Death toll from Philippine floods hits 100: govt

MANILA, Philippines (AFP) - – The death toll from devastating floods in the Philippine capital and surrounding areas has climbed to 100, with 32 people still missing, the government said Monday.

In its latest update, the National Disaster Coordination Council said the number of people displaced in Saturday's deluge had risen to more than 451,000.

The government had said earlier Monday that the death toll was 86.

As you can see in all the televisions and youtube's a lot of Filipino people were died and lost their love one's. its really painful for them of what had happened. The typhoon ONDOY caused such damaged for them. They dont have food to eat, and clean bed to rest with.

Despite of that, we are so happy knowing that there are lots of people who are willing to help and willing to share their blessings.

Thank you so much for those who helped and send their donations.

Kris names other celebrities for Noynoy

MANILA - Actress-host Kris Aquino thanked all the celebrities who have volunteered to help the candidacy of her only brother, Senator Benigno "Noynoy" III, in the May 2010 presidential elections.

In an interview with ABS-CBN News on Wednesday, Kris admitted that she has already received calls and text messages from stars who are willing to help campaign for her brother.

The Queen of Talk said she's really overwhelmed and touched by the expressions of support from her friends in showbiz.

"Naiyak ako talaga kasi pinadala ni Ogie Alcasid 'yung song na he wrote for Noy. Regine sang it, they recorded it," Kris said.

She also shared that Concert King Martin Nievera will be composing a song for Noynoy. The song will be performed by Nievera and Divine Diva Zsa Zsa Padilla.

"Mayroon siyang kinompose naman na awitin niya with Zsa Za," she said.

To show their gratitude--and for the stars to personally meet her brother--the Aquino family will host a dinner for them on October 4, Sunday.

"I'm really overwhelmed kasi with so many stars, it just took a text or a call, and [now] we are having dinner with a lot of them [on] October 4, kasi we want them to meet Noynoy. Its ‘getting to know you’ kasi it's important na 'yong taong susuportahan mo makilala mo at makausap mo," she said.

Kris also said there are 16 stars who confirmed have their attendance to the dinner.

Among the celebrities expected to come are Mariel Rodriguez, Claudine Barretto, Bea Alonzo, Anne Curtis and Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson. They have offered to help Noynoy.

"Si Jodi Sta. Maria-Lacson, we worked together and we are very good friends. And I told her 'I didn't ask you because I didn't want any political color and I didn't want to put you on the spot.' And she said, 'But Kris, I love you and your family and that's why I'm texting you, you have my support, and whatever materials I can give you, it's my personal donation to you,'" Kris said.

Kris also said she cried when she learned about Pokwang's decision to support her brother instead of another presidential candidate.

"Kay Pokwang, naiyak ako don talaga kasi malaking bagay 'yon. Sabi ko, 'Hindi namin kayang tapatan kung ano ang ino-offer sa iyo.' Sabi niya, 'Ano ka ba? Mahal kita at mahal ko si Noy.' Yon, so many people, instead na kumita pa sa kampyang, ito nag-aabono pa for us," she said.

While Pokwang's support made Kris cry, she laughed after reading Queen of Comedy Ai-Ai delas Alas's text message.

"I just wanted to say na thank you also talaga to Ai-Ai. Ang cute, kasi kasi sabi niya, 'Friendship, huwag mo lang ako ipapadala kung saan ako makikidnap kasi alam ko wala kang pantubos sa akin.' So gusto kong mag-thank you sa kanilang lahat,” Kris said.

'No politics in hosting'

To avoid being accused of bias, Kris said that she has decided not to tackle politics in her shows, "The Buzz" and “SNN: Showbiz News Ngayon."

"It's just that ayaw kong may kulay and ayaw kong sabihan kami na I use my shows for Noy. I just really want to be careful about that. So, whenever there's...may politics involved or may mga news involved, I really try na si Boy ang nag-[ho-host or nagi-spiel noon]. And of course, if I have to answer anything on behalf of the family, I do," she said.

Kris said that she really wants to help and support her brother’s candidacy, but she stressed that she will now be doing it outside of her programs.

"Natural lang naman na gusto mong suportahan mo ang kapatid mo, pero mas maganda naman na magawa ko ito outside my work. Tutal naman ang kinikita ko sa work ko sa kanya na," Kris said.

'Real score with Korina'

After revealing in public that she and popular broadcaster Korina Sanchez have reestablished communications and are now “united” again in support of the Liberal Party tandem, Kris admitted that she has not had a chance to personally talk to Sanchez..

"Kasi mahirap naman na loving-loving na kami. We haven't seen each other, hindi pa kami nagkakausap. Naiintindihan ko na she's busy with her wedding," the host said.

Sanchez will be marrying Senator Mar Roxas, the erstwhile Liberal Party standard-bearer, on October 27. Roxas gave up his presidential bid in favor of Noynoy Aquino.

Kris said she's hoping that she and Korina will be able to find time to talk and bond again, but stressed that what is important now is their support for the men they love.

"Ang importante, si Noy at Mar ay nagkakasundo. Support lang naman kami dito, hindi kami bida. For once in our lives, kami ang nasa likod lang, so dapat kung naasan sila, doon kami," she said.

On Wednesday, September 23, Kris with her sisters Pinky, Viel and Ballsy, recorded rosary songs for Star Records. According to Kris, the CD is their birhday gift for their mom, the late President Corazon Aquino, who was known for her devotion to The Holy Rosary.

Lacson speech a 'diversionary tactic' - Jinggoy

MANILA, Philippines -- Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada accused Sen. Panfilo Lacson of diverting the issue because of the latter’s alleged involvement in the Bubby Dacer- Emmanuel Corbito double murder case.

During his privilege speech at the Senate today (Sept. 15), the younger Estrada accused Lacson of telling false and baseless statements against his father.

"Mr. Lacson in desperation is now using the Senate floor to divert attention to Estrada and away from his forthcoming non-bailable murder charge that will be filed against him," he said.

"Mr. Lacson is using the Senate floor... so he can lie to his teeth." he added.

After the brief retort, Lacson stood up to interpolate his colleague but Estrada said the former police chief should just deliver another privilege speech to rebut the remarks.

Lacson, with no chance to make the interpolation, merely made a manifestation, belying claims that the older Estrada did not know Lacson and just "plucked out from obscurity."

"It is inaccurate. We first met when he was still mayor in 1973 when I arrested him after mauling the late Rudy Fernandez. Since then, we knew each other," he said.

In his privilege speech yesterday, Lacson enumerated Estrada’s excesses and criminal activities during his term as president. The accusations ranged from the former chief executive's alleged involvement in smuggling, illegal gambling and the shakedown of a businessman

Graft raps filed vs Mikey over undeclared US property

A group of militant government workers on Thursday filed a graft complaint against presidential son and Pampanga Representative Juan Miguel “Mikey" Arroyo for his failure to declare in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) a property he acquired in the United States in 2006.

In a seven-page complaint-affidavit, the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) asked the Office of the Ombudsman to investigate Mikey for allegedly acquiring ill-gotten wealth.

The group said the eldest son of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo violated provisions of Republic Act 6713 (Code of Conduct for Public Officials) and the RA 3019 (Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act). "Hindi niya (Arroyo) dineklara ‘yung properties niya sa kanyang SALN. Tingin namin, na-violate niya ang RA 6713 for filing an inaccurate SALN (He did not declare his properties in his SALN. As we see it, he violated RA 6713 for filing an inaccurate SALN)," Courage president Ferdinand Gaite told GMANews.TV in a phone interview.

This page requires a higher version browser

Gaite also said that Arroyo has yet to give a "satisfactory explanation" on how he acquired all his wealth. "So far, wala pang satisfactory explanation kung paano niya i-nacquire iyan. Kung hindi niya maipapaliwanag, violation iyon ng Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act," he said.

But according to Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni, the investigation into Mikey's SALN had started a week ago based on an anonymous complaint filed online on the Ombudsman Web site. Mikey found himself in the center of controversy last week after Vera Files reported that he did not declare in his SALNs a P63.7-million residential house he acquired in San Francisco, California after he became a congressman. Mikey has denied irregularities in his SALN, saying the house was owned by a company called Beach Way LLC, of which he is a shareholder. He said his being a shareholder of the firm was reflected in his SALN. The Pampanga representative also said that a large portion of his wealth came from wedding gifts and campaign donations. But in a separate report, Vera Files bared that Mikey had also failed to declare before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) the contributions he received when he ran as Pampanga representative in 2004 and 2007.

Mikey Arroyo fails to declare contributions

Mikey said on national television Tuesday that campaign contributions and wedding gifts were partly the reason his declared net worth ballooned from P5.7 million in 2001 to P74.4 million in 2004 and then to P99.2 million last year. Mikey wed his second cousin Angela Arroyo Montenegro in 2002.

The numbers say Mikey’s net worth grew by more than 1,600 percent in the seven years that he has been a public official. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s eldest son, a one-time movie actor, became vice governor of Pampanga in 2001, and was elected congressman of the province’s second district in 2004 and 2007.

“Siyempre unang una, kinasal tayo. Medyo nagkaroon tayo ng maraming regalo. Tapos pag kampanya, siyempre kahit paano maraming tumutulong sa atin (Of course, first I got married. We received a lot of gifts. Then during campaigns, somehow we get contributions),” Mikey told Solita Monsod and Arnold Clavio, hosts of the morning show “Unang Hirit.”

But his statements of contributions and expenses for the last two congressional elections show zero donations to his campaign, which he reported as having been funded from his own pocket.
Mikey declared campaign expenses of P483,000 in 2004 and P552,876.15 in 2007. His 2007 spending included posters and leaflets, P246,740.10; gas and diesel, P88,332.80; meals, P148,560; rental of building, P40,000; and miscellaneous expenses, specifically financial assistance to indigents, P29,243.25.

The Omnibus Election Code requires candidates to file a “full, true and itemized statement of all contributions and expenditures in connection with the election” within 30 days after the election. This means the candidate is supposed to declare contributions in all forms and amounts made by all donors.

Election law expert Sixto Brillantes said Mikey could have committed perjury for failing to report the campaign contributions he received.

He added, “If he used that (campaign contributions) for personal purposes, then he should report that as an income, as a donation. If he did not report that, then he violated the Income Tax Law.” The Internal Revenue Code imposes a donor’s tax on donations.

Mikey’s appearance on Unang Hirit stemmed from a VERA Files report that said he failed to declare in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Network (SALN) for 2007 and 2008 a million-dollar beachfront house in Foster City, California, currently registered in his wife’s name.

VERA Files also reported that Mikey and his brother, Camarines Rep. Diosdado Ignacio “Dato” Arroyo, started buying houses in California and acquiring local business interests soon after they became congressmen.

Mikey said he and his family could well afford to buy houses in California, including the $1.32 million (P63.7 million) property at 1655 Beach Park Blvd in Foster City he bought and transferred to his wife’s name in August 2006.

He also insisted, “(The Foster City house) belongs to a company named Beach Way LLC. I’m not the sole owner. I’m part of the owners. I own about 20 to 30 percent, 40 something, like that…She (my wife) doesn’t own anything.”

The interspousal deed transfer recorded in August 2006 as Document No. 2006-126985 in the San Mateo County Assessor’s Office, however, shows “Juan Miguel Arroyo” granting the house in Foster City to his wife “Angela Arroyo Montenegro.”

Although Mikey listed Beach Way Park LLC in his 2007 and 2008 SALN, the San Mateo County Assessor’s Office has no record of Beach Way Park LLC (Limited Liability Company) owning the Foster City property. There is also no listing of a business entity named Beach Way Park in the county assessor’s office, California Secretary of State and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The company is also not registered with the Philippine SEC.

Instead, the most recent entry on the Arroyo’s Beach Way Park on the county assessor’s database is Document No. 2008-041550 recorded in April 2008 in which Indy Mac Bank (now OneWest Bank) “reconveyed” or returned the Foster City property to Angela “by reason of the payment of the indebtedness.” She had mortgaged the house for $858,000.

SALN filing guidelines require public officials to declare property owned by their spouses.

Mikey also told Unang Hirit that the Foster City house is not for sale.

VERA Files reported that the property was being sold after confirming that it was—and still is—advertised as for sale on the real estate Websites www.zillow.com and www.ewalk.com. The ewalk Website names the asking price: $1.38 million.

The San Mateo Tax Collector/Treasurer’s Office assessed the value of the Foster City property at $1.35 million in 2008 and $1.37 million this year. Data from this office also show the $14,511.48 property tax was paid last Jan. 16 and payment of the $14,869.62 property tax for 2009 falls due on April 10, 2010.

Mikey said on TV that the “residential house” in the U.S. he declared in his 2005 and 2006 SALNs are two different houses. “We sold the (2005) house after five or six months,” he said, and then bought another house.

Of the U.S. house declared in the 2006 SALN, Mikey said, “Nabenta rin ito (We also sold this). It’s not the Foster City residence.” This means he bought three houses from 2005 to 2006, but did not identify the other property.

Asked by Clavio about reports he had bought another property in the U.S., Mikey said, “Meron, pero hindi sa kin yun (There is, but it’s not mine).” He and Clavio then laughed.

Aside from the house in Foster City, the San Mateo County Assessor’s Office records the Arroyos’ purchase in September 2005 of their three-bedroom unit at the Manors Condominiums at 805 Mendocino Way in Redwood City for $900,000.

Like the Foster City house, Mikey had transferred the property to his wife. Angela sold the property in December 2006 for $880,000, four months after they bought the Foster City property.

Former Civil Service Commission Chair Karina David told another television program last week that the transfer of ownership to wives or husbands of properties that may have been acquired illegally has been a practice by government officials who cannot explain their wealth acquisition.

On the sudden increase in his assets, Mikey said, “(It’s not) ill-gotten, hindi naman kalakihan ’yan (It’s not too big).”

Under Republic Act 6758, a vice governor receives a monthly compensation equivalent to salary grade 28, with a pay ranging from P15,180 to P16,275. A congressman receives a basic salary of P35,000 a month or P420,000 a year, according to the Commission on Audit.

In the three years he served as vice governor, Mikey should have earned a gross income of P634,725, including 13th month pay. Despite having declared no real property or business interests while still vice governor, even after his marriage to Angela, save for P2.1 million of unspecified shares of stock in 2001 and 2002 and about P3 million in bank deposits, he managed to acquire by 2004 a house in Lubao, Pampanga, worth P4 million and a house in La Vista in Quezon City for P8 million. He did not report having borrowed money or incurred other liabilities before he was elected congressman.

In his first term as congressman, Mikey’s gross salary should have totaled P1.26 million.

Mikey declared acquisition of businesses in 2006: Mikey’s Horseman Bar and Grill Inc., Visualtoon Creations Inc. and LPG Auto Gas. Shortly after he got elected in 2007, he again declared new business interests: Los Manos Verdes Inc. and Beach Way Park but stopped declaring Visualtoon. In 2008, he declared his investment in U18 Properties Inc. and La Vista Investments and Holdings Inc.

Mikey also first declared in 2005 a “personal loan from relatives” of P27.1 million, an amount he continued to list among his liabilities until July 2007, indicating that the loan went unpaid. In December 2007, his “advances from relatives” climbed to P33.8 million. The same entry and amount appear in his December 2008 declarations.

He lists cash in bank and on bank (P51 million in 2008 and P46 million in 2007), and stock portfolios (P44 million in both years) as his most substantial assets.

Although Mikey said his wealth was not that big, the Foster City house and the Redwood City condo that he and his wife still owned in 2006 had a combined value of $2.22 million or about P108 million, an amount that could have bought 2.16 million textbooks for public school children.

Unable to explain the gaps in his SALN, Mikey said his lawyers “made a mistake” in filing the SALN and the law allows him to correct the errors in his annual declarations. “Hindi pa tayo sanay mag-file ng SAL (We were not yet used to filing SALs),” he said.

David said while the law allows corrections to the SALN, the mistake should not have been repeatedly committed.

“Pero kung taun-taon at mali at kinorek mo, ang question diyan ay hindi iyong ikaw ba ay nagsinungaling lamang kundi pati kung kaya mo bang panindigan na kumita ka ng ganun kalaking halaga para makakuha ng ganyang klase ng kayamanan (If the mistake was committed every year and you corrected it, the question here is not only whether you are lying but also whether you can explain how you were able to acquire that kind of wealth),” she said.

On Unang Hirit, Mikey challenged his detractors, “Why don’t you just sue me in court? Get it over with?”

The SALN Manual says, “The SALN is made under oath. Falsification of information or failure to file or report information required to be reported may subject you to disciplinary/criminal action. Knowing and willful falsification of information required to be reported may also subject you to criminal prosecution.”

Under Republic Act 6713 entitled “Establishing a Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees,” the penalties for willful falsification of information ranges from imprisonment of five years or less, a fine of P5,000 or less, and dismissal from the service.

David said a government official caught lying in his SALN can be charged with perjury. Lying in the SALN can also be interpreted as having unexplained wealth, which can be a basis for a graft case, she said.—Ellen Tordesillas, Avigail Olarte, Yvonne Chua and Luz Rimban.

*(VERA Files is the work of senior journalists taking a deeper look at current issues. Vera is Latin for “true.”)

Arroyo declares Sept. 7 and 21 as non-working holidays

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Friday declared September 7 and 21 as non-working holidays.

Malacañang said September 7 will be observed as a “national day of mourning" in honor of Iglesia ni Cristo’s executive minister Eraño Manalo, who passed away last Monday due to cardiopulmonary arrest.

Mrs. Arroyo said flags in government offices will be flown at half-mast for the spiritual leader’s burial.

The declaration of September 21 is in observance of the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan.

Both Sept. 7 and 21 are Mondays.

Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez father-in-law surrenders

MANILA, Philippines - One of the primary suspects in the 2007 murder of Ruby Rose Barrameda-Jimenez, her own father-in-law, surrendered to police in Angono town, Rizal yesterday afternoon.

Angono police chief Superintendent Rommel Estolano told us that lawyer Manuel Jimenez Jr., accompanied by his wife, Merced, gave himself up at around 2:15 p.m.

Estolano said Malabon Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 170 Judge Hector Almeda issued a warrant of arrest against Jimenez yesterday for murder and recommended no bail be granted the suspect.

He said Jimenez learned from friends that an arrest warrant had been issued against him, prompting his decision to surrender.

Jimenez was brought to the Angono Medic Hospital after complaining of chest pains but was later declared out of danger, Estolano said.

He told us Jimenez will be in the Angono police’s custody and will be transferred to the Parañaque police.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) filed murder charges last Aug. 24 before a Navotas RTC against Jimenez; his younger brother, Lope, who owns the Buena Suerte Jimenez Fishing and Trading Co; Manuel Montero, who confessed to participating in the killing and testified for the Barrameda family; and Eric Fernandez, Spyke Discalzo and Roberto Ponce.

The DOJ investigating panel cleared Ruby Rose’s estranged husband, Manuel Jimenez III; and Rudy de la Cruz.

The Barramedas recently asked the DOJ to reconsider Jimenez III’s acquittal.

Ruby Rose was on her way to visit her two daughters at her husband’s house in Las Piñas when she disappeared last March 14, 2007.

A body, which police and Montero claim was that of Ruby Rose was fished out of the seawaters off Navotas on June 11.

Meanwhile, two police teams from the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) served the arrest warrant on Lope Jimenez in his office in Navotas and his residence in Parañaque City but failed to find him

2 witnesses in Dacer-Corbito case

Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera assured Thursday that two more witnesses in the killing of publicist Salvador "Bubby" Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito in November 2000 have been taken to "safe places."

Devanadera said that the two other witnesses, who have admitted to their involvement in the killing and burning of Dacer and Corbito's corpses, are now being convinced by the Department of Justice to allow themselves to be placed under the Witness Protection Program (WPP) again.

The DOJ made the move after the killing on Wednesday of Jimmy Lopez, a self-proclaimed civilian agent of the defunct Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF), who admitted receiving Dacer and Corbito in his home in Cavite province from police agents.

Lopez claimed that after keeping Dacer and Corbito in his home in November 2000, the PAOCTF agents brought the two to a nearby creek and strangled them.

He said that he and his brother William and two other men burned Dacer and Corbito's corpses. The publicist and his driver's burned bodies were found in Indang town the same month and year.

Devanadera said the two other witnesses, who she did not name, "also know the same things."

She said Lopez and the other witnesses have been out of the WPP after testifying in court. She said Lopez was the first to get out of the WPP, declaring that he did not see any need for it anymore.

"He practically waived it. He did not find the need for it," Devanadera said, adding that Lopez was only being financially-supported by the government, at the time he was killed.

Lopez was with a woman when unidentified gunmen barged into his home at Phase 1, Reginaville 2000 in Trece Martirez City around 3:30 a.m. Wednesday.

He was supposed to appear before the DOJ on Thursday morning with three other witnesses to affirm the case filed by Dacer's daughters supposedly against Sen. Panfilo Lacson, former commander of PAOCTF.

No suspects yet

Devanadera, meanwhile, clarified that the police and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) have yet to determine the real motive for Lopez's killing.

She declined to answer when asked if the people who killed the "vital witness" are the same people involved in the Dacer-Corbito murders.

"Right now, we don't have any suspects. Let's see what turns out [in the investigations]. The murder is being treated as one with the victim of violence. I don't want to put any color to it," the DOJ secretary said.

Cavite police investigators said Lopez died of 18 bullet wounds in the body while the woman sustained 17 bullet wounds.

Superintendent Alfred Corpus, Cavite provincial police director, said they are looking at at least three angles to the killing.

Corpus said aside from being a witness in the Dacer-Corbito murder, Lopez is also included in the police's "hotlist" of drug personalities in the province. He said the woman with him was his lover, which indicates a possible love angle.

Roxas’ decision to step aside makes LP ‘formidable’

Malacañang on Wednesday conceded that the decision of Sen. Manuel Roxas II to give way to Sen. Benigno Simeon “Noynoy" Aquino as Liberal Party standard bearer in the 2010 presidential elections made the party “formidable," but doubted whether the so-called “Cory magic" would last long.

In a press briefing, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said Roxas’ move created awareness that LP, one of the oldest political parties in the Philippines, is still alive.

Sen. Manuel “Mar" Roxas II on Tuesday said Aquino made it clear to him that he is ready to carry the torch of leadership. Roxas made the announcement as he withdrew from the 2010 presidential race so that Noynoy could run. [See: Mar gives way to Noynoy as Liberal Party standard bearer]

Whether or not Roxas’ giving way was sufficient to usher in Noynoy Aquino to the presidency has yet to be seen, he said.

“This only proves our point that many things can still happen ... these are all guesses that we can all make. People will try to validate it through surveys. Those are nothing but intellectual guesses as to what might happen," Ermita said.

Calls for the only son of former President Corazon Aquino and assassinated former Sen. Benigno “Ninoy" Aquino Jr. to seek a higher elective post grew louder after the demise of his mother last Aug. 1.

Ermita said while the legacy of Aquino’s parents makes him currently popular, it was not an assurance that his popularity could be translated into votes come election time.

"That depends on the people," Ermita said when asked for his opinion on how long the Cory magic would last for the senator. "I am only guessing because I am not on same party as they are," he added.

Earlier, Malacañang dared Aquino to get out of his parent’s shadow and be “his own man" if he wanted to run for a higher post. (See:Palace to Noynoy: Stop using parents' legacy for 2010 bid) "He has to show that he is his own man kung gusto po niya na maging magaling na presidente ng bayan natin (if he wants to be a good president of this country)," said deputy presidential spokesman Gary Olivar. Olivar, likewise, claimed that Noynoy is basking in his parents’ glory to gain political capital that would help his bid in the 2010 elections by “invoking" their memory.

Since the death of Mrs. Aquino, Noynoy’s rating has spiked up. He even emerged as the top contender for the vice presidential race survey conducted by the Issues and Advocacy Center. [See:Noynoy tops PR firm's survey on VP bets]

Various groups like Tuloy pNoy movement and Heightened Ethics League of the Philippines (Help) were also launched to support Aquino.

Aquino, a vocal critic of the Arroyo administration, is set to make an announcement 6 p.m. Wednesday about his decision for the 2010 polls.

Major development

Ermita said Aquino’s entry into the political landscape is a “major development" that cannot simply be dismissed.

“Siempre the administration has to think very well ... how to beat the opponent. We are the strongest party ... we have to rethink our position especially since we have not yet chosen our presidential bet," he said. He also extolled Aquino’s qualities as a politician. “He is exposed … he knows a lot of things. In case he wins that’s a big plus factor ,not to mention the character which comes from the way the family brought him up," he said.

On Roxas’ decision to step aside, Ermita said it was a stroke that showed the qualities of a statesman and may erase the “bad impression" image he painted on himself when he uttered invectives during an anti-Arroyo rally sometime last year in Makati City.

“He is a statesman to have come up with such a decision," Ermita said.

Ermita said an Aquino-Roxas tandem could also be formidable but added that he is confident the administration Lakas-Kampi-CMD is confident it can match it.

He said the ruling party will announce its standard bearer this month