Piercing Pens

In a resolution promulgated today, the Supreme Court granted Sen. Franklin Drilon’s petition to prevent the Comelec from implementing its resolution ordering a new election of Liberal Party officers.

The high court said Drilon has until November 30, 2007 to serve his term as LP president under Daza-Drilon constitution, which replaced the Liberal Party’s Salonga constitution. (Source: GMANews.tv report)

Manila Mayor Lito Atienza, head of the Atienza faction referred to by critics as Lakas Pala, said his camp will file a motion for reconsideration.

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Results of a Social Weather Stations national survey in February 2007 revealed that 86% of registered voters said they would surely vote. In 2004, 94% said they would surely vote. (more…)

Some Findings from Pulse Asia’s April 2007 Nationwide Survey on Filipinos’ Party-List Preferences

• Around one out of every two Filipino registered voters (53%) has heard or read something about the party-list system at one time or another.
• If the May 2007 elections were held today, ten of the 93 party-list groups vying for congressional seats would have a statistical chance of sending at least one of their nominees (out of a maximum of three) to the House of Representatives.
• Three representatives:
  - Bayan Muna with an overall voter preference of 13.7%
  - Anak Pawis (9.4%).
  - Gabriela Women’s Party (6.0%)

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We’re starting a “Pierce the Candidates” series to help our readers get to know our senatorial candidates better. Each posting will be updated as we gather new information about a particular candidate. For our first piercing, we’d like to start with administration bet Prospero “Butch” A. Pichay, Jr.

Pichay was born on June 20, 1950 in Cantilan, Surigao del Sur. He has a son named Carlo, who is proud of his father.

Pichay, a Commerce graduate of De la Salle University, has been the representative of the first district of Surigao del Sur since 1998. Before entering the Congress he was a businessman. He was the owner of Carlo Commercial Printing and Carlo Publishing, which reportedly published the tabloid Remate. (more…)

From Prof. Danilo Arao of the UP College of Mass Communication via Bryanton Post:

This press statement released on March 20 (Tuesday) was signed by 18 faculty members of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) led by Dean
Elena Pernia. For verification, please call the UP CMC Department of Journalism at 920-6852.

The undersigned faculty members of the University of the Philippines College of Mass Communication (UP CMC) condemn in the strongest possible terms the filing of multiple murder charges against Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo which resulted in his arrest and detention last March 16.

That the charges were filed during the election season is already questionable, especially since
Ocampo’s Bayan Muna Partylist group is running for representation in the House of Representatives and has been repeatedly accused by the powers-that-be as a communist front. The situation is preposterous as the crimes he allegedly committed happened more than
two decades ago while he was in detention. (more…)