The Senate Electoral Tribunal (SET) ruled that Pimentel won over Juan Miguel Zubiri, who resigned as senator last week, with a margin of 258166 votes.

“The tribunal’s decision promulgated today declares that Aquilino Pimentel III as the duly elected 12th senator in the 2007 national and local elections… The decision is immediately executory,” SET secretary said in a press release.

In 2007, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) declared Zubiri as the winning senator with 11,005,866 votes while Pimentel was 13th with 10,987,347 votes.

Pimentel said that he will be taking his oath in Davao where he got huge number of votes. He only have a year and 10 months or until 2013 to serve as senator.

During the senate blue ribbon committee hearing, Senator Lacson spilled that the PCSO gave 2million pesos to Gawin Natin Lakas Pinoy  in 2003.

The less than a year old Gawin Natin Lakas Pinoy foundation was behind the ” run, Gloria run” posters, posted in many parts of the country.

While holding up a copy of the poster, Lacson told the committee that the 2 million was given to the group but what happened was it was not used for the charity but for posters.

Lacson also told the committee that the man behind the funding was Raul Nestor Ancheta, Uriarte’s Cheif of staff and one of the incorporators  of the foundation.

“Don’t you have due diligence to know if this money went to charity? No matter how I look at it, it wasn’t used for charitable purposes,” Lacson said.

however Uriarte denied having any transaction with the NGO (Gawin Natin Lakas Pinoy)

She also said that she could not remember giving out money for other organization the only thing that she remember is the funding of medical missions and charity.

Lacson asked them why funds requested from the PCSO for the purchase of ambulance in 2003 and was also used for the motorcade and PCSO even provided a medical team for the event.

However Uriarte denied knowing anything about the event. but she said that it was common for them to provide medical teams for such event.

Intelligence Funds

Earlier Uriarte revealed that she requested personally for the intelligence funds from then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who approved the request immediately.

However the Senators, doubted the amount of P325 million pesos in the intelligence funds requested and approved by Mrs. Arroyo,  from 2008 to 2010. They also specifically found suspicious the PCSO’s request of P160 million in funds before the 2004 elections.

During the hearing, it was also revealed that Uriarte encashed P102.5 million in PCSO funds from January to June 2010, also within the election period. She refused to tell where the funds went.

Graft and plunder cases against Mrs. Arroyo and Uriarte was filed last week by  Bayan Muna party-list Representatives Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares for allegedly diverting PCSO funds to “phantom” intelligence funds not subject to regular auditing.

“We are getting ready to govern, so why would I not utilize the talents of Senator Roxas?” he added.

Incoming president Noynoy Aquino tapped Mar Roxas to take charge of the presidential transition coordination team to ensure a smooth transition of power on June 30.

Aquino also included former Trade Secretary Cesar Purisima, Executive Secretary-designate Paquito Ochoa Jr., Liberal Party campaign manager Florencio Abad, and his daughter Julia Abad as part of the five-man transition team.

It is not impossible, or likely it is more accepted that Lakas Kampi CMD standard bearer Gibo Teodoro leads the pack in surveys. Not just plain polls, but precise and reliable ones.

Among the factions who have finally revealed the truth is the Campaigns and Image Group or CIG. Results in their well-organized survey shows that Gibo is on top of all presidential bets. CIG also exposed that Teodoro is the chosen candidate of various religious groups.

According to CIG managing director Abbey Canturias, talk is that Teodoro is the known candidate for president of gigantic religious flock such as the Iglesia ni Cristo and the Philippine Benevolent Missionaries Association.

Gibo Teodoro evidently rose up to the top in its latest poll survey results from April 19 to 23, catching up with Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party, based on the overall age bracket of 18 and increasing groups indicating an approximate 51 million. The former chief of National Defense achieved 25 percent against the 23 percent gained by Manny Villar. The Liberal Party presidential bet, Sen. Noynoy Aquino, was third with 17 percent. The undecided is 21 percent though.

Moreover, the survey showed that among the young voters who root for him in 26 cities and 72 provinces, Gibo is strong in governance capability rating, particularly in leadership capability (15%), management experience (15%), integrity (10%), platform of government (10%) and transparency (10%) or a total of 50%.

Teodoro’s strength is among the 18 to 28 years old bracket demonstrating 25 million with about 33 percent supporting the former defense secretary, the CIG findings said.

Lanao Representative Abdullah Dimaporo presented a clear rationalization at a news conference in Tubod, Lanao del Norte last Thursday.

A “more reliable” survey than those of the Social Weather Stations and Pulse Asia shows Gilbert Teodoro’s rating escalating to 20 percent as the elections draws nearer, Dimaporo noted.

Dimaporo stated that in the survey carried out by the Department of the Interior and Local Governments, Teodoro had an matching score with Nacionalista Party candidate Manny Villar. On the other hand, he did not say when the survey was conducted.

“Teodoro’s rating has increased to 20 percent and Senator Benigno Aquino III’s rating sunk,” Dimaporo said, without supplying any figure for the Liberal Party standard bearer Noynoy Aquino.

He said this was the major reason Lakas officials were certain that Teodoro would win the elections.

“It is a more reliable survey than those conducted by private companies,” Dimaporo said.

He indicated that the DILG has offices all over the country and the result of its survey was more reflective of voters’ responses.

Dimaporo said that this was unlike the scope of Pulse Asia and SWS surveys, which were restricted to Metro Manila only. Dimaporo also stressed out that the DILG survey was accomplished to represent the choice of voters.

“The survey of both Pulse Asia and SWS are more about trending to make it appear that Teodoro is behind. This would convince voters to vote for candidates with higher rating,” Dimaporo said.

According to the leader of the Kilusan ng mga Aktwal na Naninirahan sa Estado ng Payatas (Kanepa), Daisy Bardoquillo and spokesperson of the newly-formed Green Army Brigades, the outcome of mock elections they have been conducting since March among informal settlers in Metro Manila, were in complete disparity to the survey results being released by the Social Weather Station (SWS) and the Pulse Asia.

“Our own surveys had Teodoro winning popular support among the urban poor. In six big events attended by leaders of urban poor groups held in March and early April, a total of 963 joined the mock polls conducted after the meetings,” Bardoquillo said. Joven Pajora, president of the Parola Binondo Coalition.

Likewise, according to GAB, Gibo was the top pick for President with 464 respondents voting for him.

He was trailed by Estrada who got 306 votes, Liberal Party presidential bet Sen. Benigno Aquino III placed third with 127 while Sen. Manuel Villar attained 33 votes. Evangelist Eddie Villanueva had 17 votes; Nicanor Perlas, seven; Sen. Richard Gordon, six and JC de los Reyes, five. Sen. Jamby Madrigal received only a single vote. On the other hand, Pajora said 56 were still undecided.

Bardoquillo and Pajora jointly said that the mock polls were carried out in urban poor districts in Baseco and Smokey Mountain, Manila; Sucat, Parañaque; Tonsuya, Malabon; Golden Ville Tower, San Jose del Monte, Navotas, Caloocan City and Pasay City.

Both said their group have decided to back Teodoro’s presidential bid because of their general disappointment over the negative campaigns carried out by other presidential aspirants.

“We will saturate Metro Manila to recruit more members for Green Army Brigades who will not just campaign but will also deliver a mass-based, solid vote for Gibo Teodoro,” Bordoquillo added.

This developed as leaders representing people’s organization embedded in grassroot communities today launched the “Green Army Brigades” for Teodoro in a simple ceremony held at the Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in Quezon City. About 500 community and people’s organization leaders took their oath as bonafide green armies during the launch followed by a boodle fight to show unity behind Teodoro.

In a joint statement, the group said they will organize green army brigades in every community in the NCR to campaign for Teodoro.

“Upang itaguyod ang kanyang (Teodoro) kandidatura, kami ay magtatayo ng mga brigada ng GREEN ARMY na siyang mangunguna sa kampanya sa aming mga komunidad,” the joint statement said.

Daisy Bardoquillo, spokesperson for the Green Army, explained that there will be a wide formation of Green Army brigades in communities to be initiated by people’s organizations.

“Ang GREEN ARMY ay pwersa ng mamamayan para sa pagbabago, pag-unlad, pagkakasundo-sundo at pagkakaisa. Ang GREEN ARMY ang siyang magtatanim at mag-aaruga ng binhi ng pag-asa para sa ating bansa,” Bardoquillo said.

She said they decided to back Teodoro after consulting with each other. Bardoquillo, a community leader based in Payatas, Quezon City, is the lead convenor of the Pambansang Kalipunan ng mga Benepisyaryo ng Pamahalaan and spokesperson of Alyansa ng mga Benepisyaryo ng Pamahalaan (ALAB-PA).

“’Yung mga leading daw sa mga survey, (Benigno) Noynoy Aquino at (Manny) Villar, isama na rin natin si (Joseph) Erap Estrada eh puro bangayan at batuhan ng putik ang ginagawa nila. Kaya naman si Gibo (Teodoro) ang aming napili dahil sa kumpara sa mga kandidato eh siya lang ang hindi naninira at siya lang ang naglalatag ng plataporma de gobyerno,” Bardoquillo pointed out.

She stressed that they will saturate Metro Manila to recruit members for Green Army brigades who will not just campaign but also deliver a wide, organized and solid vote for Teodoro.

Ref. Person: Daisy Bardoquillo
Mobile phone # 09109429030

“Jobs provide income and they provide for a better healthcare… that is why we have an agenda for peace and infrastructure and human capital development,” said the former National Defense secretary.

The Harvard-trained lawyer likewise urged the need to draw other financiers that would produce jobs for Filipinos to overturn the poverty occurrence in the Philippines. According to Gibo, investments in power generation should now be followed dynamically to deal with the crisis and avoid it from returning in the future because southern Philippines have been bugged by rotating brownouts recently.

“Power is indeed one of the biggest shortfalls of national development and high power cost is a disincentive to capital formation and investments in Mindanao. We’re not saying that we can get cheap power overnight, but what we’re saying is that the road to cheap power does not become cheaper as the years go on.  We have to start now to minimize cost.  If not, all capital investments will be more expensive,” Gibo said.

Furthermore, Teodoro emphasized in the discussion that new investments are important to ensure the soaring unemployment rate in the country.

Previously, Gibo said that unemployment “can be licked” on the job security concerns.

He planned a two-sided hit by granting urgent jobs and conditional cash transfers to unemployed Filipinos and farmers affected by natural disasters, in addition to good governance policies to attract investors to reconstruct the country’s economy.

“In the short term, we can provide emergency employment and conditional cash transfers, especially during this season of El Niño, not only for the jobless, but also for farmers who have been hard hit by floods during Ondoy last year, and now by drought,” he said

“Nagiging problema ang pagdagsa ng tao sa Kamaynilaan at sa Cavite dahil sa nakakakita sila ng mga oportunidad dito [The migration of people to Manila and Cavite to look for opportunities is starting to become a problem],” said the former defense secretary. “Paano solusyonan ito? Hindi dito sa Maynila o Cavite, kungdi kung saan sila nanggagaling. [Where do we find the solution for this? Not in Manila or Cavite, but in the provinces from where they came from].”

The former National Defense Secretary and Harvard-trained laywer stressed out that the relocation of people from the provinces to Metro Manila and greater Manila areas like Cavite, has been a major challenge when it comes to industrialization and progress.

“Pag di natin sila binigyan ng oportunidad sa kanilang probinsya, dadagsa sila dito at masasakal tayo sa dami ng tao. [If we don’t give them opportunities in provinces, throngs of them will come here, and Cavite and Metro Manila will be congested with too much people],” he said. “Pag ganu’n, ang pondo na dapat gamitin ng mayor para sa pag-seserbisyo sa tao mahahati lalo para sa mga taong galing sa ibang lugar [If that happens, the funds allocated for services will be divided further for the people coming from other provinces].”

Gibo advocated the increase of native opportunities in the provinces, from eco-tourism to agriculture. Opportunities will be generated, and Filipinos will no longer come across the call to try their luck in the big city by tapping the economic potential of the provinces. Gibo spoke on a improvised stage, before a swarm of supporters who jam-packed the “lucky” compound of Silang Mayor Areng Poblete.

On the other hand, Erap affirmed that in case he wins, there will be no vengeance to arise. The former President aired confidence, on the eve of marking the 73rd year of his life, that the May 10, 2010 national and local elections will be done successful, yielding peaceful and reliable outcome while declaring that in a second Estrada administration, ”there will be no room for vengeance because I believe that vengeance is not mine, it belongs only to God alone.”

”I harbor no anger against those who betrayed my trust, and as President I will not personally file charges nor interfere or exercise influence with the judiciary on cases that maybe filed against past official wrong-doing,” Estrada said in an exclusive Bulletin interview Sunday at his North Greenhills home.

Erap stressed out that taking retribution against any person who has done him bad things is not his lifestyle. He also pointed out that getting even and resolving fights are only for the feeble as forgiveness is a quality attribute among ”those who are strong in faith.”

”Forgiveness is a character of the strong and I want to be strong, while being unforgiving is a trait among the weak opting not to find any space in their hearts to forgive,” Estrada declared.

”As President, I will not personally file charges against any former official, nor interfere or exercise influence with the judiciary in the event of cases which may arise against former government officials,” he said.