Noynoy Stays Neutral On Marcos Burial In Libingan Ng Mga Bayani

President Aquino Wednesday said he would inhibit himself from the decision on whether the late President Ferdinand Marcos could be buried at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.

The President instead said he would ask a government official "who has less personal attachment" to look into the matter recently proposed by the son of the late strongman, Senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos.

“Whatever I will say will be bias so I’m thinking of inhibiting myself from deciding the matter,” the President told reporters after meeting senior military officials in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

"Anything I say on the matter, people might say, was decided on a subjective basis rather than on an objective basis and we would want to spare our country from that,” said the President, son of the freedom heroes the late Senator Benigno Aquino Jr. and President Corazon Aquino.

Read the rest of the story at Manila Bulletin

Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos (September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was the tenth President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives (1949–1959) and a member of the Philippine Senate (1959–1965). He was Senate President from 1963-1965. He claimed to have led a guerrilla force called Ang Maharlika in northern Luzon during the Second World War, although this is doubted. As Philippine president and strongman, his greatest achievement was in the fields of infrastructure development and international diplomacy. However, his administration was marred by massive authoritarian corruption, despotism, nepotism, political repression, and human rights violations. He benefited from a large personality cult in the Philippines during his regime.  In 1983, his government was implicated in the assassination of his primary political opponent, Benigno Aquino, Jr. The implication caused a chain of events, including a tainted presidential election that served as the catalyst for the People Power Revolution in February 1986 that led to his removal from power and eventual exile in Hawaii. It was later alleged that he and his wife Imelda Marcos had moved billions of dollars of embezzled public funds to the United States, Switzerland, and other countries, as well as into alleged corporations during his 20 years in power.

Non Working Holiday On September 10

In celebration of Ramadan, the end of the Muslims' holy month of fasting, Malacañang has declared September 10 as a non working holiday. 

President Noynoy Aquino III has signed Proclamation 26, declaring September 10 as a non-working holiday as Muslims celebrate the "Eid ul-Fitr," or the festivities for the end of Ramadan.


"Eid" is an Arabic word meaning "festivity" while "Fit.r" means "to purify." The holiday is thus a symbol of purification after completing the fasting month.

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. The Ramadan began on August 11 this year and will end on September 10

Kiko tells Manny Villar: You can't buy people's votes! ‏

MANILA, March 9 (PNA) -- You can try, but can't buy our spot on top.

This was the message of Liberal Party stalwart Senator Francis Pangilinan to Nacionalista Party standard bearer and 2010 poll campaign's top spender Senator Manuel 'Manny Villar' who he said had been suffering from epic fail in national surveys.

"Despite being the first candidate to run in the presidential derby, and an unprecedented ad buy of over one billion pesos since November of last year, Sen. Villar continues to fall short of his ultimate objective –– that of overtaking Sen. Noynoy," he said.

Pangilinan cited the last four surveys which showed slightly different numbers, but with only one common thread: Sen. Noynoy consistently leads in all of them.

The latest Pulse Asia Survey had Aquino leading Villar, 36-29; the SWS Survey had Aquino up 36-34; the Manila Standard Survey likewise had Aquino holding on to a 36-34 lead; while the TNS Survey had Aquino enjoying a 41-30 lead.

Except the TNS Survey which was conducted before the end of January, the three others were conducted in February.

"The numbers themselves are rather inconsistent. In one survey Sen. Noy's numbers in Mindanao are double that of Sen. Villar's; in another, Sen. Noy's lead in the same island is only three points," Pangilinan noted.

"We are, however, happy to see that our people have not allowed themselves to be swayed by the deluge of Villar ads on TV," Pangilinan stressed.

Villar, according to figures from AGB Nielsen, has spent over P120 million from February 9 to March 2 on TV advertisements alone.

The figure puts Villar’s total expenditures on political advertisements from November 1 last year to March 2 this year at over P1.3 billion –– an amount almost equal to the total TV ad expenditures of four of his closest rivals.

Former President Joseph Estrada ranked second with P88 million, followed by Sen. Aquino with P87 million and Sen. Richard Gordon with P67.3 million, and Administration party bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. with P60.4 million TV commercials since the start of the campaign period.

"This only proves that our people will not support a leader who has been tainted by corruption nor one who is associated with the corrupt. The surveys show that Filipinos want a decent, honest leader they can trust––and they see that in Sen. Noy," Pangilinan said. (PNA)
vcs/MPC/utb

source:  PNA

Noynoy Aquino Announces His Presidential Bid for 2010 Elections

Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III has finally announced his presidential bid for the 2010 presidential election. During the press conference at Club Filipino in Grenhills, he said that he accepts the challenge by the Filipinos to push democratic reforms in the country.

"Tinatanggap ko ang hiling ng sambayanan. Tinatanggap ko rin po ang bilin at habilin, tagubilin ng aking mga magulang. Tinatanggap ko ang responsibilidad na ituloy ang laban para sa bayan. Tinatanggap ko ang hamong mamuno sa labang ito. Bayang Pilipinas, tatakbo ako sa pagka-pangulo sa darating na halalan," said Noynoy.

Club Filipino is a historic place to announce his presidential bid because this is also the place where his mother President Cory Aquino made her oath of Office as President of the Philippines.

As to who will be his running mate for the 2010 elections is yet to be confirmed. Noynoy said that he already offered the Vice Presidential bid to Senator Mar Roxas but he is still waiting the response from him.

Cory Aquino's Son To Run For President on 2010

Senator Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan endorsed Senator Benigno 'Noynoy' Aquino III to be the standard bearer of the Liberal Party (LP) in the 2010 presidential elections. Senator Kiko said that he believes that Noynoy can unify the opposition block in the country.

"Sa larangan ng pulitika ngayon, naniniwala ako na si Sen. Aquino ang may kakayahan na pagkaisahin ang pinakamalawak na hanay ng iba’t ibang pu­wersa na ang hangarin ay ganap at tunay na pagbabago,” stressed by Senator Pangilinan.

Prior to the endorsement of Senator Kiko, the Aksyon Demokratiko said that they will support Noynoy to run in presidential race. Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio, another presidential aspirant and a priest, expressed that he will give way to Noynoy.

“Matapos mamatay at ilibing si dating Pangulong Aquino, nagbago na ang sitwasyon ng pulitika sa bansa at dapat kilalanin ng Liberal Party iyan,” told by Pangilinan in a radio interview with DWIZ.

Noynoy and Mar Roxas are scheduled to discuss as to who will run for the 2010 presidential election. Noynoy assures that whatever there decisions, it will not split the Liberal Party.

On the other hand, Mar Roxas said that he will heed his bid for president if it is the "will" of the people. “Ako naman po ay masunurin din. Nakikinig sa tao at nakikinig sa tawag ng panahon,”.