave task of finding peace in Mindanao to next president
Feb 19th
Having failed in its efforts to deliver lasting peace to Southern Philippines, President Arroyo should leave the task of forging a peace agreement with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) to the country’s next president.
While we can fairly say that her government tried its best to reach a peace agreement in Mindanao, we have to accept the fact that President Arroyo lost all her credibility with the Filipino people and the international community when her negotiators bungled the handling of the so-called GRP-MILF Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MOA-AD) that was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2008.
President More >
The SC has spoken: LP leadership is legitimate
Feb 19th
I welcome the decision of the Supreme Court affirming the LP leadership under party president Sen. Mar Roxas and dismissing the petition of expelled pro-Arroyo administration LP members led by former environment secretary Lito Atienza Jr.
With finality, the Supreme Court has spoken and has upheld the legitimate leadership of the Liberal Party. This decision closes the book on this illicit attempt of the President Arroyo’s cronies to hijack the LP through unprincipled, underhanded and unscrupulous means.
The Supreme Court has spoken and we hope Malacanang and the other allies of President Arroyo led by Atienza will respect the decision and submit More >
Arrest of Morong 43 illegal
Feb 16th
The recent arrest of 43 health workers in Morong, Rizal by members of the Philippine Army’s 2nd Infantry Division was baseless and illegal.
What was the motive of the military?
Mere membership in the Communist Party of the Philippines (CCP) is no longer a crime. You must have performed covert acts of your political belief to overthrow the government before you can be accused of violating the law.
Media reports said Philippine National Police Senior Inspector Rex Cuntapay, a former NPA captive, supposedly identified some of the detained health workers as members of the New People’s Army and said that at least two More >
The C-5 and-a-Half Land Conversion Scandal
Feb 13th
I challenge Senator Manuel Villar to open the books of his real estate companies and reveal to the Filipino people how many favorable land conversion orders he was able to secure from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) ever since he became a high government official.
At the Kapihan sa Sulo breakfast forum Saturday morning, I reiterated the disclosure I made in Iloilo Friday that Villar illegally converted prime rice lands in Pavia town in Iloilo City into a residential subdivision despite lack of a permit from the DAR.
I called this land conversion the C-5 and-a-Half scandal.
Villar’s company, Crown Communities, bought about More >
