4Ws & 1H in Tarlac City Brgys

DATA BANK : A WORK IN PROGRESS.

A journalist would ask the following questions:
(1) Who?
...is the current Barangay Captain?
...are the current Barangay Councilors?
...did they support in the last election (Mayor, VMayor and councilors)?
...are the past Barangay Captains who still have influence?
...are the biggest family members (with influence and w/o influence)?

(2) What?
...is the source of livelihood of majority of the populace?
...are the commercial establishments in the area with a capitalization of P1M and up?
...are their current projects?
...is the Brgy's mission? Vision?
...is the total population count?
...is the total voting population?
...is the voter's turn out in the last election?

(3) When?
...was the last barangay elections?
...

(4) Where?
...is the barangay located? Point of reference is City Hall. (Identify distance in kilometers and average travel time).
...are the chapels located?

(5) How?
...do we get from the city Hall to the Barangay Hall. (Use mapquest approach).
...

Brgys in Tarlac:
1- Aguso
2- Alvindia Segundo
3- Amucao
4- Armenia
5- Asturias
6- Atioc
7- Balanti (loc of maternal grandparents farm)
8- Balete
9- Balibago I
10- Balibago II
11- Balingcanaway
12- Banaba
13- Bantog
14- Baras-baras (in laws live here)
15- Batang-batang
16- Binauganan
17- Bora
18- Buenavista
19- Buhilit
20- Burot
21- Calingcuan
22- Capehan
23- Carangian
24- Care (in laws live here)
25- Central
26- Culipat
27- Cut-cut I
28- Cut-cut II
29- Dalayap
30- Dela Paz
31- Dolores
32- Laoang
33- Ligtasan (loc of maternal grandparent's house, in laws live here)
34- Lourdes
35- Mabini (loc of paternal grandparent's house)
36- Maligaya
37- Maliwalo
38- Mapalacsiao
39- Mapalad
40- Matadero
41- Matatalaib
42- Paraiso
43- Poblacion
44- Salapungan
45- San Carlos
46- San Francisco
47- San Isidro
48- San Jose
49- San Jose de Urquico
50- San Juan de Mata
51- San Luis
52- San Manuel
53- San Miguel
54- San Nicolas
55- San Pablo
56- San Pascual
57- San Rafael (loc of my parent's house)
58- San Roque
59- San Sebastian (loc of my parent-in-law's house)
60- San Vicente
61- Santa Cruz
62- Santa Maria
63- Santo Cristo
64- Santo Domingo
65- Santo Nino
66- Sapang Maragul
67- Sapang Tagalog
68- Sepung Calzada
69- Sinait
70- Suizo
71- Tariji (relatives live here)
72- Tibag
73- Tibagan
74- Trinidad
75- Ungot
76- Villa Bacolor
Total of 76.

Who's my Papi?

(1) de Castro, Noli
(2) Escudero, Chiz
(3) Fernando, Bayani
(4) Legarda, Loren
(5) Madrigal, Jamby
(6) Padaca, Grace
(7) Panlilio, Ed
(8) Roxas, Mar
(9) Teodoro, Gilbert
(10) Velarde, Mike
(11) Villar, Manny
(12) Villavueva, Eddie

No, this is not a list of candidates who plan to run for senator in 2010 but a list of incumbent senators, evangelists, governors and government officials who have expressed intentions of replacing GMA. I'm sure each one of them is qualified and winnable based on their perspective and what their supporters say.

Survey says! In a recent presidential survey, leading the race is Villar with 29%, De Castro with 21% and Roxas with 18%. Villar is currently a Philippine Senator, an ex-house speaker, ex-senate president and the owner of Vista Land Company h(developer of Camella Homes). De Castro is a broadcaster, former senator and the current Vice President of the country. Roxas, who is set to walk down the aisle with broadcaster Korina Sanchez late this year, is a 3 term congressman, a former DTI secretary and currently a senator.

With eight months to go before the 2010 elections and two months before the deadline of the filing of candidacy, it is getting pretty exciting as it is a wide open race with the advantage going to the well prepared, individually and organizationally. One thing is for sure, in this lifetime, not all of them will become the Philippine's Papi!

Balik sa Inyo

TY Cory
Originally uploaded by dylac

Kami po ang dapat magpasalamat sa pamilya ninyo sa pagbahagi sa aming mamamayang Pilipino sa Ina ng Demokrasya na si Ginang Cory Aquino.

GMAs Burj Al Arab adventure

Hear ye! Hear ye! Our President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is staying in Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai. She's in Dubai to say HI to our OFWs.

GMA TRIP
GMA is in Dubai for a business trip. Officially, she's looking for investors and unofficially she just wants to know how our bagong bayani (OFWs) are doing. She's also there to grace the launching of LandBank's remit business in which SMT is a critical partner.

BURJ AL ARAB
Burj Al Arab hotel is in Jumeirah beach, Dubai. It stands on an artificial island in the eastern part of the city. It is a world famed 7 star hotel which is ranked 10th most expensive in the world. It is considered the world’s tallest hotel at 1,053 feet. Their flagship royal suite cost $28,000 a night. I hope that already includes breakfast else that would be a rip off!

Report says she flew there from Switzerland with a battalion of cabinet members, lawmakers and local government officials in tow. My estimate is that if she has a party of 20 people, easily she'll be spending P10 million at the hotel. At P10 million, I guess that qualifies as the most expensive HI.

A Vote Wasted

Picture Story:

Pix taken outside our condo unit's window facing south east. The subject is ABS-CBN's helicopter hovering about 700 feet on top the Manila Peninsula Hotel and covering the November 29 seige. The hotel is less than a kilometer from our place.

Shot Specs:

Shutter: 1/1250

Aperture: F5.6

Focal Length: 200mm

ISO: 400

If you are a Manila Peninsula patron, you have an axe to grind with honorable Senator Antonio Trillanes IV. It is because of him that a tank found his way inside the lobby of your fave hotel.

It started one rainy morning last November 29. A court hearing was in session in the Makati Regional Trial Court when the rebels just decided to walk out and walk to Manila Pen. With a platoon of about 30+ soldiers, they took over the hotel. The grapevine says the grand plan was to seize the hotel and last until the following day in time for a series of pocket rallies conducted by militant groups across the metropolis scheduled on November 30 Bonifacio day. To borrow the line of Cinderella's maid of honor "It simply isn't done."

Fast forward to 500pm, just minutes before day break, the government troops stormed the five star hotel along Ayala Ave via the front door using a tank and made mince meat of the entrance. Next step was to smoke the bandits with tear gas. That seem to be the perfect formula to extricate the rebels from the temporary lair. It was all over by 800pm with the government winning this battle again. This 10 hour siege maybe an entry in the record books as the fastest coup de etat resolved.

Senator Trillanes must have swept his own feet off the ground. He banked on the thought that over 11 million voted for him to a senate seat in last May's polls. He may not have realized that he was no sweet talker nor a charismatic leader reason why his lines sounded more like a plead for support from a college student who recently got a ‘C’ in communication. I voted for him last election, the first guy in the list. Like half of the populace, I’m starting to think that I made the wrong move. I hope the honorable Senator proves me wrong.

Deal with the Devil

Erap is a free man! The unlucky 13th President of the Philippines who was caught with his hands inside a cookie jar was arrested 6 ½ years ago for plunder. Just last month, the verdict was released and the court found him guilty beyond reasonable doubt and sentenced to reclusion perpetua.

His get out of jail pass was through an executive clemency granted by the “lucky-for-now” 14th President of the Philippines. The news cites Erap’s current age, health and her mother’s condition as reasons for granting pardon. The historic act was announced yesterday by Malacanan and implemented today.

The red carpet was rolled out today for Erap in his hometown in San Juan. In his obvious impromptu speech, he thanked President GMA for the action and not allowing him to live in the Southern part of Muntinlupa City (site of the New Bilibid Prison). The audience did not actually receive the statement warmly but that is the least of his worries.

The past 2 months seem to be a movie segment which was very predictable. Probability was high that Erap will be found guilty. It was the best decision given the circumstance. Besides, GMA can always grant an executive clemency. Which she did. It was a win-win situation for both parties with the biggest winner being the current administration.

The Crossover Story

Presidentiable Senator Manny Villar is keeping his Senate President post in the 14th congress. This came after crossing over for the Nth time from the opposition to the administration just less than 3 month after the May midterm election.

I've seen Senator Villar twice already. The first was in Tarlac City when he inaugurated his now defunct Capitol Bank. He was a congressman of Las Pinas then. The second time was in Baguio City while we were on vacation. We were in Mile High inside Camp John Hay and along came Senator Villar.

In 2001, then House Speaker Villar ran for the senate under the administration ticket. In between ‘01 to ‘07, he became Senate President, had a falling off with GMA for her stance in the con con, ran for senator under the opposition wing and now he's back in GMA's arms. This just goes to show that some politicians will go through all means to push their 'hidden' agenda. And for Mr. Sipag at Tiyaga, this equates to mastering the crossover move.

History Repeats itself…on another generation

By the looks of it, history will repeat itself for the Pimentels however this time on another generation. The 12th senatorial slot is about to be filled up and the announcement is expected to come out in a few days. In a sudden twist of faith, 3 termer Bukidnon Representative Migz Zubiri (Team Unity) is leading the race in a photo finish fashion. As of yesterday, he leads senatoriable Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III (United Opposition) with only 18,372 votes. Quite a slim margin indeed and makes you wonder if operation dagdag bawas was in effect.

In election Y1995, Aquilino “Nene” Pimentel Jr. ran for a senate seat but lost or rather was cheated (source: wikipedia). He elevated the concern to Supreme Court and was awarded victory in Y2004. That’s a full nine years after the election and the funny thing is, he was a sitting senator since he ran in the Y1998 election and won a 6 year mandate. This gives you an idea about the pace of the justice system is in our beloved country.

While the nation awaits Senator Zubiri’s proclamation, it may be short lived because if a protest is filed in the Senate Electoral Tribunal, the numbers in the senate are opposition friendly and they can easily unseat Zubiri and install the younger Pimentel. While it may take some time but definitely not nine years!

Race for Space in 2010

Countdown 3 years to go before our second lady president in Phil history GMA steps down and turns over the reigns to the 15th prexy of the republic. This early, there are a handful of presidentiables jockeying for the position. Some are qualified and some may even win out of sheer popularity even if they are not qualified. Let's review them:

Loren Legarda - The newly proclaimed senator who topped the race is back with a vengeance. In 2004, after failing to get the endorsement of GMA to be her running mate and eventually allying with the late FPJ, she bitterly lost the VP race to fellow broadcaster Noli De Castro.

Mar Roxas - Mr Palengke's term as senator ends in 2010. He topped the senatorial race in 2004. I reckon he is one of the senators with a high degree of initiative and competence. That he belongs to the Araneta clan just proves how deep his pocket is. Will Korina Sanchez be eventually the first lady?

VP Noli de Castro - The housing czar didn't need to cheat in 2004 to beat Loren, she should accept this fact. Noli is just way too popular for her. Kabayan's popularity is just a few shades below Erap’s albeit his competence is better than the deposed president. I reckon he will be GMA's anointed one in 2010.

Jinggoy Estrada - I like the car that he drives, a cool Chrysler PT Cruiser. That's about it. If I were to be objective about it, he is a good candidate having served as mayor of San Juan for 3 terms and currently a senator. However, he is Erap's offspring so we can't be too sure if he will be "clean." Then again, is there really such a thing as a clean politician?

Ping Lacson – “Si Ping, ang kinabukasan.” This no non sense senator who recently won a fresh mandate has his eyes set on the presidency. He had a failed attempt in 2004 to snatch the presidency from GMA. He would have been a good president or could be, potentially the likes of Lee Kwan Yew.

The race has started and we'll know in 3 years who will be the victor. We should watch every wannabees action since this will tell if they are actually doing what they pledged to do in their current functions or just showing off in preparation for 2010.

Recto bids goodbye to his presidential dream

Officially an ex-senator, Ralph G. Recto threw in the towel yesterday (June 4) during an upper house privilege speech. When he was a newbie senator, he expressed interest of eventually running for the highest position in the land. He wanted to surpass his grandfather Claro M. Recto’s achievement who served as a senator from the 30s through the 50s. Obviously, his Lolo didn't become president.

Co-Recto's downfall seem to be the e-vat. He was coerced by Malacanan to pass the controversial law which sparked radical street protests and that probably sealed his defeat. For co-Recto, who has 16 years of legislative experience under his belt, his contributions in congress was eclipsed by the debilitating four letter called e-vat and was a victim of right minus wrong. Obviously, he has to bid goodbye to his Y2010 dream to become the Philippine president.

Top Ten information that you need to win in a local election

The election fever Y2007 is about to die down. While most of the uncontested local positions have been proclaimed already, the national election remains untouched. The next major election is in May Y2010. Do you want to run for mayor in your town? You'll probably need an army of supporters, dozens of consultants, about P30 million bucks and you may find these information helpful:

1. Electoral Process: The first thing you need to know is how the entire thing works, officially. What’s the end to end process from step 1 which is the filing of candidacy until the last step being your first day in office.
2. Comelec Org: What does the Commission on Elections table of organization look like (from the highest national chairman to the lowest ranking election officers tasked to man the precincts)? It’s a must that you know their names and their profiles. This will give you a leverage on how to communicate with these characters. Hello Garci?
3. Voter’s Demographics: You’ll need the number of voters per barangay; a list of voter’s would surely be a big help and the history of the voter’s turn out.
4. Town Profile: You’ll need at least the ff: Population, Headcount per family, the family names of the “big” families, Per Capita Income and Source of Income (livelihood). If you can cull the data on a barangay level, that would be a big plus.
5. And the Winner is: You’ll need the profiles of winning candidates. Do the constituents vote for first time mayors? Returning mayors? His father is a mayor? Wife of a mayor? A vice mayor nearing its expiry date? Ex-Congressman? Ex Governor? Just like playing baccarat, it would help if you study the trend.
6. Survey Says: Questions like “Who will they vote for Mayor?” “What are the traits that they look for in a Mayor” “What are the top problems of your community?” can be best captured by a survey. You’ll need this to draft your platform, assess your chances of winning and give you an idea how much money that you have to spend.
7. Barangay Captain who? : This is probably the most important requirement in any election bid. I’d say 25% of your chance rests on your level of affiliation with the Brgy. Captain. In fact, they can easily provide the information required from numbers 1 to 6.
8. Media Outlets: If you advertise it, they will come (meaning the votes). Know the list of radio and TV stations, local and regional newspapers. This would be a good time to meet new (journalist) friends, not fiend. In this new media revolution, a website is a must. Check out this URL in year 2025: http://www.dylac4mayor.com/.
9. Local and National Organizations, official and unofficial: Yes, you will definitely need divine intervention. Aside from priests who maintain a direct line to the One, there are evangelists like Erano Manalo of Iglesia Ni Cristo, Bro. Mike Velarde of El Shaddai, Bro. Eddie Villanueva of Jesus is Lord, et al. who delivers bloc votes, almost solid. It would be wise to affiliate with organizations like Jaycees, Rota Club, Lions Clubs and any local official clubs you can find. The unofficially clubs would also boost your candidacy. You may want to try Lad Lad. No pun intended.
10. Top Election Concerns – The last thing you need to know albeit one of the more important requirements is the top election concerns. Specifically, know how cheating is done and either ride with the wave (if you can stomach it), go around the system or grab the bull by the horn. A seasoned politician like Peping Cojuangco chose the latter when he ran for Tarlac governor in the recent election and miserably lost to a green horned son-of-the-gov Vic Yap.

Now if these info does not help you get the coveted seat, it only means one thing - you were cheated. Nobody loses in a Philippine election but it’s a clear signal that says ”ENJOY YOUR PRIVATE LIFE!

Blessing in the GenSan Sky

Our pambansang kamao, Emmanuel “Pacman” Pacquiao, all pumped up at 5’7” and 130 lbs. of raw power got knocked out in the early rounds by a petite dusky female looker named Darlene Magnolia Antonino.

Incumbent South Cotabato Congresswoman Darlene Antonino – Custodio is well on her way to her third term after flooring congressman wannabee Pacman. A fellow La Sallite, she belongs to a family of politicians – her grandfather was a former senator, father was an ex-mayor and ex-congressman and her mother served in congress as well. At 33 years old and with already a 6 year experience in congress, she is the one of the youngest representatives if not the youngest in the history of the lower house.

Internet gossip says that Pacman spent P100 million pesos in his failed attempt to snatch the title from Representative Custodio. In a recent interview, he said it would require him at least three months to recover the energy that he squandered while campaigning (although only one fight to recover the money he wasted).

His next fight is with WBC super featherweight title-holder Juan Manuel Marquez in October this year. The people from South Cotabato can now breathe a sigh of relief because their two gems are not squared with each other and instead each doing what they do best – Darlene in the lower house and Manny in the boxing ring.

Rebel Yell

Two rebels are poised to win the mid-term senatorial election, if all goes out well for them and their lawyers do their jobs. Ex-Colonel Gregorio “Gringo” Honasan who led a number of coup attempts in almost all the post martial law regime and Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV who led the Magdalo group in the infamous Oakwood mutiny is part of the magic twelve as of this writing.

Ex-senator Gringo Honasan is a veteran lawmaker, coup maker and ultimate escape artist except the last time wasn't as successful. I was able to see him up close and even shook his hand in Tarlac City when he first ran for a senate seat. He arrived in style as he was chauffeured in white Bell helicopter. He was a political neophyte then with full of idealism and Don Bosco alum reason why I voted for him that time.

Navy Lieutenant Senior Grade Antonio Trillanes IV was first in my list of senators. I only voted 11 legit senators and 1 kicker that was singer Victor Wood. With a little over 10% of precincts processed, he is in the 11th spot. In Philippine election history, the 11th and 12th spot is the best candidate for dagdag bawas. The subtle harassment that he has been getting from the government seems to work in his favor brought about by public sympathy. His one liner during a televised forum was a talk of the town. He was asked if he would apologize to the government for leading the mutiny and his reply was simply NO. This is one astig na mambabatas.

The fact that all quick counts shows that 8 genuine opposition, 2 independents and only 2 team unity senatoriables are leading the race suggests a rebellion against the present administration. If you can't beat them (via a coup attempt), join them (as the only government body in the Philippines that wants GMA ousted).

3Ps: Popularity, Power or Pera in Pampanga

Pampanga’s political landscape this mid term election is at its best. The hotly or holy contested gubernatorial post is a battle among a lahar quarry lord, a gambling lord and a man of the Lord. Twenty four hours after the May 14 election, Father Ed Panlilio is lording it over his main rivals Board Member Lilia Pineda and incumbent Governor Mark Lapid with 20000 plus votes compared to the two “government officials” with 8000 plus a piece. The profiles of the 3 candidates can be analogous to the blog’s title: Popularity, Power and Pera.

The Pera: My aim is to be worth P200M by the time I reach 65 years old. That way, I can put our money low risk time deposit and just LOI or Live On Interest. Board Member Lilia Pineda may be worth at least 10 times that amount. I won’t be surprised if the figure is 100 times or P20B and that’s no exaggeration. BM Pineda is married to suspected gambling lord Bong Pineda who owns a fortress of a house in Lubao, Pampanga (the hometown of GMA) and is suspected to have financed the candidacy of my fellow Kapampangan GMA. Incidentally, I voted for her last election.

The Power: A political dynasty is in the works in the province of Pampanga. Now Senator Lito Lapid, occupied the post for 3 terms before passing the torch to his son Mark Lapid. I reckon he is the youngest Gov of the province at age 25 years old. Prior to holding the highest position in Pampanga, he was a Barangay Captain who easily got a seat in the Provincial Board for being the province’s ABC President, which was largely due to his father’s influence.

The Popularity: Among Ed Panlilio, the parish priest of Minalin, Pampanga was in the right place in the right time. Or was it a calling? How many active parish priest do you know decides at a moment’s notice to throw their hat in the dirty world of politics. I’m sure this was not how he dreamed his life to be. Amongst the 3 candidates, it’s pretty obvious Among Ed has the least resources and influence. Much if not all his resources are from contributions. If I was still a Pampanga resident (lived in Pampanga from Y1999 to Y2004), I’d definitely chip in. The only mortal power that he has is the power of prayers. The fact is Kapampangan’s want real change and they felt that a man of God is the best alternative.

Would YOU go for Pera, Popularity or Power? For the other two candidates, aside from Pera and Power, because of their action, they are already assured of a seat in another “P” that is Purgatory. Actually, Among Ed won (rather, is winning unless he gets cheated) because of a “4th P” and that is Prayer.

Is he for real?

This is the third time I heard Commission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos being interviewed over the phone in the past two weeks. Now that "election fever" is up, he is considered to be THE MAN. In his interview today over DZMM, my favorite AM station, he said that he threatened to sue for libel a newspaper journalist for writing maliciously that “Comelec requested to print 49 million ballots when there are only 45 million voters.” The article seems to imply that the 4 million “buffer” ballot will be used for election fraud. Though I haven't read the newspaper today, the fact that the good chairman was bothered by the article and wanted to clear his name through legal or amicable means says well of his intentions.

In one of the interviews last week, he talked about wanting to leave a legacy. This coming mid term election is his last election and he wants to change the public's view about Philippine election. Election in Pinas is viewed to dirty both literally and figuratively. On the literal side, during the campaign period, election paraphernalia abound. I'd love to own a printing press before every election because I'd sure make a handsome profit. During election day, sample ballots practically changes the landscape in the polling venues. On the figurative-side, election is characterized by massive vote buying (before, during and after the election) and dagdag bawas or vote adding - shaving. That’s why nobody loses in a Pinoy election because everybody claims to be cheated.

Chairman Abalos was a 3 term Mayor of Mandaluyong City. He ran for Congressman but lost or rather, was cheated. He has the experience and the competence to put his planned legacy in action. Madali lang ang maglinis, Mister Chairman, hanapin mo lang ang madumi. The best cleaning agent…political will.

Run Rudy Run!

Ex-New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani declared recently his intention to run for US President. One of his closest rival is New York Senator and ex-First Lady Hillary Clinton. This is part two of the Guiliani - Clinton showdown because in Y2000, they almost squared off for the NY senate seat. Giuliani backed out for health reasons.

I read his Leadership by Giuliani book and learned a handful. He concocted a management strategy called T.E.A.M.S. or Total Efficiency Accountability Management System. In simple lingo, it encourages his department heads to look into the affairs of other departments and not limit himself to intra department business. For example, the Department of Education head shouldn't have qualms about giving his thoughts to the Department of Motor Vehicles. It's like an inter department affair whose vision is the betterment of the city. It sounds simple however teamwork is something that's difficult to achieve especially in a political environment.

We have 3 things in common or at least I'm forcing that we have these in common; we both have health problems (or at least used to), he's a lawyer by profession while I wanted to become one when I was younger and he became a NYC mayor (on his second attempt) while I want to become one in the distant future.

If given a chance, I'd vote for him. I believe in him, his capabilities and that he can deliver. However, I don't think he stands a chance against Clinton. It's a timing issue. Clinton is at the peak of her political career. She’s on a roll and it seems like she’s doing everything right. Y2001 was the height of Guiliani's popularity thanks in part to 9/11 which boosted him to worldwide fame and in the processed earned him TIME’s Person of the Year in 2001. If only his health conspired.