by ROSEMARIE FRANCISCO and MANNY MOGATO, Reuters | 01/21/2009 7:04 PM A former investment banker-turned-politician and one of Manila's most eligible bachelors has set his eyes on the Philippines' presidency, attempting to follow in the footsteps of his namesake grandfather in the 2010 elections. But Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II says he is aware that political and social pedigree will not be enough to propel him to the country's highest office. Opinion polls show him somewhere in the middle of a pack of about half a dozen potential presidents. "This is not going to be a walk in the park," the 51-year-old, Wharton-educated economist told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. "Nobody is going to hand it to you. You'll have to go out and communicate with the people our vision and our desire and commitment to be able to make changes happen." Although elections are about 16 months away, many politicians in the Philippines are readying their campaig...

Anybody who dares to throw mud at the grand old man of Philippine politics, the brilliant Senator Jovito Salonga, will surely get it from his millions of supporters. Especially if the mud-thrower is the supremely bad actress with the name of Merceditas Gutierrez who, single-handedly, has destroyed the good name and reputation of the Ombudsman. In these perilous times, read Shakespeare and the Greek plays and learn what the gods do to those whose leaders who have reached the autumns of their reign. And why am I spreading the word about the Liberal Party? Because I signed up as a Liberal Party last March 2, 2009, and has sworn to help it in the campaign for the 2010 elections. And am I now an official candidate of the LP for its 2010 senatorial slate? Let LP announce it, during an appropriate time, and I am sure in a great grand ceremony. The LP needs all the young blood it could get to infuse it with dynamism, energy and wit. *** The Liberal Party refutes the charges of the ...

I first met Francis Magalona in 1995, when Director Marilou Diaz-Abaya put him, me, and broadcaster Karen Davila in the TV show of Randy David (Public Life). We were billed as "the young opinion makers." I just smiled at the title of the hour-long segment, which dealt with nationalism, the young (which, we noticed in 1995, was so addicted to sending pager messages) and what the future held. I liked the show because we weren't so dead serious on so somber and heavy a topic. Francis M. sang "Mga Kababayan Ko," I told jokes about my students, while Karen analyzed the life of a young, female broadcaster as role model. A year later, I was a judge in the Super Sireyna finals of Eat Bulaga. It was the national gay beauty contest. The whole country would stop on its tracks, turn on their TV sets, and watch the gay men like so many shining, shimmering stars sashay on the stage. I was a judge along with Boy Abunda and Melanie Marquez, who arrived late. Before show time, w...

BY Emil Jurado Manila Standard Today March 4, 2009 *** I said this last year. Go back and check my earlier blog entries. I said Estrada would run, and if the Supreme Court would allow him to run, he would win by a landslide. The man still retains a following of at least 30% of the voters, who mostly belong to the DE bracket. But since I am very sure the Supreme Court would block him, then the presidential race would be a tight, three-way race among Chiz Escudero, Mar Roxas and Manny Villar. And where would Loren Legarda be? Am not sure, unless she cobbles together the requisite P20 billion -- yes, P20 billion -- needed for a presidential campaign. And where would Noli de Castro be? He would run as the VP of Manny Villar. The presidential race is a race of billionaires -- or those who are supported by billionaires. If you run for president, you need to have a complete slate to be seen as a serious contender. That means a slate for senatorial candidates as well as candidates for congress...

And so my phones began to ring in earnest yesterday, as they have done so in the last two weeks, when political operators and campaign teams would call me and ask if they could make appointments with me. I did set one appointment, with one major political party that belongs to the Opposition, and they have included my name in the pool of senatorial candidates that their Executive Committee has to vet as its official 12 candidates for senator. Official announcements will be made later this month, and a formal oath-taking will follow. And so, the candidate that Comelec did not want to run in 2007, who was called a nuisance candidate, now belongs to a political party that will slug it out block by block, town by town, city by city, province by province, and region by region, in the great, grand battle of the May 2010 elections. Let the games begin. *** By Kristine L. Alave Philippine Daily Inquirer First Posted 15:45:00 03/03/2009 (UPDATE) The Commission on Election is eyeing to move the ...

This news is ok, except that we are still called "third sex" here. Wyy, straight men are first, while straight women are second? Hellowwww. *** www.abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/04/2009 11:07 AM Gay men can go to war with brave Filipino soldiers, a military spokesman said as he announced Wednesday that members of the third sex can apply for enlistment in the Philippine Army. "We welcome them. We welcome everybody. We don't discriminate [gay] people here," Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Army spokesman, told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda." Brawner said as long as an applicant is physically, emotionally and mentally fit, the Army would be proud to enlist them, including gay people. "They are allowed [and] of course they will have the same assignments. They can also go to war," the Army spokesman added. Brawner clarified that the Army or any other units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines does not discriminate gay people, including bisexu...

Gay men can enter the Army -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- abs-cbnNEWS.com | 03/04/2009 11:07 AM Printer-friendly version | Send to friend Gay men can go to war with brave Filipino soldiers, a military spokesman said as he announced Wednesday that members of the third sex can apply for enlistment in the Philippine Army. "We welcome them. We welcome everybody. We don't discriminate [gay] people here," Lt. Col. Romeo Brawner Jr., Army spokesman, told ABS-CBN's morning show, "Umagang Kay Ganda." Brawner said as long as an applicant is physically, emotionally and mentally fit, the Army would be proud to enlist them, including gay people. "They are allowed [and] of course they will have the same assignments. They can also go to war," the Army spokesman added. Brawner clarified that the Army or any other units of the Armed Forces of the Philippines does not discriminate gay people, including bisexual men. ...