Q & A: ICAPP Chair on South China Sea’s row: Suspend Sovereignty

Recently, political columnist Mortz C. Ortigoza of Northern Watch interviewed former Philippines 5-Time Speaker Jose de Venecia on the pressing issues that caused jittery to the world on the aggressive reclamation and arbitrary possession of islands and reefs by Mainland China being claimed too by other countries at the South China Sea (SCS). De Venecia, known as a political connoisseur, is the founding chairman and co-chairman of the International Conference of Asian, Political Parties (ICAPP). Excerpts:

NORTHERN WATCH (NW): In the book of Bill Hayton’s South China Sea you mentioned at the 3rd Congress of the International Conference of Political Parties in Beijing in 2004 that “we should not allow regional differences” on the problems in the Spratly Islands.

It mentioned there that at your behest the Department of Energy under Undersecretary Eduardo Manalac signed with Mainland China a joint maritime seismic undertaking.

In case you became the Prime Minister on that time, do you think this crisis at the Spratly and Scarborough Shoals between China and the Philippines would not happen?

JOSE DE VENECIA (JDV): We signed it already (chuckle). We signed already on the agreement and we had peace of normalcy on the South China Sea for three or four years!

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VIDEO: PH 5-time House Speaker and political connoisseur Joe de Venecia on South China Sea, China alienating U.S, Japan, Philippines, Grace Poe as favorite Ph presidential bet, Rod Duterte as real package to salvage PH as economic basket case, etc. INTERVIEWER: PROF. MORTZ ORTIGOZA, Political Columnist.

NW: But if you are still with the government now do you think these brouhahas on the SCS would still be happening?

JDV: Well, first we should revived the agreement, continue with the seismic agreement, preparatory drilling of the hydro carbon potential there. And then after that even before that we agree on the equitable project sharing. “Philippines this is your share, China this is your share, Vietnam this is your share, Malaysia you’re farther away, Brunei you’re father away this is your share. Everybody agrees together with Taiwan - okay, let’s start drilling. During the time of drilling, we’ll invite the Americans to drill for us. We invite the Europeans to drill for us, or we can ask the Chinese, because they have so many oil rigs and some of the largest rigs in Asia and the world will ask China, you do conduct the drilling for us. So aside from your share and the hydro carbon, you will get another specific fee for the drilling the wells, which we will be paying anyhow to the Europeans or to the Americans.

NW: Like the German, Norwegian, and the British formula at Ecofisk in the North Seas?

VIDEO: JDV on South China Sea, Grace Poe, Duterte

PH 5-time House Speaker and political connoisseur Joe de Venecia on South China Sea, China alienating U.S, Japan, Philippines,  Grace Poe as favorite Ph presidential bet, Rod Duterte as real package to salvage PH as economic basket case, etc. INTERVIEWER: PROF. MORTZ ORTIGOZA, Political Columnist.

No conflict if Poe, Binay seek NPC support – FPJ Campaign Manager

TRAIL BLAZER. Senator Grace Poe blazed out
2016 presidential rival Vice President Jejomar
Binay in the June 2015 Pulse Asia's  poll survey.

By Mortz Ortigoza

After the son of Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco, the chairman emeritus of the Nationalist People's Coalition, endorsed months ago Vice President Jejomar Binay as his presidential bet in the 2016 election, the 2004 presidential campaign manager in Pangasinan of the late Fernando Poe, Jr. said there is no conflict in case Senator Grace Poe joins the NPC.

No conflict

“Mark (Cojuangco) will wait for what NPC will endorse. He will endorse Binay to the party but he will follow who will be the party will endorse (in the convention). That was what Mark said in Sto. Tomas (Pangasinan) when VP Binay was there,” the chair of Abono Party-List and Samahang Industriya at Agrikultura said.

NPC is the second most powerful party after the Liberal Party in the country.

The brouhahas that NPC would face a dilemma after the young Cojuangco, the provincial chair of the NPC in the vote rich Pangasinan endorsed last March Binay as his personal choice for the Presidency spawned a stir at the social media after Chairman So, a political ally of the Cojuangcos, brought recently  in Pangasinan Senator Poe for powwows.

A stir

“Paano na si Binay ni FC (former Congressman) Mark Cojuangco? Kung si Grace Poe pala ang manok ni Campaign Manager?” posed at Face Book by Vangie Padilla, a media ally of gubernatorial aspirant Amado Espino III, the son and name sake of Pangasinan Governor Espino, and Cojuangco’s putative rival for the governorship in the 2016 election.

So said that the statement in the meeting at Sto. Tomas  of Cojuangco answered all the questions after Cojuangco endorsed last March in Binmaley, Pangasinan Binay as his personal candidate for president.

Padilla lauded So for enlightening her.

“Okay.My apologies for not being there Chairman, with your reply I am enlightened,“ She said.

Cojuangco announced last March that he would honor whom the NPC supports in the presidential election.

“Bagama’t ako po ay pribadong tao, ako ang chairman ng Nationalist People’s Coalition dito sa probinsiya. Ang proseso namin sa pagpili ng aming susuportahan ay proseso na dinidesisyunan ng mga nakatataas sa amin. Pero bilang chairman, ipaglalaban ko na ma-adopt si VP Binay ng aming partido bilang kandidato namin para sa pagka-presidente ng Pilipinas pagdating ng 2016”.

Liberal Party stalwart and Pangasinan former Congresswoman Rachel Arenas, a senatorial wannabe, denied that Cojuangco’s endorsement of Binay was final.

“Ang pagka-intinde ko Cong Mark has not really endorsed. Ang nangyari lang ang sabi ni Cong Mark he is waiting for the party’s decision. But alam ko the vice president visited and Cong Mark was with him. Siguro to give respect also because he is the incumbent second highest positioned (person) in the land”.
Arenas, her mother  Representative Rosemarie "Baby" Arenas (3rd District, Pangasinan), Former Speaker Jose de Venecia, Representative Gina de Venecia (4th District, Pangasinan, and Representative Marlyn Primicias-Agabas (6th District, Pangasinan) are loyal political allies of Cojuangco.

NPC members gravitates for Poe-Escudeto's tandem

Earlier, Deputy House Speaker Giorgidi Aggabao, the NPC president, was reported as saying that party members were inclined to support a Poe - (Senator Chiz) Escudero presidential and vice presidential ticket.

“There’s nothing definite, but most of us, most of the members of the NPC, agree with what President Aggabao said,” Senator Tito Sotto said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Sotto cited that the duo could easily get the backing of the NPC because they are considered as “closet members” of the Party.

Both Poe and Escudero have no party affiliation.

Escudero was a former presidential bet of the party in the 2010 election but backed out and resigned from the NPC but remained friendly with the party.

Incompetent Cathay Pacific

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

Just saw on the TV evening news a father, who earlier maltreated his young children, was arrested and charged with criminal cases. "My apology, I did it because I don't have work," he remorsefully said
.
Geez, this what I was saying before: As long as we have no effective family planning programs where government gives free contraceptives to the poor, as long as we have this 60-40% xenophobic business equity in our Constitution in favor of the local businessmen, as long as our power/electricity bill is one of the most expensive in the world that discourages foreign investors to come here and provide jobs , scene like a parent scandalously abused their children will continue as our runaway population balloon. How can the Catholic priests and those Holier-than-thou individuals in our country answer this demographic problem’s poser?

***
Think twice in case you want to avail the service of Hong-Kong based Cathay Pacific (CP). Two Filipinos, one lives in Great Britain and one in Mindanao, have been seething their teeth the way the airline management treated them. 
After seeing the post at Face Book of Nene Hall, a town mate who lives now in Great Britain,  being given a ran around by the airline’s management in that country,  here’s another complainant who narrated to me how CP evaded him with its responsibility. 
Bonifacio Diestro Dulos said that on June 3 he arrived in Manila through CP’s Flight CX 907 but found his baggage, that contained U.S $1,500 valuables, was lost. CP management in Manila gave him a form and told him if they could not trace the baggage in one week the airline pays him. 
Already two weeks from now Cathay personnel would not answer his query for his baggage or the payment.
“Sir, what would I do? I'm here in Davao still waiting for Cathay’s reply,” he told me in Visayan.
He said he was disappointed with Cathay that he would go to the Philippine major TV and radio stations to denounce the airline.
If I would be the management of Cathay, they should move pronto and settle the beef of Dulos. 

Remember, the Philippine has millions of overseas contract workers and resident abroad that patronize air travel. The expose’ of Dulos could make you lose thousands of passengers and millions of dollars of revenue. 
***
 As a government licensed Civil Service and Teacher’s Board eligible, I followed with interest any increase in compensation and emolument of our government workers.
During the administrations of Presidents Fidel V. Ramos, Joseph Estrada, and Gloria M. Arroyo it was normal, although modicum, to have a yearly spike of salaries to those overworked but poorly paid civil servants.
Under President Benigno Aquino III, I could hardly hear government workers receive a hike on their salaries.
“Since he became president he did not give any increase to our salary,” a high school principal told me.
But Bureau of Internal Revenue keeps collecting trillion of pesos of revenues every year, why the absence of pay hikes with the government workers?
Was it because we frantically buttress our military's defence presence at the West Philippine Sea by  buying multibillion of pesos combat jets, ships, and other armaments thus our pay spikes to our civil servants are prejudiced?
***

I met a reporter of GMA-7 TV he told me that a 30 “seconder” infomercial for a politician who aspires for an elective public office in the 2016 election costs P10,000 only while it cost P30,000 at its regional rival ABS-CBN.
“The price will spike during the campaign period. A “30 seconder” in our TV for national viewing is pegged at  P250,000 at election time ,” he said.
I told him that a 30 minute bloc time in the prime time program of Bombo Radyo costs a client P30, 000 a day or P1000 per minute.
“But they are all money’s worth, because your TV and this radio station deliver. Unlike those media outlets that bill you cheaply but there is a dearth of listeners or viewers that patronize them,” I opined.
Besides, advertisers are not stupid enough by just a dropped of a hat they pay  immediately the prohibitive prices these media outfits bill.  They base their decisions on the scientific surveys from Manila that cite the “Who’s Who” in the TV and radio industries that has the most patrons in the province or the region.

***
Look how idiotic this lady elective town official in a first class town in Pangasinan. The vice mayor and many members of the Sangguniang Bayan (town council) have been exposing to the media the patent and scandalous strings of corruptions of the mayor.
After the press conference the vice mayor and the dads called, I asked one of the lawmakers why the lady solon, known to duke-out, too with the mayor, did not join their press meeting in the hotel-restaurant.
“Ayan niyang sumali. Hindi daw siya na naniniwala sa press con- press con. Gusto niya daw ipa-impeach naming kaagad si mayor,’ the dad sadly said.
One of the councillors who has a rag to riches story commented:: “High school graduate lang natapos naming ng mga ibang kasama ko pero di ba pag impeachment Presidente o Supreme Court Justice iyon? Nakakatakot itong si Konsehala, impeachment kaagad, di ba pueding recall muna ayon sa Local Government Code?” he posed to me.
***
CAREER CHANGE NA AKO SA MANGHUHULA (Fortune teller). Last May I fearlessly predicted in my column and strongly bet that Boxing King Floyd Mayweather would dominate and win against Filipino Manny Pacquaio. Early this month I wrote that Senator Grace Poe would top the next presidential survey versus Vice President Jojo Binay.  
Senator Poe just dusted off with 8 percentage point poll rival VP Binay as published today by Pulse Asia, and would become the President of the Philippine if election was held on May 30 to June 5. HERE'S AN EXCERPT OF MY EARLIER COLUMN  that you can accessed at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com/2015/06/god-save-us-from-senator-manny-pacquiao.html : "But if the next poll conducted by the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia had covered June 2 to 5 media’s hullabaloo that Poe, a foundling, has been left as an infant inside the Jaro Cathedral in Jaro, Iloilo (psst our ancestral home is just at the back of the church, teh-heh!) by her poor parent to be picked by the daughter of an illustrative family named Jalandoni, gee whiz I bet, Grace poll’s stocks would eclipse those of Binay and dusted off those sorry presidential wannabees trying their best to boost their polls rating"

(You can read my selected columns at http://mortzortigoza.blogspot.com and articles at Pangasinan News Aro. You can send comments too at totomortz@yahoo.com)

PNPAyer heads PMAyer friendly huge PD’s post

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

I was with the public relation (PR) men of a presidential aspirant the other day. One of them told me that when his PR man, a guy involved in corruption charges in the past, showed him his political advertisement bills on TV, radio, and newspapers, the aspirant nearly fell from his chair.

Pangasinan OIC Provincial Director Senior Supt. Rolie Saltat (2nd from right).
 He is an amicable member of the Class of 1987 of the Philippine National
 Police Academy

 Why? Gee whiz, it was a staggering P200 million infomercials in the past months and election is still 11 months away.

This presidential bet has been telling all and sundry that he has no moist eye for the presidency but yet he has the propensity to put several P250,000  per 30 “seconder” on the three major TV stations in the country.

***

This story was narrated to me by a chief of police (COP) who asked the mayor if he wants the COP to kill the paramour (kalaguyo) of his wife.

The COP told me that the mayor and the wife have lucrative piggery business. But the good looking “magbababoy” ni Mayor absconded, er, ran off with the mayor’s wife.

“Sir, alam namin kong saan sila nakatira, gusto niyo ako mismo ang papatay sa magbababoy ninyo?” the COP, a police major, asked the soft spoken and down-to-earth mayor.

The hizzoner begged off the major not to harm the wife and the paramour.

Pabayaan mo na sila.

“Sobra naman si misis bakit magbaba-boy pa ang pinatulan?” I asked in disbelief.

The COP told me that the lover of the mayor’s wife is not really a caretaker of the piggery but a veterinarian.

“I just used the term “magbababoy” because what they were doing (with the mayor’s pretty wife) was bestiality or kababuyan,” he explained to me.

He said the mayor is a kind hearted guy that his constituents keeps electing him as hizzoner, he allowed the caretaker and his wife to take care of the piggery with his hundreds of heads of hogs.

“Kuya pa rin ang tawag ng kabit ni misis kay mayor. Okay naman now si mayor. He got a lived in partner who is a married public school teacher”.

Now both the mayor and the veterinarian are enjoying their bestial existence in that town.

Grace Poe for president in a coalition – FPJ Campaign Manager

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

A campaign manager of then presidential candidate Fernando Poe,Jr and the No.1 supporter of Senator Grace Poe in Pangasinan said that the latter will be joining a coalition of political parties and not the Liberal Party in case she decides to run for the presidency in the 2016 election.

Rosendo So (extreme right), renowned political kingmaker in Pangasinan, 
poses with (from left) former Congressman Mark Cojuangco, the chair of
the Nationalist People's Coalition in the province, Senators Grace Poe and
Chiz Escudero. Both senators have been a long time allies of  So and Co-
juangco.

Rosendo So, a renowned kingmaker of the 3 million populated province, said that Senator Poe would not be running under the Liberal Party (LP) or the Nationalist People’s Coalition but she would take shelter on the coalition of major political parties sans LP that believe her as the real deal on the 2016 presidential election.

“The other parties that would coalesce for her presidential bid are any of the following:  NPC, Nationalista incase  Senator Alan Peter Cayetano foregoes his presidential ambition, Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan in case Davao Mayor Rodrigo Duterte nixes his presidential bid, People Power-Christian Muslim Democrats under Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez, Centrist Democratic Party of the Philippines  under Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, Kilusang Bagong Lipunan under Rep. Imelda Marcos, Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino under former Senator Edgardo Angara, Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino under former President Joseph Estrada , and People's Reform Party under Senator Merriam Santiago,” a source, who asked anonymity, who is closed to Senator Poe, said.

The same source said the lady senator, who was breathing 4 points behind Vice President Jejomar Binay for the presidential run in 2016 based on the May 8 to 18 survey of Manila Standard Today (MST), will not join the LP because the leadership and the card carrying members there would fight tooth and nail for Local Government Secretary Mar Roxas' inclusion as the presidential contender of the party that adopted President Benigno Aquino III in the 2010 presidential election.

The source doubts Roxas can win the presidential derby as its stocks continue to plunge as reflected by the latest survey. He placed No. 4 with Senator Santiago with eight percentages each.

The MST surveys, published too by the prestigious Rapple.com online magazine, saw Binay in No.1 with 28 percent, Poe in No. 2 with 24 percentages point.

Manila Mayor  Estrada and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte were tied in third place with 10 percent each.

Senator Miriam Santiago and Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II—the administration’s presumptive standard bearer—shared the fourth spot at eight percent each.

Senator Francis Escudero was in fifth place at four percent; Senators Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Cayetano were tied in sixth place at three percent each; and former Senator Panfilo Lacson was in seventh place at one percent.

Those polled were also most likely to give their vote to Poe if their preferred presidential bet decided to withdraw from the race.

Among the possible candidates for vice president, Poe led the pack at 23 percent with Escudero at close second at 16 percent.

God, save us from “Senator” Manny Pacquiao

By MORTZ C. ORTIGOZA

A presidential poll survey conducted by Manila Standard Today (MST) last May 8 to 18 said that Vice President Jejomar Binay plunged to 28% points while Senator Grace Poe breathes at the back of his neck like an albatross with 24% points

World Boxing Icon Manny Pacquiao

Davao City Mayor Rod Duterte and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada were far below with 10% points each.

I don’t know how scientific this 1,200 respondents fairly spread all over the country based on  status of works, ages, to name a few of the country’s demography as polled by veteran pollster Junie Laylo - an in-house surveyor of   MST, but if the next poll conducted by the Social Weather Station and Pulse Asia had covered June 2 to 5 media’s hullaballoo that Poe, a foundling, has been left as an infant inside the Jaro Cathedral in Jaro, Iloilo (psst our ancestral home is just at the back of the church, teh-heh!) by her poor parent to be picked by the daughter of an illustrative family named Jalandoni, gee whiz I bet, Grace poll’s stocks would eclipse those of Binay and dusted off those sorry presidential wannabees trying their best to boost their polls rating.

Filipinos love those with sorry stories like the one Mary Grace Poe had.

The survey also tells that if either one of all the putative presidential rivals of Poe withdrawS they would vote for the lady senator.

***

Oh, the survey also polled who lands on the Top 12 of the senatorial race in the 2016 polls.

Sad to tell you folks that “si “Push mo iyan ‘teh” former Pangasinan Congresswoman Rachel Arenas, did not make it. If Arenas, who I met at Davao City’s airport last week, was excluded, Sarangani Congressman Manny Pacquiao, known for his patent and scandalous absences in the August Chamber every time it has a session, became shoo-in.

Geez, the guy, known as mambubutas ng upu-an sa Congress (a dead wood congressman), has not yet started to spend in the hustling his U.S $160 million or P7 billion (inclusive of taxes and shares of his team) took on his ho-hum mega fight with boxing king Floyd Mayweather.

I felt sad this clown Pacquiao inclusion for the Magic 12 as his presence would have been an insult to brilliant Senate members that awed Filipinos once a upon a time. 
Names like Jovito Salonga, Claro M. Recto, Arturo Tolentino, Rene Saguisag, and others made us stand tall whenever we remembered how they deliberate on proposed laws on the hallowed halls of the August Chamber. Present breed like Alan Peter Cayetano, Chiz Escudero, Merriam Defensor-Santiago make us stout hearted every time they cross examined their devious resource persons thinking at least taxpayers monies did not go to drain in paying the salaries and emoluments of these solons.

But it saddened me to think how the hell Filipinos voted "simpletons" like Lito Lapid, Abigail Binay, the father and son Revillas, Tito Sotto and now Manny Pacquiao.

Here’s Saguisag, in his letter to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, who reminded Pacquiao that a congressional post means serious work and should not be taken lightly.

He added that if Pacquiao is serious about running for the Senate and even the presidency, then he should retire immediately and do his homework.

''If so, he should retire now from the 'Manly Art of Modified Murder on Instalment Plan' and start studying,'' said Saguisag. ''We do not underrate his capacity for subjective growth. He should read the Constitution now and confirm that he cannot run for president until 2022, when he will have met the age requirement.''

Saguisag added that the fighting congressman should accept his limitations. He pointed out that Pacquiao fared badly as a PBA playing coach.