The 45-day campaign period for the local polls begins March 26, with  222 candidates for congressman, 80 for governor, 80 for vice governor, 762 for provincial board member, 120 for city mayor , 120 for vice mayor, 1,514  for municipal mayor, 1,514  for vice mayor, 1,346 for city councilor and 12,116 for municipal councilors.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) calling on a total of 49,996 candidates are vying for 17,874 local seats to observe election laws and regulations or face disqualification.

Comelec Commissioner Rene Sarmiento said local bets should observe the restrictions on campaigning to avoid disqualification or getting sued.

More at Local election campaign begins

Joseph “Erap’ Estrada asked why did former President Corazon Aquino free the leader of the mainstream communist organization in the country?

Reacting to to Senator Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III’s earlier statement that Mrs. Arroyo should not have pardoned the deposed leader, Erap Estrada blasted Noynoy Aquino and criticized former President Cory Aquino’s decision to release Communist Party of the Philippines founder Jose Maria Sison.

“Noong naupo ang kaniyang ina eh, pinarelease niya ang komunista na si Jose Maria Sison, tapos pinasunod niya si [Nur] Misuari [at pinalaya] niya si…Kumander Dante,” Estrada said, referring to former Moro National Liberation Front chairman Nur Misuari and former New People’s Army leader Bernabe “Dante” Buscayno.

Estrada conveniently omitted that he was found guilty of plunder, while Sison, Misuari and Buscayno were political detainees and in jail for rebellion.

Estrada also said it was Mrs. Arroyo’s prerogative to grant him executive clemency, which he said he did not ask for. “Hindi ako hihingi ng pardon. Binigay sa akin, bakit naman hindi ko tatanggapin (I did not ask for any pardon. It was given to me, why will I not accept it),” the former leader told Hiritan 2010 host Arnold Clavio.

Estrada also conveniently omitted that he, through his lawyer Jose Flaminiano, formally asked President Arroyo to grant him pardon after his lawyers withdrew an appeal for the Sandiganbayan to reverse its Sept. 12, 2007 ruling that found him guilty of plunder

Details at Erap reminds Noynoy: Cory freed CPP leader Joma Sison

Silvestre “Bebot” Bello III Tuesday expressed dismay over the defection of 22 mayors and Bukidnon Governor Jose Ma. Zubiri from the administration party to the Nacionalista Party. Bello, Lakas-Kampi-CMD senatorial candidate, said it will likely not affect the chances of victory of their presidential bet Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro Jr. in the May 10 elections.

In a statement, Bello said he was saddened by the decision of the governor and 22 mayors who reportedly abandoned the Lakas-Kampi-CMD to support the camp of Nacionalista Party presidential bet Manuel “Manny” Villar.

“Anybody loyal to the Lakas party can call it a good riddance but we respect their decision,” said Bello.

More at Zubiri-led defections won’t affect Lakas victory – Bello

LP senatorial bet Risa Hontiveros said their vice presidential bet Senator Mar Roxas’s high believability rating is due to his “statesman-like” demeanor and straight to the point way of answering questions.

Hontiveros said “I think that is effective to the viewers, 80 to 90 percent of viewers believed him compared to the single digit percent who believed the NP (Nacionalista Party) vice presidential candidate.”

More at Hontiveros on Roxas’s high rating

Lakas-Kampi-CMD vice presidential bet Edu Manzano denies non-endorsement by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of his candidacy is a kiss-of-death.

He said they he and Gibo Teodoro do not feel any negative effect as they go around the country.

Edu said: “In our case, hindi kayo maniniwala talaga sa aggressiveness ng aming campaign; lively phase (from one place to another), kahit na sino hindi makakasabay sa aming campaign. Kahit saan kami pumunta, very warm ang mga tao who come in thousands at kami ay natutuwa.”

More details in Edu Manzano clears issues over his candidacy

One Cebu is supporting Lakas-Kampi-CMD standard-bearer Gilberto “Gibo” Teodoro and not Sen. Manny Villar of the Nacionalista Party

As secretary-general of One Cebu, REP. Pablo John Garcia’s reaction was sought after former Cebu City mayor Alvin Garcia said the Garcias have to meet to agree on a common presidential candidate.

He said the administration party in the province has “already announced its choice for president and so everything else is pure speculation.”

More on Gibo, not Villar: PJ

See Complete list of Cebu Candidates

The Filipino for Peace, Justice and Progress Movement (FPJPM),  supporters of the late opposition standard bearer Fernando Poe Jr. (FPJ) on Tuesday said they were backing the vice presidential bid of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay in the coming May polls. But the  group does not seem to  Binay’s running mate, former President Joseph Estrada, and FPJ’s best friend.

Read more on FPJ followers declare support for Binay, but not Erap

Reuters published excerpts for economic plans of the top four presidential candidates in the Philippines.

SENATOR BENIGNO SIMEON “NOYNOY” AQUINO III

“Noynoy” Aquino vowed to go after tax evaders and big smugglers, to collect an additional P150 billion and raise the government’s current 13% tax efficiency rate to 15%. His action plan includes a “zero budgeting” measure to re-examine all major ticket items under the 2010 budget to recover P 280 billion lost to corruption in 2009.

SENATOR MANUEL VILLAR

Manny Villar vowed to plug tax leakages and spend public funds wisely and prudently. Villar hopes to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio to 17 percent but has not given details on how he would raise tax collection. He promised “zero tolerance” of graft and corruption, adding he would pursue smugglers and tax evaders.

FORMER PRESIDENT JOSEPH ESTRADA

Erap Estrada promised not to impose new taxes and raise tax rates and lower consumption taxes, but he did not give any details of his fiscal programme.   He also promised to improve peace and order, and spend more on agriculture and rehabilitation of badly needed infrastructure.

FORMER DEFENCE CHIEF GILBERTO TEODORO

Teodoro said he would avoid imposing new taxes but if such a move was necessary, he favoured raising consumption taxes from the current 12 percent to 15 percent. In exchange for a higher sales tax, he vowed to eventually lower personal income tax rates and simplify tax administration. Hepromised to study an increase in the excise taxes on tobacco and alcohol.

More details in Economic policies of Philippine presidential hopefuls

Pandayan Bookshop recently launched a monggo presidential survey, where customers get to place monggo inside plastic bottles labeled with names and faces of the presidential candidates. The presidential candidate that has the most monggo is most likely to win in the upcoming elections.

All of Pandayan bookshop’s 32 branches in Luzon are currently conducting the monggo survey. The beans from each branch will be gathered and counted after the campaign period to determine which candidate is most supported in the region.

Dante Cruz, manager of the San Jose, Nueva Ecija branch, said this kind of survey is more easily understood by the masses.

“Here, you’ll see how people are really choosing their candidates,” merchant Liway Ramos said in Filipino.

Read more in Monggo presidential survey better than SWS, Pulse Asia?

Lakas-Kampi-CMD bet Gilberto Teodoro Jr. and independent candidate Sen. Jamby Madrigal got the warmest welcome and the loudest applause in the “Panaghisgut-hisgut” (Discourse) forum on Mindanao issues held at the Ateneo de Davao last March 9, 2010.

Gibo Teodoro said
“To train women is probably one part of the empowerment. In order to have genuine awareness and equality, you have to train men to respect women. Gender equality and awareness is not so much for the women, but more the men…”

“I will advocate gender awareness education and schooling at the lowest possible level of education, so when children grow up, they grow up having the right culture for gender awareness and respect.”

Jamby Madrigal declared
“The voice of the youth and the indigenous people can only be heard by a government that comes to the grassroots. That is why we are here today to listen to you, unlike those candidates who do not care to listen to you and who are not here. They just want you to believe in their advertisements…”

“Hindi naman po yata tama iyon. Hindi kami natulog para makapunta rito. (That doesn’t seem right at all. In our case, we missed sleep so we could be here.) How can your voices be heard if they don’t listen to you?”

Madrigal received cheers with her acerbic remarks about how the record of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo could possibly affect the future women presidents of the country.

“I hope the next women presidents are not judged on the record of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Mas matangkad naman po kami (We’re taller than that),” the senator said, referring to the President’s short height.

The top three bets Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar and Erap Estrada did not attend the event.  The other presidential bets who attended were Dick Gordon, Nicanor Perlas, JC delos Reyes and Eddie Villanueva.

“Panaghisgut-hisgut” (Discourse) was organized by the Ateneo de Davao University in cooperation with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines- Davao Chapter and the Davao City Chamber of Commerce.

Details at Sans the top three bets, Gibo, Jamby steal show in Ateneo forum.

See complete list of candidates in Davao del Norte,Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental and Compostela Valley