Lito Atienza's Blog
LITO ATIENZA’S ELECTORAL PROTEST by Ducky Paredes
Leave a Comment
Lito Atienza’s electoral protest
by DUCKY PAREDES – MALAYA, AUGUST 17, 2010
‘Atienza’s basis for his protest against Lim is the reported results of the Random Manual Audit (RMA), conducted by the Commission on Elections through RMA chair Henrietta de Villa.’
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) Resolution No. 8804 dated March 22, 2010 (In re: Comelec rules of procedure on disputes in an automated election system in connection with the may 10, 2010 elections) reads as follows:
“Section 3. Compensation of the members of the Recount Committee. – The Commission shall fix the compensation of the members of the Committee including the fees for supplies and materials at One Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (1,500) per clustered precinct. . .”
What Lito Atienza cannot understand is why, despite the very clear wording of the pertinent Comelec resolution, he was told to pay P9,979,500.00 for the 6,6653 established precincts even when there are only 1,441 clustered precincts and thus, according to the rules as stated by the pertinent Comelec resolution, he should be paying only P2,161,500.00 (1,441 clustered precincts x P1,500).
At any rate, because he wants to know the real results of the election for mayor in Manila, he was wiling to put up (under protest) the almost P10 million that the Comelec required before they would start the manual recount of the votes from 1,441 clustered precincts.
(Under election regulations, a candidate for mayor in Manila is allowed to spend only P3 per voter. It seems very strange then that what the Comelec asks the candidate to spend for a recount is much more than what he was allowed to spend for his candidacy. What Atienza was told to pay amounts to P14.42 per voter for the 692,183 who voted for mayor in the 2010 election.)
What does this buy? Ten chairmen for the ten committees that will do the actual counting, several recorders, typists and ballot box custodians in each committee. These are Comelc personnel who will be making much, much more than what they usually make. Chairmen will take home P345,956 monthly; the rest (recorders, typists and custodians) P159,672 monthly for the duration of the manual count!
Former Manila City Mayor Lito Atienza’s basis for his protest against Mayor Alfredo Lim is the reported results of the Random Manual Audit (RMA), conducted by the Commission on Elections through RMA chair Henrietta de Villa.
According to Atienza, the reports showed that the RMA noted “large variances for the Manila mayoral race that were allegedly due to voting-machine error” and specifically pointed to Manila mayoral race that “showed problems in the counting.”
The RMA validation team “could not identify the reason for the large variances, even after the retrieval and opening of the ballot boxes,” according to Atienza.
Atienza earlier also asked the Comelec to expedite the release of the order for the immediate retrieval of the ballot boxes containing the ballots of his protested precincts in order to start the revision and recount of the ballots.
Atienza complained: “The preliminary conference was conducted by the Comelec’s First Division on June 28 where the parties submitted their respective positions on how to expedite the resolution of this protest. And during the said conference, the Comelec assured us that the appropriate order to collect the ballot boxes and create revision committees will be issued accordingly. However, after more than one month of waiting, the Comelec has not yet issued the said order to my damage and prejudice since it is now causing undue delay in the resolution of my protest.
“My lawyers and supporters have also complained about the presence of armed men who terrorized and threatened our watchers guarding the ballot boxes, which are presently deposited at the Museong Pambata. I am afraid that the integrity of these ballot boxes might be endangered or compromised because our watchers have observed that some unauthorized people were given access to the Museong Pambata without giving the same privilege to our watchers.”
The recount is expected to take at least two months. Whether or not Atienza can overturn Lim’s margin of 214,816 votes after he garnered 181,094 votes against Lim’s 395,910, the protest will validate either the stated fears of losing politicians that the results of the first computerized elections were compromised or it will prove that our first computerized polls was a triumphant success.
In the case of Atienza, he is finding support from friends and associates who have contributed to the close to P10 million that Atienza paid Comelec to get to the truth of what really happened on May 10, 2010 in the City of Manila.
***
Cong. Teddyboy Locsin: May polls flawed…He won’t recommend automation in 2013
Leave a Comment
Locsin: May polls flawed
He won’t recommend automation in 2013
By Leila B. Salaverria
Philippine Daily Inquirer
MANILA, Philippines—Makati Rep. Teodoro Locsin Jr. Monday admitted to being mistaken in his rosy outlook of electronic elections, saying that he was against employing the automated system used on May 10 in future electoral exercises unless loopholes were plugged.
Locsin is the chair of the House committee on suffrage and electoral reforms, which on Sunday released a report based on its hearings that painted a far from ideal picture of the recently concluded automated elections.
The hearings took up the complaints of local candidates who claimed that they lost because of electoral fraud.
Interviewed over ABS-CBN News Channel (ANC), Locsin said Monday that cheating done under the automated system could be untraceable, unlike in manual elections where money and hard work could uncover a fake ballot.
Despite Locsin’s statements, others stuck to their championing of the automated election system.
Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, an active participant in the hearings of Locsin’s committee, said that none of the allegations of fraud were backed by concrete proof.
So as far as he was concerned, automation was a success unless evidence to the contrary would crop up.
“Until that would come out, I would certainly say automation was a success despite being from the opposition,” Rodriguez said in a phone interview, noting that he was a constant presence at the committee hearings, which focused on allegations of poll fraud.
He said the P7 billion spent for the precinct count optical scan (PCOS) machines was money well spent.
Eating own words
Locsin acknowledged that he was eating his words.
“You realize of course that I’m swallowing the words that I said over the past 12 months. I really fought for automation. Well, I’m willing to swallow my pride,” he said over ANC.
Locsin said he was mistaken when he said that the voting equipment, known as the PCOS machines, could not be manipulated.
“I would say one thing: Fortunately, a lot of people believe me and I was wrong when I was boasting that the machine cannot be rigged. There were not that many people who tried to cheat with machines but those who did knew about it, did it,” he said.
Reset PCOS to zero
Locsin said vote-rigging could have been done by resetting the PCOS machines to zero and then scanning ballots again. This was known through the explanations of Smartmatic, the technology provider of the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
“They should have told me though that their machine was capable of being reset to zero. I have no idea it was that easy to do it. The reason also why none of us, including myself, ever thought about that is that the critics of automation kept focusing on other issues,” he said.
Audit logs also revealed that voting in some places began at 10 p.m., he said.
Different date
Locsin said Smartmatic’s explanation about the different date and time stamps on election returns was inadequate.
He said Smartmatic had assured him that the machine would record cheating, but then it later said that the different date and time stamps were of no moment.
If cheating was conducted, there was also active participation of the Board of Election Inspectors and the Comelec, he said.
“So I think, in the end, Director [Jose] Tolentino said it well: ‘Machines don’t cheat, it’s people who cheat and people can use the machine to cheat.’ As long as the people Comelec uses are cheaters, then they can cheat the machines,” Locsin said.
He also said cheating under automated and manual polls was very different, with manual polls providing a way to uncover concrete evidence.
“The difference between cheating in manual is that at the end of the road, if you have the money and the time, you can check whether the handwritten ballot is real or not,” he said.
Indistinguishable
“Whereas, in this kind of machine, all you have are shaded ballots. Now a shaded ballot that is falsely shaded and a shaded ballot that is genuinely shaded are indistinguishable from each other,” he added.
Locsin said that unless these concerns were addressed, he would not push for automated election in 2013.
“And my recommendation is that unless we are unable to plug all these loopholes, I would strongly discourage automated elections in 2013,” he said.
THE MANILA TIMES: ATIENZA CLAIMS PROOF OF ELECTRONIC ‘DAGDAG-BAWAS’
2 Comments
Monday, 17 May 2010 00:00
BY DAN MARIANO
The Automated Election System (AES) came out with the results of the voting last Monday in a way that stupefied the entire nation. Just hours after the polls closed, the AES began churning out election results at a rate that surprised even the system’s most enthusiastic proponents.
Here, at last, is the answer to the country’s election woes—or so it seemed. Even the most rabid detractors of the AES claimed they were only too happy to eat crow—ecstatic to have been shown to be wrong. Or were they?
Days later, however, hints of irregularity started to surface. Before the week ended, charges of electronic dagdag-bawas, or vote padding and shaving, began to resound in various parts of the country.
The reporting of election results seemed so incredibly fast that many of the losing candidates were stunned into inaction. They did not know what hit them.
Meanwhile, some of the election winners gloated in their victory, praising to high heavens the AES for validating their own pre-election projections of victory.
It all seemed too good to be true—and, in certain cases, the AES probably is.
Last week, former environment secretary Lito Atienza handed out to newsmen photocopies of a document, titled “Election Returns (ER) for Local Positions” from Clustered Precinct 3901383 – 0828A 0828B 0928C 0829A in Barangay 205, Tondo, Manila.
The ER showed re-electionist Alfredo Lim drubbing his rivals Atienza and former police chief Avelino Razon. Lim got 302 votes, Atienza 71 and Razon 67.
Lim’s vice mayoral partner Francisco Domagoso, a.k.a. Isko Moreno, was shown doing the same thing to his rivals, led by Atienza’s running mate Ma. Lourdes Isip Garcia.
This was the result in Tondo, as well as in many other parts of the Manila, despite pre-election surveys done by a respectable pollster that showed Atienza leading Lim by seven percentage points.
“According to the results generated by the PCOS [Precinct Count Optical Scan] machines, I was clobbered two-to-one even in my home district of San Andres Bukid,” he said incredulously.
When Atienza began complaining that he and his Buhayin ang Maynila party were victims of election fraud, they were pooh-poohed for “sour-graping.”
After all, it has long been said that in this country nobody loses in elections; they are only cheated. However, unlike other, similarly situated candidates, Atienza has been able to show proof.
On April 27, a City Hall employee blew the whistle on what she called was a plan to rig election results in the nation’s capital. Ronilda Reluya, a computer operator assigned to the city government’s Electronic Data Processing (EDP) unit, presented what she described as copies of fake election results in the First District of Manila.
The EDP is directly under the Office of the Mayor. According to Reluya, the fake election results, which showed a landslide victory for Lim’s slate, were prepared at the same office. She added that she personally witnessed how several City Hall employees put together the spurious documents.
Despite requests from Atienza and others for an investigation, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) all but ignored Reluya’s revelation.
It was at about this time that Atienza said he began to worry. Although he eventually secured the endorsement of the bloc-voting Iglesia Ni Cristo as well as other religious congregations and civic organizations, the former three-term mayor could not shake off the feeling of impending disaster.
Sure enough, the election results from the clustered precinct in Tondo and other parts of Manila indicated that Lim and his party had won by the proverbial mile.
A closer look at the documents, however, showed that whoever was responsible for giving Lim and his party a landslide victory had failed to cover their tracks completely.
Attached to the ER is a certification from the Board of Election Inspectors (BEIs) attesting that they “witnessed the voting of the precinct and that the votes obtained by each candidate appearing in these election returns are true as generated by the [PCOS] machine.”
The certification was signed by BEI Chairwoman Carolyn Estella, member Amparo Ongkiko, poll clerk Rosie Poral, watchers Madelyn Candao (LP), Rose Danica Dayrit (PMP) and Jesusa Tolentino (NPC).
The problem is that the BEI certification bore the time stamp, “Wed Apr 28 13:11:46 2010,” indicating that it was accomplished 12 days before Election Day!
Atienza told newsmen he was in possession of similar documents, evidence of what he called “prefabricated” ERs.
Atienza said that he plans to file a protest before the Comelec directed, not against any of his political rivals, but “against the process itself, against the AES.”
He said that he also intends to petition the poll body to complete its audit—via manual count—of election results in Manila as reflected in the PCOS machines in 30 polling precincts randomly selected in the presence of all the election stakeholders.
Atienza added that, while the documents in his possession pertain to apparent irregularities in Manila, he is ready to collaborate with other parties who feel they have been similarly victimized by “prefab ERs” in other parts of the country.
“Perhaps we could consider filing a class-action suit against Smartmatic-TIM,” he said, referring to the consortium that provided the technology, machines and technical personnel, which made AES possible.
Atienza also said that several weeks before E-Day he had been approached by “someone who claimed he could electronically manipulate the election results—in exchange for a huge sum of money, but I quickly dismissed the offer.”
He added: “Going by the lopsided election results in Manila, I can only surmise that the fellow was able to persuade some other candidates.”
El Shaddai, INC, Muslim group back Atienza for mayor
2 Comments
El Shaddai, INC, Muslim group back Atienza for mayor
By Sandy Araneta (The Philippine Star) Updated May 06, 2010 12:00 AM
MANILA, Philippines – Former environment secretary Lito Atienza has been endorsed by the religious group Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) and El Shaddai, the former mayor’s camp said yesterday in a statement. Atienza was also endorsed by the Muslim community and got the unanimous support of the Parish Councils of Manila, as well as the solid backing of majority of the barangay chairmen, kagawads and tanods and pro-poor organizations.
The camp of Atienza also cited a gain of five percent of the votes. “It is widely known that the Iglesia ni Cristo has a wide follower in the city. With the endorsement of the group, Atienza gains another five percent solid votes,” the statement read.
The Atienza camp, quoting El Shaddai leader Mike Velarde, said that “Manila needs a pro-life mayor. Atienza is not only pro-life, but also pro-good government.” Msgr. Mel David, one of the spiritual advisers of Atienza, said the former mayor is pro-God.
PMAP president Ronald Lumbao said they endorsed Atienza because they believe that only Atienza has the genuine heart to help the poor. “His programs answer the needs of the poor community of Manila,” Lumbao said.
The Muslim community had also rallied behind the candidacy of Atienza as he has and will always keep Manila friendly to all regardless of religion and belief.
Meanwhile, a total of 650 out of the 897 barangay chairmen, and most of the kagawads and tanods said they have seen the difference on how the former mayor and the present mayor handled the city.
They said it is Atienza who has a genuine heart to help the people, specially the poor.
‘Will Lito Atienza win back City Hall to again give Manila back its life?’- from MALAYA by Ducky Paredes
2 Comments
Old wounds
<!–
–>
DUCKY PAREDES
‘Will Lito Atienza win back City Hall to again give Manila back its life?’
FORMER President Joseph Estrada, speaking at a Buhayin ang Maynila rally in San Andres endorsed former Mayor Lito Atienza as a reliable mayor, one who always had his constituents’ interests in mind. Erap added: “Like me, Lito has his heart for the poor. Hindi siya nang-iiwan, siya’y tunay na kaibigan, laging maaasahan.
“Alam ko ang pagkatao ni Lito. Subok na siya sa pagtulong sa mga mamamayan, lalo na sa mahihirap.”
Estrada pointed out that this was in contrast to the sitting mayor (Alfredo Lim) who “did not only abandon me. He even lied through his teeth in doing so.”
“Yang si Lim, nagsinungaling pa. May aasikasuhin lang daw siya, aawatin lang daw niya aang mga tao; yun pala, pupunta na sa Edsa. Hindi kagaya ni Atienza, hindi ako iniwan.”
I have always wondered how it happened that, while there was an Erap cabinet meeting going on in Malacañang, DILG Secretary Lim suddenly popped up at Gloria’s rally at the Edsa Shrine. The Erap Cabinet saw him on TV, trying to get on the good side of GMA. This was in 2001.
On the other hand, when Erap had to leave Malacañang, Mayor Lito Atienza was there for him, to the end.
Before that, Lim ran for president against Erap; yet, when Estrada took the presidency, Estrada appointed Lim to the DILG.
After EDSA Dos, despite abandoning President Erap when he was a cabinet secretary, Lim begged Erap for a place in the opposition ticket and Erap again took him in as a senatorial candidate. In fact, when Lim ran for mayor against Kim Atienza, Lito’s son, Erap gave Lim his full support.
Then, says Estrada, in July 2008, Lim “blatantly abused the human rights” of Manila councilor Dennis Alcoreza during the forcible takeover of the Tondo Vitas Slaughterhouse leased to Dealco Farms Inc. Twenty-four Manila city councilors resigned from their posts as members and heads of the different committees, prompting a reorganization. The councilors unanimously denounced the violent treatment by Lim and the Manila Police Department (MPD) towards Alcoreza, which included forcibly dragging the councilor through the streets.
Says Erap: “Kung magagawa niya yan sa isang konsehal, ano pa kaya sa maliliit na tao?”
In August 2008, Lim was removed as the president of Erap’s political party, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino, after which Lim resigned from the PMP.
Atienza and Estrada had been friends since the seventies and shared the advocacies of caring for the elderly and providing housing for the poor. Even when Atienza was a GMA Cabinet Member, the two remained as friends. Erap says that he never held that against Lito since Atienza never abused his position and never abandoned his friends, including Erap.
***
“Today is the first day of the public trial of Alfredo Lim, for multiple offenses against the people of Manila.” This is how Atienza started his campaign to return as Mayor, after having to leave his post due to term limits, after his third term.
Lim’s crimes?
Ramming through the ordinance that allowed the oil depots to stay in Pandacan despite the “clear danger it poses to public safety” and a Supreme Court decision supporting an Atienza-era ordinance relocating them outside Manila.
Atienza explains: “All cities around the world have relocated oil depots out of city limits because of the grave danger they pose to the people. This is the only administration that insists on keeping then even if he endangers the lives of Manilans.”
After each “crime,” Atienza asked: “Guilty or not guilty?” And the crowd roared back: “Guilty!”
Another big issue is the hasty, below-market pricing of the city property where Century Park-Sheraton is located. This was sold in a rush sale yet, “City Hall has no money to provide services to the poor.” Lito points out that even Lim’s lawyer filed charges against the mayor and 20 councilors in connection with the transaction.
Lito also accused Lim of “oppressive policies against vendors” and for derailing a continuing program of setting aside city assets for low-cost housing for Manilans. Atienza said that he would expand housing schemes similar to those in the Baseco area.
Atienza’s goal is “Trabaho, Negosyo at Hanapbuhay para sa Lahat.”
His Buhayin ang Maynila has a specific program for Senior Citizens: “Mahal ko si Lolo, Mahal ko si Lola” which aims to make Manila a haven for the elderly.
There is a plan of improving sports facilities and youth participation that would develop world-class athletes as Lito helped Manny Pacquaio when the champ was just starting out in a Sampaloc gym many years ago.
A plan to improve Manila’s Art and Culture scene would give scholarships to poor and deserving talented Manilans A bigger budget would also be set aside for hospital for prompt and complete delivery of health services.
Lito Atienza also wants to make Manila to be the safest place in the Philippines where residents, businessmen and tourists can walk the streets without fear and enjoy all the good things that Manila has to offer.
Will Lito Atienza win back City Hall to again give Manila back its life? Buhayin ang Maynila.
ABS-CBN News: Atienza hits Lim for reversing his policies
Leave a Comment
Atienza hits Lim for reversing his policies
By Joel Caballero, ANC | 03/19/2010 7:22 PM
MANILA, Philippines – Former Environment Secretary Lito Atienza is seeking the mayoralty post in Manila once again.
In an interview in ANC’s Headstart, he alleged that incumbent Mayor Alfredo Lim has no plans to develop the city, and has only occupied himself in putting up various restrictions throughout the city.
Atienza also lashed at Lim for stopping various programs under his administration.
“What Manila needs today is a genuine development plan that will provide opportunities for a healthy business climate, economic development, employment and the correct philosophy of governance. Di pwede yung bawal-bawal. Every time the mayor says bawal, it only adds to corruption because pag pinagbawal mo. Lagay dito, lagay doon,” Atienza said.
“What Manila needs today is a genuine development plan that will provide opportunities for a healthy business climate, economic development, employment and the correct philosophy of governance. You can’t keep saying this is illegal or that’s illegal. Every time the mayor says it’s illegal, it only adds to corruption because if you say it’s illegal, it will lead to bribes.”
Atienza claimed the city government lost a lot of revenue when Lim ordered the closure of bars, restaurants and other shops in Baywalk along Roxas Boulevard.
“It injected life in Malate, Ermita, Remedios, Intramuros, and all those parts in Manila boomed in development. High-rise buildings were put up, investments rolled in. Can you imagine all the employment and economic opportunities which were lost because of that one single act which I cannot understand?” Atienza said.
Pandacan oil depots
The former mayor also criticized Lim for allowing oil depots in Pandacan to stay. He believes the potential danger posed by the depots is discouraging businessmen from investing in the city.
“How can Manila now develop if you have a place where you have 300 million liters of gasoline at any given time and the age of terrorism is in our midst? You cannot afford to endanger properties and, of course, you are discouraging investments. No serious investor will go to that part of Metro Manila where you have an oil depot beside you,” Atienza said.
Atienza believes his relationship with Lim turned sour after Lim lost in his presidential bid in 1998.
“Maybe, out of bitterness. He lost and I won [as city mayor], and he told everybody: ‘Si Atienza, hindi ako sinuportahan’ (Atienza didn’t support me). That’s false,” Atienza said.
ANC’s Headstart tried to contact Mayor Lim but he was unavailable for comment.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EDSA 1 AND EDSA 2
Leave a Comment
Seeds
FIRST PERSON By Alex Magno (The Philippine Star) Updated February 23, 2010 12:00 AM
How quickly time flies! It is now 24 years since those four glorious days when our people stood heroically against tyranny, staring down tanks with unyielding faith.
It seems so recent, that day I kissed my kids goodbye and took my proud place on the barricades. But the intervening quarter of a century was not a blur, either. Each year was eventful. Each was different from the other.
In the unfolding of the years, each step had to be figured out. Each moment had to be reinvented. The last four decades constituted an epoch where politics was constantly salient. It will not always be like this. Perhaps, it should not be like this.
As a nation, we need to define a much larger space that is beyond the pale of politics. Politics has consumed the energies and passions of two generations of Filipinos. It is too costly to go on like this. Surely there are more productive things that require energy and passion.
The Edsa Revolution has been diminished in the popular imagination. That is the inevitable toll of historical time. An event so long ago, no matter how glorious, cannot yield the moral reference for all the questions we need to deal with.
That is the reason why the personalities associated with this event have, like seeds thrown to the wind, dispersed in all directions and might today seem to be in contrary positions. That is the reason, too, why many who were on the side of tyranny when the revolution happened might now appear to be claiming the mantle of that event.
The Edsa Revolution has no priesthood to conserve a one-dimensional dogma about that event. It cannot have one. As a historical event, the revolution was multi-dimensional. The event itself resists dogmatism.
There is, however, consensus about the necessity for the Edsa Revolution. It was the only way a dictatorship could be overthrown.
There is no similar consensus about Edsa Dos, unfortunately. The Edsa Revolution was an uprising against a tyrannical political order. Edsa Dos was an uprising against a democratically-installed government.
Lito Atienza is among those most outspoken about the difference. So was the late Justice Cecilia Munoz Palma. Both have impeccable records as advocates of democracy and constitutionalism.
Atienza is a survivor of 1971 Plaza Miranda bombing that nearly wiped out the senatorial slate of the Liberal Party (LP). Through the long years of dictatorship, he worked to keep the LP whole. On the eve of the Edsa Revolution, he was forced into hiding when tipped off as one of the targets of Oplan Mad Dog, a sinister plot to kill anti-Marcos leaders to cause chaos and set the premise for the re-imposition of martial rule. He worked closely with the assassinated Evelio Javier. When he served as mayor of Manila, Atienza put a plaque to recall the Plaza Miranda bombing and a poignant monument to Javier.
He was mayor of Manila when Edsa Dos happened. Putting primary consideration on the rule of law, he stood by the duly-elected president until was forced to move out of the Palace. When his tenure as mayor was ended by term limits, he chose to serve the then duly elected presidency of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
In 2005, in the face of a conspiracy to overthrow the Arroyo government hinged on the resignation of the so-called Hyatt 10, Atienza again stood by constitutional dictate. He supported the elected government and opposed those who were then commandeering the LP to the side of the conspiracy. That faction of the LP involved in the conspiracy was headed by a personality identified with a prominent pro-Marcos law firm during the dictatorship.
Estranged from the party he loved and served courageously, Atienza is seeking to reclaim leadership of the city of Manila under the banner of Joseph Estrada’s party. His main rival is Alfredo Lim, incumbent mayor of the city.
Lim, rather ironically, is running under the LP banner. He has wrapped the whole city in yellow bunting to solidify his newfound identity as ardent supporter of the martyr’s son.
But the historical record must be restated in this case. When the Edsa Revolution began to unfold, Lim stood by Marcos’ side to the end. As chief of the Northern Police District, he ordered then Quezon City police chief Jose Dawis to disperse the crowd at Edsa by whatever means necessary. I was at the barricades Dawis was ordered to attack. When Dawis expressed reluctance at attacking unarmed civilians, Lim berated him before his men, relieved him of his post and condemned his career as police officer to oblivion.
When Marcos was evacuated by US helicopters, Lim quickly shifted loyalties. Ironically, he defected to Ramos aide Jose Almonte. When Almonte headed the anti-smuggling unit during the Marcos government, he was nearly killed when he tried to stop a shipment of smuggled goods being escorted out of the port by Lim and his policemen.
When the Mendiola Massacre happened early in the Aquino presidency, Lim was in charge of the police units on the scene. He was never asked to explain his role in the deaths of peasants on the streets of Manila.
Lim defected once again when Edsa Dos happened. In the waning days of the Estrada presidency, Lim was DILG secretary. As such, he was supposed to be the last man to abandon his president. Yet, when the political tide began to turn, he slipped out of the Palace and quickly appeared at the Edsa Shrine — there to be jeered and pelted by the angry crowd.
Politics, we know, is always a swirling tide. But that is not an excuse for the banners of the Edsa Revolution now being waved by unworthy hands.
Little wonder the Edsa Revolution is appearing less and less impressive in the minds of young Filipinos.
Baywalk is a hot election issue
7 Comments
PROPOSED NEW ROXAS BOULEVARD BAYWALK PERSPECTIVE
If you wish to watch the sunset at the Manila Bay and enjoy the soothing sea breeze, you go to the promenade area along the seashore, now known as the Baywalk. Believe it or not, the Baywalk, one of the loveliest places in Manila, is getting to be a hot election issue in the nation’s capital city. It is a two-kilometer stretch along Roxas Boulevard between the United States Embassy and the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
Long before the official election campaign period starts, Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim and his immediate predecessor, former Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Lito Atienza, have been trading barbs on what to do with Baywalk.
During Atienza’s stint at City Hall, he had the long seaside strip widened with thick brown and yellow cement bricks. From a dark and neglected zone after sundown, it became a brightly-lit concourse that attracted commoners and elites alike. Restaurants, bars and open-air coffee shops sprouted there almost overnight. In the evening, live bands performed and entertained the crowd. Baywalk became a magnet for people from all walks of life looking for a convenient place where they could relax and be entertained with their kind of music—at an affordable price.
Adding to the vibrance of the Baywalk was the nearby Rajah Sulayman Park, in front of the Malate Church, one the most beautiful parks in the city.
Even at daytime, especially in the early morning during weekends, the Baywalk overflowed with people, including entire families, to have their breakfast and do physical exercises, from jogging and brisk walking to aerobics and biking.
With the huge number of people flocking to Baywalk everyday, it became comparable to the famed Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii as a popular tourist destination. Needless to say, the Baywalk was a smash hit and the crown jewel of the city’s tourism..
But shortly after Lim sat for the second time as Manila mayor in 2007, he banned restaurants and cafes from operating at the Baywalk. He justified this by saying he was heeding the complaints of residents and guests in hotels and condominiums about the “loud noise” from the live bands. He also blamed these establishments for adding to the trash in the already polluted Manila Bay.
Lito Atienza, who was Manila mayor from 1998 to 2007, vows to revive Baywalk and bring back the eateries and singing joints there if he wins the mayoral race this year. He described the Baywalk as the “engine of development for Manila” and a recreation place for the poor. He rued that the place had lost its luster since Lim ordered the demolition of the “unwanted” structures Lim has put more lampposts along Roxas Boulevard, but Atienza belittles this because Baywalk now has few visitors or is almost deserted at night.
“Look at what Lim did. Instead of improving it, he removed it. If the problem here is noise, he should have put a solution to it. But to say that it is a center for prostitution and drug distribution, that’s a lie.” Atienza grumbled.
To independent observers, the Baywalk was a top tourist drawer, a showcase of how domestic tourism came alive and stimulated the economy. With the influx of people to the Baywalk area, the restaurants, karaoke bars, souvenir shops, shopping stores, hotels and other business establishments along Roxas boulevard and adjacent streets such as those on Remedios, Pedro Gil and Padre Faura avenues benefited from the spillover of customers. They enjoyed an unprecedented boom.
The ex-mayor said the Baywalk was just one of his urban renewal projects that Lim has discontinued or neglected. He lamented that “Manila has deteriorated once again under the present local administration with its lack of vision.” He said that for three years, “Lim has deprived Manilenos of the right kind of life they deserve by removing and destroying what my administration did for the people in nine years.” Determined to arrest the decline of the city, Atienza is seeking to retake the mayor’s seat in the coming electons under the campaign battlecry “Buhayin ang Maynila” (Revive Manila).
Another major campaign issue raised by Atienza against the present city administration is the continued stay of the storage facilities of the country’s three largest oil firms in Pandacan. He accused Lim and his allies in the city council of railroading the approval of city ordinance 7177 allowing Chevron (formerly Caltex), Petron and Shell, as well as other heavy and medium-scale industries, to continue operating at the Pandacan oil depot despite warnings of possible accidents and terrorist attacks.
The new ordinance amended Ordinance 8027 promulgated during the time of Mayor Atienza which called for the removal of the oil depot from the Pandacan district, which was classified as a residential area. Thus, the classification of Pandacan was reverted to industrial. Ordinance 7177 was issued in defiance of the Supreme Court’s decision which upheld the validity of Ordinance 8027. Lim said he signed the new ordinance so as not to deprive the city government of P100 million revenues from business license fees and real property tax collected yearly from the industries that are based there.
In effect, Atienza said, the controversial ordinance ensured “the permanent stay of highly pollutive and extremely hazardous industries which placed the lives of Manilenos in grave danger and made Manila the most polluted and toxic city of the world.” He warned that an accident in the Pandacan depot could trigger an explosion that could cause damage to an area within a 14-kilometer radius. He also considered the retention of the oil depots as the highest form of insensitivity in the light of worldwide efforts to combat pollution and global warming. The depots, he said, must go to assure the safety of city residents.
“Manila is the inspiration of the country. Manila is the microcosm of the country. I cannot take the very, very sorry state of the city now,” he said.
Atienza sees his candidacy as a response to the Manileños’ clamor for the return of his urban renewal and sustainable development projects. During his term as mayor, he implemented the “Buhayin ng Maynila) program by upgrading and renovating Manila’s decaying public facilities such as parks, markets and slaughterhouses. He carried out the reconstruction and beautification of public places such as the, Plaza Miranda, the Andres Bonifacio monument and the Binondo park. He also pursued the construction of the linear park in Pandacan, the renovation of Carriedo and R. Hidalgo streets in Sta. Cruz. He upgraded the services of the city’s public libraries, schools and hospitals, including the Ospital ng Maynila and completed the construction of a brand new building for the Pamantasan ng Maynila.
Lito Atienza claims that during his tenure, Manilans, especially the poor and marginalized sectors, experienced genuine progress. They enjoyed, among others, health centers and hospitals with adequate equipment, facilities and free medicines.
Perhaps as environment secretary and chairman of the Pasig Rehabilitation and Development Council, Atienza will be best remembered by Manilans for implementing the long-overdue dredging of
the heavily-silted Pasig. Had the mouth of Pasig not been widened from six to 10 meters, he said the flooding of vast areas of the metropolis caused by typhoon Ondoy in September and October would have been much worse because floodwaters had no chance of flowing out into the Manila Bay.
by Fel Maragay, Manila Standard Today
Manila mayoral bets sign peace accord
Leave a Comment
Manila mayoralty candidates Lito Atienza, Alfredo Lim and Avelino Razon Jr. raise their right hands as they recite the oath of covenant for a peaceful election.
MANILA, Philippines – Incumbent Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim, former Environment Secretary Lito Atienza and former Philippine National Police chief Avelino Razon Jr. yesterday signed a peace covenant for clean and honest elections during the May 2010 polls.
The signing of the peace covenant was done at 2 p.m. at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the Manila Police District headquarters along United Nations Avenue.
The event, called “Covenant Signing for HOPE 2010,” was initiated by National Capital Region Police Office chief Director Roberto Rosales in all Metro Manila cities to ensure honest, orderly and peaceful elections.
MPD director Chief Superintendent Rodolfo Magtibay saw to it that the seating arrangement for the three mayoral bets would not put Atienza and Lim seating side by side, with the two seated between Magtibay and Rosales. Razon was seated beside Lim.
The signing ceremony was also witnessed by Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting coordinator for National Capital Region Monsignor Hernando Coronel and NCR regional election director lawyer Michael Dioneda who led in the oath of peace covenant among Manila candidates.
Meanwhile, a staff of Atienza distributed letters to the media after the signing which called on MPD officers to “be impartial and not to take sides during the entire campaign period.”
According to Atienza, his camp has been receiving reports the MPD mobile units have been escorting the personnel of the City Hall’s Department of Public Services, specifically along Road 10 Boulevard in Tondo, in the dismantling and removing materials of Atienza’s Buhayin ang Maynila team.
Manila policemen have also been harassing vendors in the Blumentritt area who openly expressed support for Atienza team, to the point of forcing them to use yellow tents identified with Lim, Atienza claimed.
He also said pedicab drivers were promised by some policemen that they would not be apprehended for traffic violations if they show their support for Lim.
“Many of our supporters were harassed and threatened by goons identified with Lim, and this will definitely not lead to a peaceful and orderly election,” Atienza said.
Razon echoed the same sentiments, but said the harassment stopped when he reported it to the media.
For his part, Lim said the accusations were all political propaganda. “Let the matter be investigated and let charges be filed if there is a violation of the Omnibus Election Code,” he told reporters.
Lito Atienza's Blog 