Alerts and information (updated)

September 29, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose

I’ve moved my updates to a new entry. I won’t be updating How to help : please help focus attention and help update List of Places to Donate instead.

For an overview of the situation, see OndoyManila which is supported by Google and with volunteers from around the world updating it.

For relief/response see also Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System, set up by volunteers, supported by IBM, and adopted by the National Disaster Coordinating Council.They have a Sanaha Forum, please visit; and here’s the Volunteer Sheet for the Sahana Project.

There is an unofficial List of Missing Persons put up by the Ateneo de Manila.GMA News Also has a Missing Person Database.

For concerned individuals overseas, here’s how to donate if you’re abroad. Here are official Philippine government regulations on deliveries of aid/relief goods.

Follow me on Twitter for more regular updates.

10/01/09

2 PM NDCC reports as of 6am today 199,558 families comprising of 1,036,774 persons are in 726 evacuation centers.

1 PM Please inform all Filipinos overseas and International Aid Organizations who are experiencing problems with red tape with the Bureau of Customs of the President’s directives to the Department of Foreign Affairs to our posts abroad, and Customs here, to facilitate donations of goods on condition that they are consigned to the Department of Social Welfare and Development. An unofficial English translation can be found here. The ban on importing used clothing will also be lifted so long as garments are given to DSWD for fumigation/washing/distribution.

11 AM PAGASA says Typhoon Peping may reach Supertyphoon status. No change to Metro Manila weather expected over next 24 hours but f you have relatives please alert them that Typhoon Peping’s landfall expected Oct. 3. somewhere up North. Possibly Isabela or Tuguegarao or Aparri.

9 AM Aurora Province Fund Drive and Relief Operation: an initiative of concerned Aurorans.

1 AM The Philippine National Red Cross Blood Center is running out of blood packs. Contact Raina Reyes at 09177911390 for blood donations.

Updated list based on Tweets of places that need more relief goods.

9/30/09

11:22 PM Was informed some International Groups wanting to donate used clothing faced problems with Bureau of Customs, citing law forbidding importantion of used clothing. A Malacanan official tells me Customs will forfeit the ban provided the clothes are claimed by DSWD which will wash and fumigate the used clothing and then distribute it to those in need. Please advise foreign donors/groups of this official advisory.

For NGOs and other organizations engaged in rescue and relief operations, please bookmark Bayanihan Online. They are regularly collating and republishing Twitter alerts on missing persons, places needing relief/rescue, and security alerts for communities.

There is a growing need for these particular items of clothing for relief:

1. Underwear

2. Diapers

There is also a need for medicine to be donated, particularly serum for anti-tetanus treatment. PGH in dire need of expressed breastmilk. They will process donations (pasteurize, etc) and bring to evacuation centers. PGH Milkbank, 4th flr. Call 5548400 local 3409. Ask for any NICU fellow. Or call Dra. Silvestre or Lita Nery 09185557565,09185557565.

1:45 AM The President, at 9 PM issued a five-fold directive concerning issues raised over Customs imposing fees or impounding foreign donations, remittances, fraud and profiteering:

12 AM Volunteer Sheet for the Sahana Project and visit the Sahana Forum.

9/29/09

4:51 PM GMA7 News reports Angat dam releases water warns Norzagaray, Hagonoy, Calumpit, Pulilan, San Rafael, Angat, Bustos, Baliuag and Plaridel.

4:40 PM De La Salle Brothers Disaster Response: Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation Unimart Business Center Peso Account No. 1-296-71477-8 US Dollar Account No. 8-296-00115-6 Swift Code: RCBC PHMM

4 PM From Emy de Lara of Ayala Corporation:

Aside from providing assistance for its own employees, BPI has created an account to accept public donations and has made a contribution through some organizations. It will manage its own efforts through BPI Foundation.

Deposits may be made to BPI Acct # 0011149022 (Ayala Foundation for Typhoon Ondoy)

Globe has pledged P1M each to ABS-CBN and GMA7, P1M to GK, and P2M worth of goods to Net25, DSWD, and direct to families in Marikina and Rizal areas. It has also set up Libreng Tawag services and hotlines plus Donate-A-Load services for Red Cross. Selected Globe Business Centers are accepting donations.

MWC is working to restore service in its concession area and estimates that 55,000 households are still without water (equivalent to approximately half a million people). It has fielded water tankers in San Mateo, Rodriguez, Pasig, parts of Taguig, and Marikina.

ALI has opened up relief goods drop areas in the malls and consolidating the goods at Building 6. Packing operations will start tomorrow. Some initial packing and delivery of goods took place Sunday night.

AFI has worked with AC to make a call out to Ayala employees for cash donations (through an AFI) account and for donations in kind via ALI Malls and Globe Business Centers. AFI has also posted online donation buttons on its website and through myAyala is posting donation buttons on other sites. We have also sent out e-blasts to AYLC alumni network and to AF-USA network. We have recruited volunteers from among staff and friends and deployed them to ALI and Globe for packing of relief packs for victims.

We also received a call from Philippine National Red Cross to request use of a chopper to get an aerial view of the affected areas. We’ve coordinated with Ayala Aviation to run that trips.

We’ve also made a request from WWF for a five-day weather forecast which we will circulate to all concerned so we know what’s in store for us.

On a more unusual note, we have an AFI employee who is part of the Philippine Dragonboat team. When I called him Sunday to say boats were needed, he gathered 40 team-mates and arranged for the 4 dragonboats docked at Philippine Navy to be trucked to a spot in Marikina so they could launch the boats and do rescue operations. Today, they have moved those boats to Pasig to continue work. Talk about bayanihan spirit and volunteerism!

2:47 PM We are all calling on all GK HEROES!!!

In response to the massive disaster wrought by Typhoon Ondoy in Metro Manila and other nearby provinces, Gawad Kalinga calls on all the living everyday heroes to take part in bringing concrete hope to the affected families.

The communities need the following :

1. Within the next three to four days (Sept. 28-Oct. 1), ready-to-eat food which do not need to be cooked like boiled eggs, sandwiches, cooked rice, sardines, tuna, meatloaf, bread, margarine, peanut butter. They also need bottled water, everyday clothes (including underwear) for both adults and children. Please send mats for the families to sleep on.

2. By October 2, please prepare food packs of canned goods, rice, instant mami, instant pancit canton, bread and bottled water.

You can bring all goods to Operation GK Walang Iwanan Headquarters at RFM Gym along Pioneer St., Mandaluyong City (contact person : Raul Dizon 0917-888-8109).

You can also deliver straight to our command centers at the following areas :
1. GK Camacho, Marikina (Bodoy 0917-888-8276)
2. GK Tatalon, Quezon City (Bobby 0918-906-9075)
3. GK Brookside, Quezon City (Rabbi 0906-462-7232)
4. GK Sitio Ruby, Quezon City (Benjie 0906-286-4447)
5. GK Sitio Pajo, Quezon City (Mar 0919-208-8784)
6. GK Selecta, Cainta (Dolphy 0928-604-4632)
7. GK Caliuag, Pasig City (Ryan 0922-859-6453)
8. GK Pinagsama, Taguig City (Raul 0919-229-1416)
9. GK PBA, Pateros City (Cesar 0905-235-7929)

For your cash donations, here are the following ways to transmit :

1. Gawad Kalinga Philippine Peso Current Account 3101 0977 56 BPI EDSA Greenhills

2. Gawad Kalinga US$ Savings Account 3104 0162 34 BPI EDSA Greenhills with Swift code : BOPIPHMM

(Should you need receipts, please fax your deposit slip to : Delfin Mangona, Operation GK Walang Iwanan at 632-726-7405. Kindly indicate name of donor and contact number.)

3. For donations outside the Philippines, you can choose from the following :

ANCOP USA
You can send your checks to ANCOP USA, PO Box 10095, Torrance, CA 90505.
Or go to www.ancopusa.org if you prefer to do it online via credit card.

AYALA FOUNDATION USA
You can issue checks payable to Ayala Foundation USA with project noted (Gawad Kalinga Ondoy Relief) and send to :

Ayala Foundation USA
255 Shoreline Drive, Suite 428
Redwood City, CA 94065
Tel. no. 1-650-598-3126
Fax No. 1-650-508-8898
Email info@af-usa.org

or you can donate to Ayala Foundation USA via credit card by visiting http://www.af-usa.org/donate_now_form.asp. In “choosing organization to receive the donation”, please choose “Gawad Kalinga-Community Infrastructure Program” for now. By tomorrow, September 29, Tuesday Philippine Time, you will be able to choose “Gawad Kalinga-Relief”.

DONATE ONLINE AT www.gk1world.com
Visit us at www.gk1world.com and click on “Operation GK Walang Iwanan (Click to Donate)”. This facility can accept donations from all over the world.

Daily updates on the needs of affected communities will be posted on www.gk1world.com so we can respond quickly and appropriately. Thank you for all your prayers and all the effort in doing as much as you can for the people in need.

Let us help rebuild and restore hope. Walang Iwanan!

2:04 PM If you know of overpricing for meds/basic goods call the DTI hotline at 751-3330. Save receipts as evidence. I hope a blogger will set up an entry to catalog prices of basic goods/medicines as reported by people, to help the authorities monitor the situation. Prices are being affected by the devastation, by panic-buying, and even generous people buying in bulk to donate goods for relief.

12:49 PM List of impassable roads as of today. Here’s an Unofficial Database of People Still Missing.

12:37 PM Commission on Higher Education announced classes suspended at all levels, private & public schools until Saturday in NCR, other areas under state of calamity.

11:44 AM The Ondoy Manila disaster map has been massively expanded to include provinces outside Metro Manila. Help out by filling out the Map Update Form (for those maintaining the map, perhaps it’s time to color code past/ongoing events).

So many heroes. So many victims. There is growing awareness of the necessity of knowing which bank accounts, etc. are verified, so that donations aren’t diverted to fraudulent ends. Check the Online Donations Options page for a list of verified bank accounts (domestic and international).

There are Filipinos abroad, in particular, who may not have much cash but are willing to gather relief goods if there’s a way to send the stuff home. Please get in touch with the nearest Philippine embassy or consulate first! There is the unfortunate but distinct possibility relief goods you send home would be intercepted by the Bureau of Customs and either impounded or taxed!

Please review the Philippine National Red Cross’ advisory concerning donations of goods/items for relief:

1. Send a letter of intent to donate to the PNRC
2. A letter of acceptance from PNRC shall be sent back to the donor
3. Immediately after shipping the goods, please send the (a) original Deed of Donation, (b) copy of packing list and (c) original Airway Bill for air shipments or Bill of Lading for sea shipments to The Philippine National Red Cross National Headquarters c/o Secretary General Corazon Alma de Leon, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila 2803, Philippines.

A similar process might be required even if you just want to send relief goods to your neighborhood, home town or province. I understand in some cases embassy/consulate officials have told Filipinos abroad they don’t want the hassle of dealing with relief goods, send money instead. You may want to do that, but also, please consider that it might take too long to send actual relief goods right now, anyway: actual goods required might be for schools, institutions, when the rebuilding begins.

Early this morning news came that the government, through the National Disaster Coordinating Council, has formally asked the internationally community for help, particularly in light of more storms to come. This will allow foreign governments to send assistance, something they couldn’t do without a formal request from the government. You can keep track of news by bookmarking The Philippines Needs Your Help.

You may think the title of that blog is alarmist but it’s true. Cotabato City, Mindanao, has been flooded since June of this year. Emergency funds are running out precisely at a time the government has to earmark funds for Metro Manila relief.

2:20 AM Operation Tulong Bayan is in need of volunteer doctors, nurses, and allied medical practitioners for medical missions to commence this Saturday. They also need free medicines. Please contact Jig Abella at 09202030170, Expo Centro, besides Farmers Market, Araneta Center, Cubao, QC. It’s between MRT Cubao Station and P. Tuazon, along EDSA.

1 AM Here’s a handy map of Metro Manila drop off points for donations. For people with Amazon accounts, here’s an effort to receive at least $500 in pledges by 8:49 AM EST September 30.

9/28/09

11:49 PM As floodwaters drain from the metropolis, news is Bulacan towns are getting flooded from the runoff. Laguna Province remains hard-hit by flooding. Meanwhile, Cebu is gearing up to help out in a big way. Citizens in the Visayas and Mindanao are also engaging in fundraising and gathering relief goods to send to Metro Manila.

As local communities in Metro Manila recover, they’re pitching in to help other areas. See Superbianca for details. I’ve taken the liberty of including information from her blog, below, especially for those in Australia, etc. interested in helping out.

Globe Telecoms has waived the transaction fee for donations via SMS to the Philippine National Red Cross. Philippine Air Lines has committed to transporting relief goods to Manila from other parts of the Philippines free of charge.

1:18 PM Report profiteers! Tonyo Cruz reports Generic Doxycycline 100mg caps for anti-leptospirosis prophylaxis last Friday P2/cap. Today P5-P10/cap at boticas across PGH

1 PM: Aggregated info can be found at http://www.typhoonondoy.org and http://www.ondoyrelief.org

Operation TULONG BAYAN
Priority Message
Monday, 28 September 2009

Heartfelt thanks to those who have so far volunteered their time and muscle! Our work is far from over, we hope you will continue to volunteer in the coming days as most drives like this lose their ‘pull’ quickly. We also profusely thank the individuals and companies that have donated so much to our relief drive and pray that they and many others will continue to keep the donations coming in.

WHERE WE ARE:

CUBAO – Cubao Expo Centro, EDSA corner Gen. MacArthur, Araneta Center (the old Seafood Market)

MAKATI – White Space, Pasong Tamo Extension (close to Cantinetta Resto and BMW showroom)

HOTLINES:

Cubao – 913-7122; 913-6254; 913-3306; 0908-657-9998

Makati – 710-8804; Rosanna 0917-830-5053 HOURS OF OPERATION: 8:00AM – 9:00PM

Daily ANNOUNCEMENTS:

As of Saturday, 26 September, all Piso Piso Para kay Noynoy and Mar donations have been earmarked for Tulong Bayan relief operationsOn Sunday, 27 September, we distributed over 2100 relief packages to three communities within Metro Manila and today, 28 September, are in the process of loading our trucks with over 3000 packs to be distributed to prioritized communities.

We are in need of the following items that can be delivered to Cubao Expo or White Space as soon as possible:

Rice
Sardines in tetra packs
mongo beans
sugar
dried fish
salt
cooking oil in sachets
bottled water
candles
matches
detergent soap
tarpaulin sheets 5-10meters per sheet (for shelter)
used cardboard or cartons (for bedding)
slippers
clothing
blankets

We will be accepting these donations, hopefully in bulk, throughout the week, and thank you in advance. Our brothers and sisters are in desperate need, please help as much as you can!

Those that wish to donate money can please deposit to the following accounts specially earmarked for the victims of Typhoon Ondoy: Payable to CORPORATE NETWORK FOR DISASTER RESPONSE

BDO Galleria Branch, ADB Avenue, Ortigas Center, Savings Account 004640030358

BPI Ayala Paseo Branch, Current Account 0031065402

Once again, thank you for your help, we look forward to seeing you and accepting your donations very soon! Operation Tulong Bayan Volunteers!

12PM Urgent Message concerning more rains. From UP Councilor Bong Ong, here’s the standard relief pack:

In a heavy plastic bag:

2 canned goods(sardines, pork and beans, vienna sausages, etc.)

2 packs instant noodles

1 loaf of bread or 8 packs biscuits

1 liter water

Help the relief operations by prepurchasing/prepacking these packs and donating where needed. Call/contact ORCA which is composed of volunteers who will come and collect your donations. you may want to organize a similar effort within your neighborhood/community.

10AM: Regions III and IV-A are also badly hit from accounts tricking in; relief operations will have to be greatly expanded. The first wave of volunteers and rescue workers are reaching the limits of their endurance and more volunteers and workers will be required. The Red Cross and other aid organizations are asking people to focus on donating relief goods as staffing requirements seem to be well in hand.

Volunteers from around the world are expanding and maintaining, with the support of Google, OndoyManila, consolidating the efforts that began with Ondoy map for Marikina and Rescue Hub Info Central. Please consider lending a hand, specially if you know GoogleMaps, to help expand coverage to other devastated areas of Luzon.

While your memory is still fresh, please make a checklist or put down notes on your experiences getting information, or how rescue and relief reached your area. One big shortcoming of our institutions is the lack of a proper post mortem after emergencies like this one, with an eye to improving things and helping authorities and citizens work together. In particular, there are concerns the many help lines were, in fact, practically useless, and also, that over-reliance on cellphone communications may have hampered things. Either leave a comment here or make a blog post if you can, to help collate information on these and other issues.

9/27/09

2 AM : Updated information by freely borrowing latest update from Bury Me in This Dress.

9/26/09

6 PM : There are also updates at Random Salt and Sour Politics. Also, a list of impassable roads. If you are an IT professional or student, please consider helping with the Sahana FOSS Disaster Management System. The estimate of the authorities as of late afternoon, September 27, is that 25% of the metropolis remains submerged. People are still trapped on the roofs of their houses or in the 2nd or 3rd stories of buildings; there remains a crucial shortage of boats and inflatable craft; donations of bottled water, canned goods, cooking oil, salt, bedding (sheets, blankets, sleeping mats) and clothing are direly needed.

Tags: disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, Philippines, Typhoon Ondoy, volunteerism

The Long View: ‘Bayanihan’

September 28, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Article Archives

How to help

September 26, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose

120 Comments

Note: the server keeps getting overloaded. This entry’s been mirrored in Inquirer Current and in MLQ3 on Tumblr.

I’ve stopped updates here. Please help focus attention and help update List of Places to Donate instead.

More recent Alerts and information here . Follow me on Twitter for more regular updates.

Rescue Operations

National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) (+632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9115061, +632-9122665) Help hotlines: (+65 734-2118, 734-2120) ndcchelpdesk@gmail.com

Philippine Coast Guard (+632-5276136)

Air Force (+63908-1126976, +632-8535023)

Metro Manila Development Authority (136)

Marikina City Rescue (+632-6462436, +632-6462423, +632920-9072902). To check for missing relatives call Marikina City Hall 646-1634 or 646-2360.

Pasig Rescue Emergency Number (+632-6310099); Pasig Mayor Eusebio gave his cel number for urgent messages of help and rescue : 09189275074

Quezon City Rescue (161)

San Juan City Hall Command Post (+632-4681697)

Bureau of Fire Protection Region III (Central Luzon) Hotline: (+63245-9634376)

Senator Dick Gordon (+639178997898, +63938-444BOYS, +632-9342118, +632-4338528)

Senator Manny Villar (+639174226800. +639172414864, +639276751981)

Civil Society/ Media

Philippine National Red Cross (143, +632-5270000)

Philippine National Red Cross Rizal Chapter operations center hotline: (+632-6350922, +632-6347824)

Go to GMA Facebook page & post complete addresses and names of people in need of immediate help.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer is launching a relief drive for the victims of Tropical Storm “Ondoy,” in partnership with the Philippine National Red Cross, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Assisi Foundation and the Sagip Buhay Foundation. Donations in kind, such as instant noodles, canned goods, formula milk, blankets and clothes, are urgently needed.

These may be brought to the Inquirer office at 1098 Chino Roces Ave. corner Mascardo and Yague Streets, Makati City, and to any of its classified ads branches, and to any McDonald’s branch within Metro Manila. For questions and other concerns, please call 8978808 loc. 260 and look for Megi Garcia.

ABS-CBN Typhoon Ondoy Hotline: (+632-4163641)

Jam 88.3: (+632- 6318803) or SMS at JAM (space) 883 (space) your message to 2968

GMA Kapuso Helpline: (+632-9811950-59)

Sahana Disaster Management System needs IT volunteers. http://sahana.kahelos.org. Email sahana@kahelos.org.

Makati Medical Center (MMC), Cardinal Santos Medical Center and PLDT of the Metro Pacific Group of Companies will be conducting a week-long medical mission in areas adversely affected by Typhoon Ondoy.

Makati Medical Center will cover the Cainta/Rizal area, Cardinal Santos Medical Center will handle the Pasig area and PLDT will assist the Marikina area. Doctors and personnel will be deployed to provide consultations and distribute medicines at designated evacuation center in these areas.

MakatiMed’s Health Services Program (HSP) center, located at the ground floor of the hospital, will be open 24/7 this entire week to assist typhoon victims.

To become a volunteer, please submit your name and contact details to Dr. Victor Gisbert at 0917-8922807 or Dr. Johnny Sinon at 0917-5261345.

For donations, in cash or in kind, please send your contributions to Ms. Jocelyn or Ms. Fatima at the Social Services Office, Ground Floor, MakatiMed, Amorsolo St., Makati or call 8888-999 locals 7124 and 7104.

Rubber Boat, 4×4 Trucks, Chopper Requests

NCRPO (+632-8383203, +632-8383354)

Private citizens who would like to lend their motor boats for rescue please call emergency nos: +632-9125668, +632-9111406, +632-9122665, +632-9115061)

You can also text (+632917-4226800 or +632927-6751981) for rescue dump trucks.

For those who are able to lend 4×4 trucks for rescue: Please send truck to Greenhills Shoppng Center Unimart Grocery to await deployment, Tel No. (+632920-9072902).

Petron & San Miguel Corporation are lending choppers for rescue operations, call/text: (+632917-8140655) ask for Lydia Ragasa

Power Supply

Meralco (+63917-5592824, 16211, +63920-9292824) If you want service cut off to your area to prevent fires and electrocution.

Relief Aid and Donations

URGENT:

Donations of heavy duty flashlights needed for rescue operations in Cainta area. Contact Cielo at (+632918-8824356)

Businesses/ Commercial Establishments

Aranaz Stores in Rockwell & Greenbelt is accepting donations of any kind for Payatas communities affected by Ondoy

Aunt Genie’s Breadhouse in Cebu – 1279 Talamban, Cebu City In front of the Talamban Sports Complex – drop off point
Binalot at Greenbelt 1, call Tetchie Bundalian at (+632922-8573277)

Brainbeam Events, Inc. 2/F MB Aguirre Cornerhs Bldg,15 Pres Ave cor Elizalde Sts, BF Homes Pque across the old Caltex in BF. Will accept relief goods.

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf will be accepting canned goods, water, clothes, blankets, towels, medicine, and emergency supplies (no cash) in all our branches on behalf of the victims of Typhoon Ondoy starting today until Friday. Your generosity will be much appreciated during this difficult time for our brothers and sisters in need.

Every Nation, FORT will accept donations for Red Cross esp. purified water, canned goods, and infant formula. Location @ 32nd St cor University Pkwy across Market Market.

Junior Chamber International Manila Baypark Tent, Roxas Blvd. will accept goods starting Monday.

Luca stores (Rockwell, Shang-rila, Eastwood, or GA towers): Send your old clothes & donations (no cash pls).

Manor Superclub, Eastwood City will accept goods and other emergency items starting Sunday at 10 am.

Ministop IBARRA (Espana cor. Blumentritt, Sampaloc Manila) is also accepting relief goods, Food (non-perishable goods only) Clothing, Medicines, Beds, Pillows, Blankets, Emergency Supplies to help Typhoon Ondoy victims.

Moonshine boutique in Rockwell also accepting relief good to help Ondoy victims in Marikina and Cainta.

Myron’s Greenbelt will accept relief goods

Papemelroti stores in 91 Roces Ave. / Ali Mall Cubao / SM City North EDSA / SM Fairview / SM Megamall / Glorietta 3 in Makati / SM Centerpoint / SM Southmall are accepting relief goods (canned goods / milk / bottled water / clothes NO CASH pls.)

PowerPlant Mall accepting donations for ABS-CBN foundation. Dropoff at admin office, P1 level.

R.O.X. Recreational Outdoor eXchange is accepting donation for relief good for Typhoon Ondoy victims. You can bring it in the store located in B1 building Bonifacio High St., Tel. No. (+632-8564638/39)

Shell gas stations – drop off point

Total gas stations- drop off point for relief goods.
Petron – drop off point for relief goods.

Team Manila stores in Trinoma, Mall of Asia, Jupiter Bel-Air and Rockwell shall be accepting relief goods (Canned Goods, Ready-to-drink Milk,Bottled Water and Clothes) for distribution by Veritas.

Whitespace 2314 Chino Roces Ave Ext as a Makati drop-off for relief goods.
Jollibee branches in Metro Manila – drop off point for relief goods.

McDonald’s branches in Metro Manila – drop off point for relief goods.

Government/ Civil Society/ Movements

Operation Tulong Relief Operations: Clare Amador (+639285205508) or Jana Vicente at +639285205499). Drop off for relief donations is at Balay Expo Center across Farmers Market Cubao. e operational again tomorrow, 8:00am, at the following hubs: Cubao – Cubao Expo Centro (the old Seafood Resto), EDSA corner Gen. MacArthur, Araneta Center, QC. Makati – White Space, Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati (near BMW). We urge students to come and help. We need candles, matches, clothes, blankets, salt, cooking oil (in sachets). Please spread! Thanks!

People can now seek financial help and assistance from PAG-IBIG Fund: Call 724-4244.

In Cebu City, PLAN ONDOY now mobilized by the Rotary Clubs in Cebu. Drop off centers in Cebu: Julie’s Bakeshops, Andorra Tiles office.

Victory Fort is opening its doors to those affected by the typhoon. Call 813-FORT.

ABS-CBN through Banco de Oro account number 56300-20111 account name: ABS-CBN Foundation Incorporation
Akbayan’s taking donations, call 433-69-33/433-68-31 to donate or volunteer.

Citizens Disaster Response Center (CDRC): Relief goods for typhoon victims being accepted at 72-A Times St., West Triangle, QC. Tel (+632-9299820/22)

Corporate Network for Disaster Reponse bank account no. 0031 0654 02 BPI Ayala Paseo Branch for cash donations
Sen. Kiko Pangilinan is accepting donations @ AGS Bldg Annex, 446 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo. Contact Vina Vargas at (+632917-8081247)

Kabataan Partylist – Drop off donations or volunteer at 118-B Sct. Rallos QC. 09266677163 or kabataanpartylist@gmail.com

Luzon Relief: Donations can be brought to RENAISSANCE FITNESS CENTER, 2nd Floor, Bramante Building, Renaissance Towers Ortigas, Meralco Avenue, Pasig City starting MONDAY (Sept.28) / 9am 7pm Contact Person: Warren Habaluyas (+632929-8713488) or email at luzonrelief@gmail.com

Miriam Quiambao drop off point: One Orchard Road Building in Eastwood, or message http://www.twitter.com/miriamq for more details.

Move for Chiz is asking for volunteers and donations at Bay Park Tent, along Roxas Blvd., beside Max Restaurant and Diamond Hotel in Manila, or at Gilas Minipark at Unang Hakbang St., Gilas Q.C.

Operation Rainbow (Zac Faelnar Camara) at Ayala Alabang Village needs Canned Goods, Ready-To-Eat Food, Bottled Water, Ready-To-Drink Milk/ Juice, Clothing, Blankets, contact (+632-4687991)

Philippine Army Gym inside Fort Bonifacio or GHQ Gym in Camp Aguinaldo are now distributing donations for Ondoy Victims.

Relief Efforts for Pasig at Valle Verde 1 Village Park, contact (+632916-4945000, +632917-5273616)
Relief Operations Center at AGS Annex, #446 EDSA Guadalupe Viejo after PET Tower contact Ares at 0917.855.4935 or Rachel at 0918.924.1636

Sagip Kapamilya hotlines (+632-4132667, +632-4160387) #13 Examiner St. West Triangle, QC. and Scout Mayoran, cor. Morato, near Alex III.

Tulong Bayan hotlines for donations and volunteers are (+632908-6579998) Marilyn, (+632939-3633436) Jenn (+632-9137122, +632-9136254 & +632-9133306). e operational again tomorrow, 8:00am, at the following hubs: Cubao – Cubao Expo Centro (the old Seafood Resto), EDSA corner Gen. MacArthur, Araneta Center, QC. Makati – White Space, Pasong Tamo Ext., Makati (near BMW). We urge students to come and help. We need candles, matches, clothes, blankets, salt, cooking oil (in sachets). Please spread! Thanks!

TXTPower now accepts donations via SmartMoney 5577514418667103, GCash 09179751092 and Paypal http://is.gd/3GvuN

World Vision partners with Phil Coast Guard and kind individuals for relief distribution to 3k families. Call (+632-3747618 local 242) or text (+632917-8623209) to help.

Worldvision Foundation is also accepting donations/volunteers to pack relief goods in QC. For $-donations, BPI:USDacct #4254-0050-08

Religious/ Schools & Universities

Assumption College San Lorenzo is now accepting donations. Please drop them off at the AC guardhouse.

Ateneo de Manila University is now accepting donations for the victims of Ondoy. Donations can be dropped at MVP Lobby. For those stranded/those who need help: To all students who need help or know of people who need help. Please text the name, location, and contact number to (+6329088877166). ATENEO, which is now an open shelter, accepts refugees. Call (+632917-8952792)

Caritas Manila Office at Jesus St., Pandacan Manila near Nagtahan Bridge (+632-5639298, +632-5639308)
CCF St Francis Mall, Ortigas is now accepting goods for donation.

CFC Center Ortigas is now open for donations in cash or kind. Call (+632-7270682 to 87) or text (+632922-2542819)
De La Salle University-Manila – The Sagip Metro relief operation will start to accept donation for Ondoy victims starting Monday @ 8:30 am. Please bring goods to the South Gate of DLSU-Manila.

De La Salle Zobel will be accepting donations tomorrow at Gym 5 (Near Gate 7 in Molave St.)

DLSU Medical Center will accept canned goods, blankets, clothes, water. Location is at Congressional Avenue, Dasmarinas, Cavite. Telephone lines are at(02) 844-7832 and (046) 416-4531

Hillsborough Village Chapel: Water, blankets, shoes, and clothes may be sent to Hillsborough Village Chapel in Muntinlupa City. These will go to families whose houses were washed out in the nearby sitios.

La Salle Greenhills for Greenhills/Mandaluyong/San Juan Area, if you want to help out with the rescue and relief operations, you can drop off your donations (clothes, food, etc..) at LSGH Gate 2 or volunteer from 9am to receive, sort, repack the donations.

Our Lady of Pentecost Parish (+632-4342397, +632-9290665) per Gabe Mercado, donations are very much welcome. The Parish is located at 12 F. Dela Rosa corner C. Salvador Sts., Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Playschool International in Better Living is open to receive relief goods. Feel free to drop it there for your convenience. No Cash Pls.

Radio Veritas at Veritas Tower West Ave. Cor EDSA (+632-9257931-40)

Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan Task Force Noah, a disaster response arm of the Jesuits, is accepting donations. Please drop it off sa Ateneo Cervini Dorm.

St. James Church Multi-Purpose Hall – Drop off point

St. Pedro Poveda College is now accepting relief goods. call the Social Action Center 6318756 loc. 121

UA&P Please contact Dae Lee [SEB EVP] @ 09178323533 needs donations and volunteers.

UP College of Arts and Letters (CAL) is accepting goods and cash. Donation center at CAL/text 0929-6454102.

UP Diliman USC is collecting food, clothing and/or cash. Contact TITUS 09178001909, JOSE 09273056607 and TIN 09154906106

Katipunan Avenue. Contact Erica Paredes at (+632917-4741930) they need bread, packed juice, sandwich filling (tuna, chicken, anything) You can help her make them, deliver the sandwiches to her house, or help her distribute! Call for more details.
Xavier School in San Juan is now accepting donations, please bring to Multipurpose Center (MPC).

Private Citizens

MAKATI:

5729 Calasanz St., Olympia Makati City or call for pick up at (+632-5017405 or +632-7290530) c/o Omel Santos

SOUTH:

Accepting relief goods in SOUTH AREA. Please contact Anne at (+632915-2854240)

Karen Ang
3 Kagandahan corner Kabutihan Streets, Kawilihan Village, Pasig 0920-9520900 Will forward donated relief goods to Red Cross

PROVINCIAL DONATION/RELIEF CENTERS:

BAGUIO:

- donations can be dropped off at the ABSCBN Baguio Office

- donations are also accepted at the Baguio Convention Center Executive Room from 10am til 4pm starting tomorrow til Friday. Volunteers are urged to come.

- Organizing a soup kitchen. Baguio donating vegetables to arrive via Victory Liner. Contact Dave at 09178396179.

BULACAN:

- Red Cross Bulacan accepts donations. It is located in Malolos Bulacan, near Bulacan capitol

CAGAYAN:

- send your donations to the kkp office in xavier university, ATENEO DE CAGAYAN.

CAVITE:

- DLSU-Dasmarinas is also accepting donations, pls proceed to the 2nd floor of SBC Building

BATANGAS:

- DE LA SALLE LIPA is now accepting your donations, drop off point is at the college lobby.

CEBU:

- details on how you can donate are on noelle’s blog or the living for a cause blog.

BACOLOD:

- For your donations, drop off center is at the Coliseum in the University of St. La Salle. 435-3857

- CAFE BREIZH wil be a drop off center for donations. text 09193651101 for details.

DAVAO:

- ATENEO DE DAVAO is accepting in kind donations for ondoy. drop off at the samahan office in jacinto campus.

- BANTAY BATA 163 davao located at matina,davao city is also a drop off point for any in-kind donations.

ZAMBOANGA:

- ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA is accepting donations. You may bring them to the SACSI office. Look for Alma Curesma, 991-0871, loc 2224 or 2225.

People Tracker (using your phones, get your friends and family to turn on their finderservice for you)

FINDERSERVICE. For Smart, text wis <your name> <your mobile> to 386.
FINDERSERVICE. For Globe, text find <your name> <your mobile> to 7000.
E-Donations

Helping the Red Cross

Red Cross Load Donations: Right now the easiest way to make donations from the seat of your chair is via mobile phone load. The Red Cross Rescue and Relief Operations. Text: RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4483 (Smart)

SMS: text RED to 2899 (Globe) and 4483 (Smart)
G-Cash: text DONATEAMOUNT4-digit M-PINREDCROSS to 2882
TXTPOWER.org: Paypal, Smart Money (5577-5144-1866-7103), G-Cash (0917-9751092) funds collected will be given to the Philippine National Red Cross

Please send cash or check donations to the PNRC National Headquarters in Manila. Checks should be made payable to The Philippine National Red Cross. They can arrange for donation pick-up.

METROBANK Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 151-3-041-63122-8
Dollar Acct.: 151-2-151-00218-2
Type of Acct. : SAVINGS
Swift Code: MBTC PH MM
BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS Port Area Branch
Peso Acct.: 4991-0010-99
Type of Account: CURRENT
BANK OF THE PHIL. ISLANDS UN Branch
Dollar Acct.: 8114-0030-94
Type of Account: SAVINGS
Swift Code: BOPI PH MM

Note: For your donations to be properly acknowledged, please fax the bank transaction slip at nos. +63.2.527.0575 or +63.2.404.0979 with your name, address and contact number.

For Credit Cards: Please fax the following info to +632.404.09.79 and +632.527.0575: Name of card member, billing address, contact nos. (phone & mobile), credit card no., expiration date, CCV2/ CVC2 (last three digits at the back of the credit card), billing address, amount to be donated. For online donations you may also visit our website at www.redcross.org.ph .

Most urgent needs

Food items: Rice, noodles, canned goods, sugar, iodized salt, cooking oil, monggo beans and potable water
Medicines: Paracetamol, antibiotics, analgesic, oral rehydration salts, multivitamins and medications to treat diarrheal diseases

Non-food items: Bath soaps, face towels, shampoo, toothbrush, toothpaste, plastic mats, blankets, mosquito nets, jerry cans, water containers, water purification tablets, plastic sheetings, and Laundry soap

FOR THOSE OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY WHO WANT TO DONATE:

TXTPower.org has set up a paypal account for donations. Your money will be forwarded to Red Cross.
Kapuso Foundation is also accepting credit card donations.
2/F GMA Kapuso Center
Samar St. cor. 11th Jamboree St. Diliman, Quezon City
Call 9827777 loc. 9901/9904/9905.
accepts relief goods and cash

for those in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA:

- You can deliver relief goods to 303/5 Stromboli Strait, Homebush Bay 2127. You can also contact through Twitter at @allorange if you want to arrange for a pick up in the city.

for those in TORONTO, CANADA:

- Pinoys in Toronto are spearheading efforts to help, visit this website for details.

for anyone in the UNITED STATES:

- visit the abs-cbn foundation website for details.

- you can also call 1-800-5272820

In Kind donations

LOCAL:

Please send in-kind local donations to The Philippine National Red Cross National Headquarters in Manila. They could also arrange for donation pick-up.

INTERNATIONAL:

1. Send a letter of intent to donate to the PNRC
2. A letter of acceptance from PNRC shall be sent back to the donor
3. Immediately after shipping the goods, please send the (a) original Deed of Donation, (b) copy of packing list and (c) original Airway Bill for air shipments or Bill of Lading for sea shipments to The Philippine National Red Cross National Headquarters c/o Secretary General Corazon Alma de Leon, Bonifacio Drive, Port Area, Manila 2803, Philippines.

9/26/09

The news is grim. People on their roofs, people losing their homes, loved ones separated, refugees everywhere, the most recent report is 5,000 people stuck in the Trinoma Mall in Quezon City. I have yet to confirm this but have heard this is the worst deluge since 1967; PAGASA reported that in three hours, as much rain as normally falls in two weeks soaked the Metropolis. Reports from the rest of Luzon -with most of Luzon’s provinces, including the National Capital Region placed under a State of Calamity by the President- are only now trickling in. Rescue and relief efforts over the years have gotten increasingly efficient, but this is one of those events that happen so suddenly, no one can possibly prepare for it.

Fellow bloggers may want to help on collating specific types of information they encounter online: appeals for rescue, traffic/flood updates, places to send relief goods, power failures, etc. This allows relief workers and media to focus on who needs help, while avoiding the risk that the ones who get rescued are those whose appeals are reTweeted most often, while others asking for help get overlooked, for example.

You will be a big help by collating information because relief/rescue workers and media can then periodically refer to your blogs to help evaluate what’s going on and what still needs to be done. Numbers are being collated here and in Sour Politics and Random Salt.

At a time like this, there is so much human compassion and so much frustration, too. So even if it’s by means of this small, online way, we can all pitch in.

See entries in Teacher Ria, in dvdtymo, Philippine Technology Blog, etc.

Some photos/videos shared by people online:

( Park 9 Alley, where the Barangay Hall of Loyola Heights is located)

(above: underpass along Ayala Avenue, Makati City)

( Burgos Circle at Fort Bonifacio)

(above: Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City)

(above: Gen. de Jesus St. between Xavier and Jo-Liza, Little Baguio, San Juan City)

(Wilson Street, Greenhills, San Juan City)

(Taft Avenue, Manila)

(Araneta Center, Cubao, Quezon City)

Tags: disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, Philippines, Typhoon Ondoy, volunteerism

The Long View: A peculiar chicken

September 24, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Article Archives

71 Comments

The Long View
A peculiar chicken
By Manuel L. Quezon III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:23:00 09/24/2009

Anding Roces’ famous short story involves his brother’s peculiar chicken, which exhibited every outward sign of being a rooster—until it laid an egg one day. This brings up the question of the President’s peculiar chicken, which her ruling party has been holding up as an example of remarkable political plumage, in the hope that this will dazzle the electorate enough to prevent Gilbert Teodoro Jr. from laying an electoral egg in 2010.

The problem is that the President’s own secretary of foreign affairs announced his intention to back a different bird altogether, so to speak.

Alberto Romulo has told reporters he’s always been for the Aquinos, conveniently forgetting that he has been standing by the President all these years. Which brings up the inconvenient question of why he backed the President when it mattered but won’t back her anointed successor when he has far less to bring to the campaign. Or is that the reason he is suddenly born again as a true believer in the Aquinos?

His son, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo, tried to downplay his father’s announcement by saying he’s going to stand by the President’s Anointed One. But this brings up another inconvenient question: Can the elder Romulo afford to recover his political values at the sunset of his public life while his son puts pragmatism ahead of idealism at the dawn of his political career.

But then that only goes to show the nature of the ruling coalition, and by extension the true color of its candidate. Compared to the sunshiny yellow of the leading candidate, Noynoy Aquino, the administration has dipped its peculiar chicken in olive drab. If, in a sense, Aquino has been wrapped in the flag—the red, white, and blue of honesty, integrity, and good governance with the yellow rays of optimism shining through—the administration has presented itself as a kind of armored fighting vehicle, cocooning its peculiar chicken in the armor of “where is your evidence, bring it to the proper forum,” knowing all the forums are government-controlled.

By all accounts the peculiar chicken of the ruling coalition is a rootin’ tootin’ rooster, ready to crow and anxious to show he has pretty sharp spurs for fighting. But these are spurs earned and honed in an arena where the very things that make the leading candidate formidable—he would not collaborate, he would not consent, he wouldn’t turn a blind eye to the very things that have made the ruling coalition an example of power maintained with an undemocratic contempt for the electorate—have been rendered inconsequential.

The problem is that these things matter; in fact, they have always mattered except that they have been rendered ineffective for a limited time only. And that limited time is just about over, much as the ruling coalition had done its damnedest to postpone or even cancel the day of democratic reckoning. The administration is entering the presidential contest not out of its own free will, but rather, because it ultimately failed to be the master of events. It survived, but it failed to abolish its constitutional expiration date.

Roman Romulo gamely tried to promote the administration’s peculiar chicken by indirectly indicting the ruling coalition. During his period in the defense department, the younger Romulo argued, no scandal involving corruption affected Teodoro.

But this only reinforces the view that when it comes to honesty, integrity, and good governance, the administration doesn’t have a fighting chance. If any other Cabinet member had ventured an opinion similar to Alberto Romulo’s, you wonder if it would have unleashed Lorelei Fajardo. The reason anyone cares about what Romulo said is his unique reputation among the members of the Cabinet. He has remained pretty much a gentleman, his personal honesty and integrity intact, and the most our diplomats can say about the governance of his department is that he is so prudent as to be practically powerless.

So when the elder Romulo says he will return to first principles, it’s the contrast between this elder gentleman showing that even if he strayed away, he isn’t beyond redemption (but only to a point; he could have gone all the way and resigned), and the younger politician trying to prove he’s a trooper when it comes to a despised ruling coalition, that stands out. Which is why Fajardo had to come out and make heavy hints that if the foreign secretary doesn’t pipe down, the President might consider firing him. In the end, this remains the administration’s most effective weapon in tempering the idealism of its officials: Don’t forget on which side your bread is buttered, thank you very much, or do you want to be a true has-been like the Lakas “originals”?

The elder Romulo said he will vote for Noynoy out of loyalty to the Aquinos, which may be an act of personal repentance and restitution but ignores why the Aquinos parted ways with the Romulos: on points of principle. So in the end, the only thing the elder Romulo can do is say that he will go to his precinct and cast his vote for Aquino, while his son will vote for Teodoro, canceling out daddy’s vote while retaining the Romulo political infrastructure in Pasig City as part of the administration machine. Which makes his father’s expression of intent an exercise in political futility.

That is the administration’s game. It has never conceded that it has so decisively lost in the court of public opinion, having determined that so long as it retains control of the instruments of state—the institutions that determine official culpability and accountability—the country can writhe in outrage for all that anyone in the ruling coalition cares.

Their peculiar chicken can crow all he wants, he can strut around proclaiming platforms and political positions all he wants, he can make all the “right” noises because he stands for a coalition that has clung to power and become bloated from doing all the wrong things, without any real consequences for its members.

Tags: Alberto Romulo, Alejandro Roces, Benigno Aquino III, commentary, elections, Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Kampi, Lakas, Philippines, politics, presidency, public opinion, Roman Romulo, society, The Long View

The Long View: A tandem for democracy

September 21, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Article Archives

88 Comments

The Long View
A tandem for democracy
By Manuel L. Quezon III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:06:00 09/21/2009

Manuel Roxas II’s expected acceptance of Benigno Aquino III’s invitation to be his vice presidential candidate makes him the immediate front runner in two races: for veep in 2010 and president in 2016. And it makes the Aquino-Roxas tandem the team to beat. The first test of a potential president’s judgment is the running mate he selects. There is a grim responsibility attached to the vice presidency, given the fact that three of our presidents died in office.

A candidate who selects a running mate with the end-view of enhancing job security because of unease over the thought the latter might end up as his/her constitutional successor or who thinks only of the latter’s vote-getting power—while disregarding how, in every other respect, the choice of running mate will be an administrative and political liability—does not deserve to be president.

For the vice presidency is more than morbidly waiting for the president to die. The vice president helps set the tone of an administration and fosters an approach to governance that thinks not merely of the next election but also of a continuity of policy from one administration to the next. Will the next administration be a collaboration, a partnership for progress, one that builds and nurtures institutions, or one that wrecks them?

Gary Wills, in his book, “The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on Power,” points to the sociologist Max Weber who “distinguished three kinds of authority—traditional, relying on the inertia of sacred custom; legal, based on contractual ties; and charismatic, based on the special gifts of a single ruler. Charismatic leadership is transitory—the ‘grace’ is attached to one person, who must constantly revalidate it in action.… It serves, amid the collapse of order or old ways, to bind together a new effort—the embodiment of a cause in George Washington or Mao Zedong. The founders of states, or of religious orders (a favorite Weber illustration) have to exert personal authority, since they have no preexisting majesty or office or sanction of law to draw upon.”
With our institutions so weakened, so damaged, it will require a team of leaders to reanimate them with the ideals and idealism of the citizenry.

Wills favored the example (from among modern chief executives) of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who used his charisma to establish institutions and then lent his authority to them, so that generations after his administration, the American institutional landscape is still marked by the presence of the positive institutions he set up. He held this up in contrast to the Kennedys, who Wills felt approached every institution as something to be bent to their will; the constant urge to dominate created a brittle legend because instead of investing institutions with their charismatic authority, the Kennedys spent too much time warring with institutions in an effort to defeat them.

What Aquino and Roxas are setting out to do is to channel the goodwill and trust of the public toward a coalition that will revitalize our battered institutions. Roxas is the point man in translating the values he and Aquino and their constituency for change share, on the basis of clearly defined limits to executive and official power, both in terms of law and political principle. And this is where their shared martial law experience is crucial.

Martial law did not begin on Sept. 21, 1972, which was an otherwise normal day in a clearly abnormal time. It was imposed in the early morning hours of Sept. 23, when the military fanned out to shut down the mass media and arrest Marcos’ enemies based on a faked ambush on Juan Ponce Enrile. Marcos, leaving nothing to chance, backdated the legal camouflage for his coup to Sept. 21, for numerological purposes (a multiple of his lucky number, seven) and as a kind of back-handed tribute to Jose P. Laurel’s imposition of martial law on the same date in 1944.

The only connection Sept. 21 has to martial law was in Marcos’ mind. To perpetuate it as the anniversary is to perpetuate his crafty legal arguments for a naked power grab. But it is an anniversary of an altogether different kind: it was the last day when the country could still claim the protection of the Bill of Rights, the “most precious legacy of the founding fathers,” as Ninoy Aquino wrote.

To do away with the Bill of Rights, Marcos had to threaten the Supreme Court with the possible proclamation of a revolutionary government; he had to padlock Congress, in particular, the Senate; he had to muzzle the media, imprison journalists, educators, Constitutional Convention delegates, politicians, Maoists and reformers. He maintained his power by bribery and corruption. The elder Gerry Roxas and Ninoy Aquino would not collaborate, would never surrender; and while neither lived to see the Bill of Rights restored, Cory presided over the restoration of those rights and it is to deepen those rights—to make freedom tangible—that Noynoy and Mar have dedicated themselves.

The Great Recollection inspired the Great Awakening in August and now the task before the electorate is the formation of a Great Constituency: one that is prepared to contest not just the presidency and the vice presidency, but the Senate and more.

Since 2005, I’ve been arguing that national redemption is required, both from leaders and the led; if a restored civic sense is what’s required of the citizenry, then a rededication to the principle that there are limits no one in power ought to cross is necessary, too. Redemption is and should be available to everyone, but on the basis of the secular principles of self-control on the part of officials, a universal adherence to peaceful change (which requires an accompanying dedication to improving matters, sometimes by small steps but also by daring to do so by leaps and bounds), and a fundamental respect for the intelligence and sound values of the public.

Tags: Benigno Aquino III, democracy, elections, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Gary Wills, George Washington, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, John F. Kennedy, Jose P. Laurel, Liberal Party, LP, Manuel Roxas II, Mao Zedong, Max Weber, Philippines, politics, presidency, public opinion, society, The Long View, vice-presidency

The Anointed Ones

September 20, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose

42 Comments

The President and the former Senate President both had the same problem: much as they tried to entice the Vice-President to join them for the 2010 campaign, he turned both down. In Nobody Loves Me, Manuel Buencamino says the President was scorned once, but Villar’s been scorned twice: his efforts to entice both Senator Chiz Escudero and the Vice-President being rebuffed. Only then did Villar make noises about Senator Pia Cayetano being his (third) choice for Veep. Yesterday, there was talk that Wowowee host Willie Revillame would announce his entry in politics as Villar’s Veep, but it seems more likely that Revillame might instead head the Nacionalista senate slate.

The President did better in terms of having on hand what’s been widely-discussed as her personal choice as her successor, her Defense Secretary, Gilbert Teodoro Jr. (the choice of the President’s husband supposedly being the Vice-President). She did better because her defense secretary is a closer approximation of what she has put forward as her advantages as a chief executive: hard-working, highly educated, a reliable coalition player. His list of priorities and to-dos is in harmony with the existing administration agenda (more or less). And he isn’t shy about it.

And he’s been moderately successful in inspiring the faithful to work to ensure that the good times keep rolling on.

You’ll see that there was a bump (above, in blue) in the Defense Secretary’s being in the limelight when the Frankenstein coalition declared it intended to make him their official standard-bearer. the problem is whether that bump can be sustained; there seems to be the belief that simply because he’s been anointed by the President’s people, Teodoro’s campaign will not only take off like a rocket, but that it makes him, almost immediately, a candidate on par with, say, Aquino, or Villar or Escudero.

Today’s Inquirer editorial, The company he keeps, points out that much as Teodoro puts a refined face on the Frankenstein coalition, no one has any illusions as to what the coalition consists of, what it’s done, and what it will do if it stays in power. Which may account for the bump being much smaller than one might expect if Teodoro were to be weighed on his own merits. But the reality is his merits aside, the very viability of his campaign, such as it is, rests entirely on the very same ruling coalition that shares the President’s present lack of palatability to the public.

A friend did a similar search (annotated with red arrows, below) that suggests the endorsement of the party elders was a much-needed boost. All along, he’d lacked exposure even abroad (hence “gilbert teodoro soes not have enough search volume for ranking”), which had basically paid attention to Estrada and Aquino in the news.

Another search by my friend (below) shows how humdrum the campaign was until the entry of Aquino; and how the trajectory of Aquino (blue) suddenly puts what had seemed to be the gaining momentum of an Estrada comeback (in green) in stark comparison. If every candidate registers a momentary, steep, ascent upon announcing his candidacy, then Aquino’s set the threshold, which Teodoro’s obviously failed to seriously rival; put another way, Villar (red) and even Estrada (green), should they formally announce, are already at rates that could potentially mark Teodoro’s peak; they would pull away from Teodoro at his best and potentially intercept Aquino.

My own search is below.

The chart above suggests that the past year saw the Villar campaign (orange), well-oiled, chugging along; his closest rival being Chiz Escudero (green). Just when Villar was breaking away, Aquino (red) entered the fray; so almost immediately, just as Villar became the front-runner, he was displaced by Aquino, who took off like a rocket. But even then, Villar remains the leading contender to Aquino.

Contending for front-runner status, then, are Aquino and Villar; contending for rival to them, in turn, in Escudero. With the Vice-President apparently dropping out of the race, it will be interesting to see how his followers redistribute themselves among the other contenders.

However, Teodoro simply isn’t a real contender at this point, and it would be surprising to see him become a serious contender anytime soon. Anytime ever.

Then again, this has surely been plotted out and projected by the Palace. They know they will never have a frontrunner or even a truly viable contender. What they do have, is someone who acts as a consolation to the faithful, keeping them from getting too depressed. It also takes Teodoro out of action precisely when the more thuggish side of the administration will be required, going into 2010.

Teodoro is useful in simply taking the front-runner, Aquino, down a notch or two; by putting forward their non-candidate candidate, the administration simply fosters the (wrong) perception that somehow, their candidate’s on par with Aquino; it diminishes, in turn, Villar and Escudero.

Then again if you want to be pragmatic about it, it’s also like the story of the tar baby.

Teodoro is the tar baby; if Aquino, like Brer Rabbit, makes the mistake of engaging Teodoro as if he’s a serious candidate, it bogs down Aquino in a fight along the irrelevant lines the Palace wants (“qualifications and experience” the same argument Marcos used against Cory; when the reason that Teodoro is below ground level in terms of public perception is that his qualifications and experience, such as they are, have been put at the service of the President and her Frankenstein coalition, which makes them as appealing as qualifications and experience doing book-keeping or money laundering for The Mob). Bogged down wrestling the tar baby, Aquino would then be fair game for Villar or Escudero to jump on his back -the real fight.

Which, to the truly pragmatically inclined, might suggest either or both are the actual Anointed Ones of the President, not Teodoro. The clue to see which might be the True Anointed is to see who, explicitly or implictly, gets the support of this man:

The one on the left, Ramon Ang of San Miguel, for example. The man in the middle, Eduardo Cojuangco, Jr. collects the dividends but no longer does the grunt work; the lady on the right, the President, presides over a coalition notorious for getting candidates to run, only to leave them in the lurch, without machinery or funding, once they’ve committed (ask Cesar Montano and Manny Pacquiao, both of whom were popular to start with).It’s interesting that the end days of her administration are focused on closing truly big deals (with San Miguel, for example).

A candidate like Teodoro, who starts off not even within striking distance of the leading candidates, is someone no administration will back up fully with its resources. Those resources would be better used to reclaim the Senate, for example, or maintain its existing bailiwicks on the local level. The only use Teodoro serves is a political tar baby.

But the Frankenstein coalition includes its group of business backers; and it will be interesting to see on whom they’ll be placing their bets. If they spread out their funding, that means the administration coalition’s history; if they continue to bet big, it will be in expectation of maintaining or even expanding, the benefits they’ve received from the President and her people. To see who they back, is to see the administration’s true Anointed One(s).

Tags: Benigno Aquino III, corruption, Francis Escudero, Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Kampi, Lakas-CMD, Manuel Villar Jr., Philippines, politics, presidency, public opinion

The Long View: The patriot

September 17, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Article Archives

18 Comments

The Long View
The patriot
By Manuel L. Quezon III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:27:00 09/17/2009

Just as former Senate President Pro Tempore Sotero H. Laurel’s life spanned 90 years, so did the participation of the Laurels in our nation’s political life span about 90 years: from the time Sotero Laurel y Remoquillo joined the Revolution and became undersecretary of the interior and then delegate to the Malolos Congress to his grandson and namesake Sotero H. Laurel’s service in the Senate—the last of his family to be elected to national office. In a sense, Senator Laurel completed the work his grandfather had begun in the First Republic, and that his father exemplified as one of the few statesmen to distinguish himself in all three branches of our government from the Jones Law era to the Third Republic—a secular, independent, and democratic republic.

There are virtues in public life so increasingly rare they are considered old-fashioned, archaic, obsolete, irrelevant. Yet they are virtues that are in truth timeless. Caught by the outbreak of the war in the United States, Sotero Laurel became the secretary of Vice President Sergio Osmeña in the wartime government-in-exile. As his father increasingly played a prominent role in the government established back home by the Japanese, Laurel did the honorable thing: on Sept. 27, he offered his resignation to President Manuel L. Quezon.

His resignation was declined on two grounds: first, the real question, as Quezon wrote to Laurel on Sept. 30, 1943 was whether Laurel remained firm in his allegiance to the Commonwealth; and second, Quezon did not believe Laurel’s father was a traitor. “I believe,” his letter to Sotero Laurel went, “he is doing what he honestly believes is in the best interest of the Filipino people for the time being, and not because he has become a tool of the Japanese.”

Sotero Laurel had had to scratch out a living as a taxi driver although he could have clung to the security of a government job. The lesson here is that regimes may come and go, but a public servant will not serve if his integrity is in doubt.

Sotero Laurel had studied in the United States, but like his father, he maintained a clear bias, always, for his country. When he cast his vote against a 10-year extension to the RP-US Bases Treaty, he not only helped make history, he rectified it. By achieving what, for some, marked the true Independence Day of our nation, he helped close at long last the era of a permanent foreign military presence in our country.

It was because of the intrusion of foreign powers that we will never know what could have been in terms of our First Republic. It was because of the collision of foreign powers that what would have otherwise been a firm, stable foundation for the independence his father helped negotiate was shattered because of World War II. It was because of foreign powers that democracy gave way to dictatorship and lasted as long as it did.

Sotero Laurel therefore cast a positive vote for national sovereignty, for the same reasons his ancestors had pursued independence in war and peace: sink or swim, the country had to pursue its own destiny. For the same reason, he adhered to that other defining cause of his ancestors: a nation that would be secular in orientation.

As reported by the Manila Standard on June 8, 1989, as senator, Laurel opposed a bill by Sen. Edgardo Angara, which proposed a government subsidy for private educational institutions. The Lyceum of the Philippines would have been among the beneficiaries of the bill. Laurel pointed out that the bill would cover religious schools and violate a constitutional prohibition on granting direct or indirect subsidies to sectarian or religious organizations, including schools. He brought up the point that a subsidy would be like using public money to purchase religious textbooks and would thus violate the separation of church and state.

Angara pointed to a Supreme Court decision penned by Laurel’s father (Aglipay vs. Ruiz) which argued that if the benefit to a religious group was only incidental to the primary objectives of government, there was nothing unconstitutional about it. Laurel replied, in turn, that his father had been writing about the government issuing a postage stamp to commemorate a Catholic event and was definitely not even a grant of public funds or state property to a particular sect. Laurel voted against the bill.

He was not volcanic like his brother the speaker Jose, or garrulous like his other brother, the vice president Salvador, or a diplomat, banker, or sportsman like his other siblings. He exemplified the contributions a scholar can make to our political life: not only that there is a place in electoral politics for the scholarly-inclined, but how his knowledge informed public debate, as well as providing the bedrock of principles that made it essentially effortless for him to avoid conflicts of interest and make his contributions part of a piece: the adding-on to the campaign for independence that never truly ends, but which can be helped along, or hindered, by each generation as it enters public life in turn.

Jovito Salonga, his law partner, and Isagani Cruz, his lifelong friend, will surely speak of the deep respect and affection they felt for Sotero H. Laurel. Theirs were ties that transcended political affiliations, bound by a common love for country, books, and the law.

For those not of their generation, the deep respect and admiration for Laurel must necessarily come from a distance. But it is there, and ultimately serves to keep the bar of expectations for public service, particularly in deliberative bodies like the House of Representatives and the Senate, high, as it should always be.

His true monument is the most fitting kind: a library named after him in the Lyceum, to which he devoted so many productive years of an honest, patriotic life.

Tags: Edgardo Angara, government, Isagani Cruz, Jose P. Laurel, Jovito Salonga, Manuel L. Quezon, Philippines, politics, secularism, senate, Sergio OsmeÃ±a, Sotero Laurel

Thirty-three percent

September 15, 2009 by mlq3
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(Above: a lovely photo from Jordan Concepts & Entertainment)

Last night I substituted for Ricky Carandang on his show The Big Picture, and the guest was Prospero Pichay who’d recently been in the news after expressing skepticism over Noynoy Aquino’s candidacy. His current position in the Local Water Utilities Administration has a fixed term, if I heard him correctly he still has three years to go in a five-year term, so he has security of tenure and will be around in government regardless of the outcome of the 2010 elections. He obviously relishes the role of being an agent provocateur.

Pichay had some interesting things to say about the ruling coalition, its possible candidates, their survey ratings, and how they can translate their machinery into votes. Both on and off camera, he was consistent in saying that while the door remained open for the Vice-President, the real choice for the ruling coalition had narrowed down to two individuals: Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando. He was more cagey about revealing his real feelings, if any, over widespread expectations that when the coalition’s directorate meets tomorrow, their choice will be Teodoro, long mentioned as the President’s personal preference as official standard-bearer. Today’s news all point to Teodoro being the choice of the coalition pooh-bahs and the president’s kith and kin.

Ricky Carandang in his blog goes as far as saying the Vice-President has turned down overtures from the ruling coalition; it may be, the way Pichay dodged the question last night, that not everyone in the ruling coalition felt they should have kept the door open for the Veep for so long, particularly since he has studiously kept a standoffish position vis-a-vis their overtures. At least Teodoro proved himself a team player and signed on to the ruling coalition to make himself available for the party nomination.

In that sense the green tarpaulin with the “Once and for all let us choose” slogan on it was a pointed barb against the factions angling for an accomodation with the Veep. While he served a purpose both in 2004 (removing a strong rival from contesting the presidency by convincing him to sign up with the President’s campaign), and since 2005 (in a sense, the Constitutional succession option was closed, because for far too many in the public, a de Castro presidency was a frightening possibility), the same reasons that made him politically useful in the past don’t necessarily make him politically desirable looking ahead to 2010.

Carandang also suggests the zeitgeist being what it is -so many in so many camps wanting a change from the controversial record of the present dispensation- the team player with the best chance to bat for the team is the Secretary of National Defense:

Teodoro has the one thing that no one else in PaLaKa can claim: despite being part of the Regime, he has never been accused of corruption. In other words, one of the most potent allegations against the Regime–its insatiable corruption–cannot be thrown personally at their candidate. Yes, one can say that he turned a blind eye, but its not the same as saying that he personally is corrupt. Its a distinction that will be enough for many undecided voters.

Carandang also mentions that the ruling coalition’s machinery -”the backing of local political kingpins from Abra to Maguindanao”- is nothing to sneeze at. Which brings me back to Pichay.

On one hand, I didn’t understand his claim that Teodoro was well-situated, because of his job, to gain credibility and exposure. The Defense department is as good a stepping-stone as any for the presidency; but his actual performance in that office aside, its vast opportunities for exposure and building good will -chiefly in terms of the Secretary of National Defense being the ex-officio Chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council- hasn’t translated into awareness or public support. He remains in the cellar, surveys-wise. It could mean, as Pichay suggested, that the public simply isn’t aware of what Teodoro has done; but it can also mean whether or not he’s done any good, he’s not getting any credit for it because he’s doing so by serving in the current administration.

Anyway, Pichay says with enough money and an effective message, anything is possible, including a rapid and sustained rise in Teodoro’s numbers once he is anointed administration standard-bearer tomorrow. This is a way of telegraphing the built-in advantages of the ruling coalition: funds. Sources range from the formal to the informal, take your pick. the message might, indeed, be a comforting one for the coalition -”more of the same, but better”.

Pichay also emphasized the administration’s advantage in command votes. He was unwilling to concede that overall, the administration experienced a debacle, nationally, in 2007; though he does concede too much of their time and resources was wasted by inter-faction squabbling on the local level during that campaign. He does seem confident they have ironed out those kinks and can present a united front going into 2010.

What I found most interesting was his assertion that the administration has a solid 33% constituency, nationwide. The problem was, he said, was that constituency was sliced and diced in the senatorial polls, but that it will hold and deliver for a candidate for the presidency. With less than 1% in the surveys, this means Pichay expects Teodoro to rise 333% in the coming months, which will be a phenomenal achievement.

To be sure, the Veep sidelining himself from the process, and possibly sliding down to contest the Vice-Presidency yet again or simply opting out of the race altogether, will mean a further realignment and a change in numbers for everyone, as the Veep’s constituency hunts around for someone else to support.

Whatever the case, Pichay’s declaration that they have a 33% chunk of the electorate in their pocket, telegraphs the objectives of the campaign. Carandang thinks it will be a four-way fight: Aquino-Estrada-Teodoro-Villar. Or, to put it in Carandang’s precise terms, these are “the four viable candidates.”

Carandang counts Escudero out this early because he thinks he’ll be forced to drop out for lack of funding. In an earlier entry, this is how Carandang explains it, based on the recent, limited, survey privately commissioned from the SWS:

To me this survey suggests that Aquino is taking votes away from all candidates, even those who are not necessarily hostile to the Arroyo regime. I expected Aquino, Escudero, and Estrada to divide the “opposition” vote, which was why Liberal Party leaders were worried that Estrada’s insistence that he run was meant as a spolier, to keep the vote divided and improve thew chances of the Administration candidate. But apparently neither Estrada nor Escudero have the numbers to be a threat.

What’s more surprising though is the steep and sudden drop in De Castro’s numbers. His relatively high numbers in the past suggested to me that De Castro was not being tainted by his association with the Regime while at the same time, he seemed to be acceptable to Gloria loyalists. Inexplicably, Aquino seems to be drawing support from even from supporters of the Regime.

If these numbers are sustained, you can logically expect Escudero to come to some kind of accomodation with Aquino, while Villar may start exploring a possible collaboration or alliance with the Regime, which seems to have written De Castro off and settled on Gilbert Teodoro.

It all depends of course if the numbers hold and even improve. Escudero has half a month or so before he has to make up his mind about the presidency or the vice-presidency.

My personal hunch is that if Carandang’s observations hold, then the political math, administration-speaking, is clear: Estrada would subtract from Aquino, while keeping open the door for a Teodoro-Villar alignment, whether formally (publicly) or informally (privately). Villar for one could maintain a nominal independence while the machinery of the ruling coalition could merrily subtract votes from everybody else even if it can’t make a difference for Teodoro, but might put Villar over the top.

This assumes, of course, that from a Palace and ruling coalition point of view, they have less to fear from Villar (whose statements against Aquino have been tempered by his withholding fire from the President) while Villar himself faces the prospects of competing with Estrada for the same constituency.

What’s even more uninteresting is why the ruling coalition felt it had to decide, now, on who their official candidate should be: it suggests things are less solid, or more brittle, than people like Pichay express in public.

Postscript, September 18:

I forgot to add another interesting thing Pichay said during the interview. He mentioned that if Teodoro was selected as the party bet, then he could then be asked to resign from the Cabinet to focus, as Pichay put it, on the campaign and getting his message across to the voters.

This would provide an opportunity for the President to put someone reliable in place who wouldn’t have scruples about maneuvering the armed forces to act in a partisan manner in the 2010 polls. Say, former AFP Chief of Staff Hermogenes Esperon, Jr.

November 30, the official filing of candidacies, or even February 2010, the actual official start of the campaign, would be good dates for this. Teodoro would evade accusations of using the Defense portfolio to help his campaign; but it would allow Camp Aguinaldo to help in the same manner it did in 2004.

Tags: Benigno Aquino III, elections, Francis Escudero, Gilbert Teodoro Jr., Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Kampi, Lakas-CMD, Manuel Villar Jr., party machinery, Philippines, politics, presidency, Prospero Pichay, public opinion, Ricky Carandang

The Long View: The possibility of a majority

September 14, 2009 by mlq3
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The Long View
The possibility of a majority

By Manuel L. Quezon III
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:15:00 09/14/2009

One defect of the present Constitution is that by abolishing the two-party system, it inadvertently deprived the country of something it has taken for granted about the presidency: that whoever wins it begins the term with a true majority vote. The best that we’ve been able to manage (in 1998 with Joseph Estrada) was a presidency that began with over 60 percent of the electorate having voted for somebody other than the winner.

Charles de Gaulle in his time, seeing a virtually ungovernable France, imposed a Constitution that established a strong presidency, which the French were inclined to favor and which fostered a multi-party system up to a point; but he also armed the presidency with the means to exercise its authority with an unquestionable majority mandate. He did this by putting in place run-off elections.

The Indonesians, as I’ve pointed out several times in the past, in the period when they were figuring out the post-Suharto government they’d have, looked to the Philippines for lessons on mistakes to avoid, and put in place a run-off election to do pretty much the same thing De Gaulle wanted. Many candidates could run; but if necessary, the top two would face off again, to ensure Indonesia would always have a president with a true majority mandate.

Writing for another paper, in 1992 and in 1998, I said there was something self-destructive about the coalition that had toppled Marcos: it perpetually failed to reunite and coalesce in the face of the dangers (narrowly-avoided) of a resurgence of the old KBL machine and its leaders and partners and other forces with no love for the, in many ways, bold experiments in democratic reform put in place under the present Constitution.

If Eduardo Cojuangco Jr. and Imelda Marcos had combined forces in 1992, there would have been a Loyalist restoration just eight years after the Edsa people power revolution. A similar coalition actually gained power in 1998 and the Edsa coalition, as it turned out, could only muster the numbers to react to events, not mold them.

Since the rules haven’t changed, the 2010 election runs the risk of producing another president who could start his/her term without a majority mandate. Until recently, this wasn’t just another possibility, it was a distinct probability. But the entry of Benigno Aquino III into the fray has changed that: a few weeks ago I pointed out that in 2006, Cory Aquino had quietly told some people that she felt someone had to die, for the country to be jolted out of the cynicism that had come to pervade the public’s attitude to their leaders, institutions and democracy.

She couldn’t have known at the time that that death would be hers; and as chronicled in this space and by others, it was the Great Remembering that took place as she fell ill and after her death which resulted in a Great Awakening, leaving the political experts astounded, and the political pros scrambling to make sense of a situation in which the citizenry was inspired to abandon their former passivity, and reclaim their preeminent role in the process.

Used to the politics of guns, goons and gold, and ads (the latter saturated all kinds of mass media while sidestepping the need for debate or for issues- or platform-based campaigning), the experts had counted on a relatively unengaged electorate that was profoundly cynical. In such a situation, machinery would count for everything. This, whether you’re talking about the entrenched Frankenstein coalition of the administration (with its access to the public purse and the armories of the military and police), or about those who believed they had command votes in certain sectors or private pockets so deep they could purchase political support and logistics.

The Aquino candidacy threatens an insurgency against this approach to electoral victory. The corresponding pressure for candidates outside the meager ranks of the Frankenstein coalition points to how there is a kind of public yearning for the pros to get their act together, literally, and coalesce so as to provide no excuse for the administration—or candidates who operate on similar lines of thinking—to maneuver a victory by massaging the results, which would be easier to do the more presidential candidates throw their hats in the ring.

But there is a corresponding danger to this: even as it becomes possible, once more, to have a presidency with a true majority mandate (something we last saw under normal circumstances in 1969 and 1986), there is the undemocratic temptation to hector and bully specific candidates to drop their bids. It is crucial at this point, to emphasize that the right of candidates to run for the presidency can and will be respected. No one should dictate terms to others.

The dividing line is not 2001, it is 2005. The unifying factors are a presidential candidate who already has integrity and honesty, and who is pledged to an administration marked by transparency and accountability.

But to put the cart before the horse—to begin by being hostile to particular candidates, for no other reason than past grudges within the ranks of the opposition, when the only grudge that should count is against the administration and its unrepentant collaborators for so gravely damaging our institutions—only serves the interests of the political camps that want to keep the 2010 elections to the low level they were before Aquino’s entry into the fray: a battle of machines and not people.

Unity can be fostered if this fundamental democratic right is recognized and respected. Unity is possible on the basis of a common platform and a guiding set of political principles that can unite candidates with volunteers, leaders with followers, according to common goals. In this sense, policies will and should trump personalities.

Tags: Benigno Aquino III, Charles de Gaulle, Cory Aquino, elections, Philippines, politics, presidency, public opinion, run-off elections, The Long View

Comparative records

September 12, 2009 by mlq3
Filed under Daily Dose

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The present Constitution imposes only three requirements to be elected President of the Philippines:

1. One must be 40 years of age on the day of election;

2. One must be a natural-born Filipino citizen;

3. One must be able to read and write.

Presidential Bio Data

I’ve put together a comparative chart of presidents elected to office, so that readers can take a look at past presidential biodatas, for the purpose of evaluating those seeking the presidency in 2010. Lists like these, however, can’t reflect the changing attitudes and preferences of voters as to what they consider essential requirements for the presidency.

For example, there are basically two eras: 1935 to 1969 (the last pre-martial law presidential election) and post-1986 to the present. In the first era, Ramon Magsaysay, the lone non-lawyer prior to 1969, would be in many ways the major exception to the expectation of a long, sustained, record of public service beginning in local, then provincial, and legislative and executive positions. But in many ways he was the harbinger of our modern, post-party machine politics, and so ties in to the post-1986 trend Marcos helped launch by means of institutionalizing mistrust of lawyer-presidents.

Of the twelve presidents elected in national elections, the following observations can be made.

Education: seven were lawyers (all of whom were top ten in the Bar exams); two had degrees in economics; two had doctorates; only one didn’t finish college.

Pre-profession: Aside from their main professions, six had other professions/occupations, including two poets.

Military: Five achieved officer rank in the military.

Judicial: none served in the judiciary.

Legislative: three served as municipal councilors; eight have served in the lower house, with four serving as committee chairmen, and two of them as Speaker of the House; eight have been senators, and three have been Senate President, and two, Senate President Pro Tempore.

Executive: One has served as mayor; five have been provincial governors (including Magsaysay’s serving as Military Governor of Zambales); nine have held presidential or executive appointments in the bureaucracy or civil service; in addition, seven have held cabinet portfolios, with two each holding the National Defense and Foreign Affairs portfolios. Six have been elected Vice-President, four have succeeded to the presidency from that position (three by virtue of the death of the president, one by authority of the Supreme Court).

Tags: Carlos P. Garcia, Diosdado Macapagal, Elpidio Quirino, facts, Ferdinand E. Marcos, Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Joseph Ejercito Estrada, Manuel L. Quezon, Manuel Roxas, Philippines, politics, presidency, Sergio OsmeÃ±a