Kabataan Partylist

Kabataan Party-list, the leading youth party-list participating these elections, today decried the ‘very dirty and disappointing course of the 2007 elections’.

Kabataan said that the recently concluded voting process and the ongoing counting and canvassing of votes are ‘cause for youth disillusionment in the Philippine electoral process’.

“We negate statements by the administration, the Comelec and the AFP that the 2007 elections is generally peaceful. Nothing can be farther from the truth,” said Raymond Palatino, national president and nominee of Kabataan Party-list.

“We are not too naïve to have hoped that these elections may be different from the past ones. But we also do not have to be political analysts or election experts to perceive that the 2007 elections is not what the administration, the Comelec or the AFP paint it to be.”

Palatino cited the continuing culture of impunity marring every election, these elections no exemption with more than 100 election-related killings.

He also said that the Comelec appears to be turning a blind eye to numerous cases of electoral fraud and violence being reported in various media outfits and poll watch institutions. “These are not isolated cases but the reality of perhaps the most dirty electoral process in the country and what we have are Comelec and administration officials patting each others’ backs for a so-called job well done.

Palatino added that youth voters have also expressed disappointment over the lack of transparency and the ‘marginalization of party-lists’ in the ongoing media and NAMFREL quick counts.

“We demand that media counts and especially NAMFREL give due attention and import to party-list election results. We are placing much faith in party-lists that truly represent marginalized sectors like the youth. The lack of transparency in the party-list elections contribute greatly to the administration’s ploy to downplay and destroy the very objective of the party-list system,” Palatino said.

Kabataan party-list said that it is also conducting its own quick-count in coordination with Bayan Muna, Gabriela, Anakpawis and Suara Bangsamoro. Results of the quick count will be divulged to the media later this week ‘to counter NAMFREL’s apparent malicious trending in the party-list election results.’ ###

Kabataan Party-list, the leading youth party-list participating in the elections, today released Cool Tips for Youth Voters on May 14:

7. Bring your Voter’s ID. For those who don’t have them yet, at least know your precinct number

6. Bring your own pen. Only 5 minutes allotted per voter inside the booth. Don’t waste it looking for a pen that actually has ink.

5. Be ready with an umbrella, a cap/hat and a handkerchief/hand towel. PAGASA weather forecast says May 14 will be a regular-weather day (read: hot) with scattered showers in Visayas and Mindanao.

4. Bring your kodigo. Unlike in school exams, these are not prohibited in the poll booths. Saves time and means that you’ve made up your mind 100 percent on who to vote.

3. Bring a camera and/or a camera phone. And keep an eagle-eye watch for suspect and illegal activities in your respective polling places. Keep election watch hotlines at hand.

2. Bring your barkada. One way to encourage all your friends to exercise their right to vote. Make May 14 your barkada day!

1. Wear blue. Against electoral fraud. For youth representation in Congress. Make your votes count!

KA - Karapatan sa Edukasyon at Empleyo (Right to Education and Employment)
BA - Batayang Serbisyong Panlipunan (Basic Social Services)
TA - Talino at Galing sa Pamamahala (Excellence in Governance)
AN - Anak ng Bayan para sa Maningning na Kinabukasan (Sons and Daughters of the Nation for a Bright Future)

Our future IS our choice.

This coming May 14, vote for honest officials, for principled leadership and for change. Now more than ever is the time for the youth to be involved.

Vote for KABATAAN PARTY-LIST. Tayo naman sa Kongreso!

BLOGS AND BLOGGERS IN SUPPORT OF KABATAAN PARTY-LIST:

• - Lolo’s
• A Boy’s Life
• a journey of thousand miles begin with one step
• absurdity. - my crazy world.
• adarna’s attic
• Agham Youth
• antala at kaligta*
• Apol the Great’s Journal
• asteroid b-162
• atomicgirl writes about life
• AUTUMN BLOSSOM
• bikoy.net
• Bintana sa Kasingkasing
• bittersweet coffee
• Book of Josua
• Cheese to go with my whine*
• click! *.*
• dalawangmandirigma
• dashisip
• Enter the insanity!!!
• ES2PIDO | Estudyanteng Pinoy Dormitorian
• Etsapwera: mga taong nasa laylayan ng lipunan
• Hiraya: Endless Journey
• I Am Katerin. Personified.
• In this journey, you’re the journal, I’m the journalist…
• Intentional Relief
• Judges 6-8
• Just That Bad
• kalabaw farm - pinuy-anan
• karatula
• Kaulayaw
• kitrotsky
• Knit your brows and you will hit upon a stratagem
• LeiL AnniaH - stainedbutterflywings
• Life in between banana split
• Mainit na Sabaw
• Manuel L. Quezon III: The Daily Dose
• marifested
• Masunuring Bata
• MISTERYOSA - The Personal Website of Shari Cruz
• mongster’s nest
• my heart-shaped box
• myepinOy’s bLOG
• ngrksz.. for more!
• Nobel Laureate
• NUSP
• one hand clapping
• Punong Bathala - Henrie’s
• Rebong Baby
• Rob & The Blogosphere
• RobbyCruz.info
• Rowjielogy
• sentimiento
• Sinukuan v.3
• sometimes it just isn’t worth it.
• stephani333
• studentstrike hq
• taghoy ng diwatang dagat
• The Four-Eyed Journal > On technology, the web, health and life
• The little boy clad in Black and White
• The Philippine Experience
• This Other Eden
• Tinig.com
• tonyo
• TXTPower
• wagkamakulit! blog ko ‘to.
• wave function: hindi sagka ang potential well na ito
• We’ll walk in fields of gold
• whatnots
• young radicals

YES to Youth Representation in Congress! Link up and join the Kabataan Cyber-Fever! Enter your site name and link below if you’ve caught the fever, and I’ll add you to my list above. Put up a banner on your site, mention KABATAAN on your blog, link up link up!

you can also visit misteryosa.com

For immediate download: http://textbackusa.mstore.xingtone.com/

ARTISTS ACROSS THE U.S. UPLOAD FREE RING TONES WITH TEXT B.A.C.K. USA;
US FILIPINO YOUTH LAUNCHED E-BOTO KABATAAN CAMPAIGN

Hip-hop artists, BLUE SCHOLARS and KIWI, and metal/punk bands, FLATTBUSH and KADENA condemn the political killings in the Philippines and have joined the TEXT B.A.C.K . USA (TEXT Brigade Against Cheatings and Killings USA) campaign, uploading their music as ring tones to literally ROCK THE VOTE for the Kabataan Party list on May 14, 2007 and to further advance the ÒStop The KillingsÓ campaign.

These artists, and others across the US have either held concerts or nation-wide tours as part of the Stop the Killings campaign earlier this year, and are now taking their music to the universe text-powered campaigning to draw attention to the escalation of extra-judicial killings and to bolster the campaign of the Kabataan Party with political support from around the world.

In support of the TEXT BACK campaign the US Filipino youth and students sector also launched “E-Boto Kabataan Campaign” youth-powered by Anakbayan-New York/New Jersey, Anakbayan-Los Angeles, Anakbayan-Seattle, Anakbayan East Bay, Anakbayan-Honolulu, League of Filipino Students (LFS) SFSU, Sandiwa National Filipino Youth Alliance, PF Youth will be spreading the word to thousands of youth via text and cyberspace. “We are using the technology of text messaging and the internet to spread our message. We call on all youth to download the ring tones, and text, e-mail, and
myspace message all their friends and families continuously over the next 3 days,” said Christina Hilo, member of Anakbayan-NY/NJ one of the
initiators of ÒE-Boto KabataanÓ.

TEXT Brigaders Against the Cheatings and Killings can now download exclusive, FREE ring tones at http://textbackusa.mstore.xingtone.com/ as part of the TEXT B.A.C.K. USA and “E-Boto Kabataan” Campaigns’ “Effort of the US Filipino youth to blast thousands upon thousands of “E” mails to the Filipino youth for last minute campaign for Kabataan Party. A SAMPLE BALLOT can also be viewed while downloading your TEXT B.A.C.K USA artists’ ring tones.

The launching of the exclusive TEXT B.A.C.K. USA artists’ ring tones also coincides with the re-launching of the TXTPOWER website (www.txtpower.org) that exposed the election fraud via the most popularly-downloaded “Hello Garci” ring tone in 2005. The “E-Boto Kabataan” Campaign is the response to the launching of the Kabataan Party’s “Kabataan Cyber Fever.”

Lyrics:

For the workers
For the students
For the peasants
For the women
For the poor
For the hungry
For the youth
KABATAAN (partylist)

Human rights
Education
For our people
For our nation
For our future
For our life
KABATAAN (partylist)

Kiwi:
This is our mission / this is our struggle
This is history rewritten… . this is for the children
Switchin’ up the drama of this system / now listen
The youth are in the building / bringing you a newer vision

It’s time to mobilize / take to the streets and organize
Take control of our lives / see the world with open eyes
The youth see through the lies / and we want what is just
They’re sayin we’re the future, so the future’s up to US!

It’s our basic right to get a decent education
So we can have the tools to really build a better nation
Para sa ating bayan nyayon ay lumalaban
Isangmahal sa lahat ng mga KABATAAN!!!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/infotech/view_article.php?article_id=65336

By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 10:38am (Mla time) 05/11/2007

MANILA, Philippines — The Kabataan (Youth) party list group has started holding its Miting de Avance in cyberspace with a little help from prominent Filipino bloggers.

With barely a day before the last day of campaigning, the Kabataan party list organized a “viral marketing” campaign that led by Filipino bloggers who are connected to a larger network of Filipino bloggers, first nominee Raymond Palatino told INQUIRER.net.

This final push, dubbed “Kabataan Cyber-Fever,” hopes to encourage more “educated voters” to vote for the party list group.

Among the local bloggers tapped are Shari Cruz (misteryosa.com), who bagged the Best Personal Blog Award in this year’s Philippine Blog Awards; Victor Villanueva (bikoy.net), who is also a finalist in the same category; Jay Rocas from the De La Salle University in Dasmarinas (Four-eyed Journal), and; Vencer Crisostomo (Student Strike) and Sarah Katrina Maramag (Adarna’s Attic) of the Young Radicals blog.

The group said that prominent political blogger and analyst Manuel L. Quezon III has also endorsed the party list group in his blog (www.quezon.ph).

A blogger himself, Palatino said this effort is consistent with their campaign strategy that was launched in cyberspace through popular video hosting service YouTube. The campaign involved a short video clip featuring popular youth artists and personalities.

Palatino maintains his own blog (mongser’s nest) and is Global Voices Online’s Filipino correspondent.

Meanwhile, the group disclosed that Filipino-American youth organizations and cause-oriented groups supportive of the party list group have organized a campaign using text messaging.

Dubbed TEXT B.A.C.K. Internet Blast, the effort involves supporters sending a blast of text messages to friends and relatives to encourage them to vote for the youth party list group.

Kabataan said this initiative is led by the US Chapter of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan, or BAYAN USA, called TEXT BACK (TEXT Brigade Against Cheating and Killings).

Last Sunday, May 6, starting 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time and 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States, the group sent “nationally coordinated text messages” from subscribers in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Seattle, Honolulu and other US cities to various Philippine cities including Manila, Baguio, Davao and Cebu City.

Text messages were written in English and different dialects incuding Tagalog, Visayan, Ilocano.

The messages include catch-phrases that focus on battling cheating and opposing political killings.

“It is estimated that one Filipino in the US supports 4-5 Filipinos in the Philippines. Fil-Ams are the largest overseas community outside of the Philippines, with almost 4 million Filipinos. With those
calculations we anticipate TEXT BACK USA spreading like wildfire reaching thousands, maybe more, of our countrymen this final week of before elections,” stated Sarah Katrina Maramag, Media Officer of Kabataan Party List in Manila and of the international Filipino youth organization known as Anakbayan.

Meanwhile, he said that the party list group was endorsed Thursday by consumer and mobile rights advocacy group TXTPower.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/breakingnews/nation/view_article.php?article_id=65353

By Erwin Oliva
INQUIRER.net
Last updated 03:57pm (Mla time) 05/11/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Ten senatorial candidates have been endorsed by a youth partylist group, saying it believes that they will serve as the “youth’s voice” in Congress.

Youth partylist group Kabataan (The Youth) has endorsed 10 senatorial candidates whom they believe will serve as the “youth’s voice” in Congress.

Kabataan (The Youth) said it has chosen Genuine Opposition candidates Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel Jr., Sonia Roco, Dominique “Nikki” Coseteng, Manuel “Manny” Villar, and independent candidate Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan for their accomplishments in youth and students’ rights to education and employment.

Kabataan also endorsed TEAM Unity’s Joker Arroyo and Ralph Recto and GO’s Alan Peter Cayetano whom they believed upheld human rights and fought against political repression.

It said that it was also supporting GO’s Loren Legarda who had been vocal about the importance of youth representation in Congress.

Raymond Palatino, Kabataan national president and nominee, said that the party chose these candidates because they believed that they were the “champions of and for the youth’s cause.”

“On May 14, we encourage youth and students to vote for these candidates. Let us vote for principled leadership and meaningful change in government. Let the youth decide who among the senatorial candidates are worthy of serving the country,” said Palatino in a statement.

Meanwhile, the partylist group also announced Friday that it would hold a Protest de Mayo at the Plaza Miranda in Manila where participants would be wearing “gowns” highlighting issues on electoral fraud and violence.

The parade will commence in a nationally-coordinated noise barrage along España later on Friday.

Kabataan also said that supporters would hold a camp-out vigil in front of Comelec on May 12 to ask for clean and honest elections.

At least 17 party-list groups poised to win

Inquirer
Last updated 05:26am (Mla time) 05/11/2007

MANILA, Philippines — At least 17 of the 93 party-list groups could win seats in the House of Representatives, with Bayan Muna topping the list followed by Akbayan, according to results of a nationwide survey conducted by Social Weather Stations on May 2-4.

Bayan Muna had 8.4 percent of the votes, followed closely by Akbayan with 8.2 percent.

Although the number of votes they got last week declined from last month’s 10.4 percent (Bayan Muna) and 9.8 percent (Akbayan), the two groups could retain their current three seats each.

Fifteen more groups have a statistical chance of winning at least one seat each in the House.

Under the 2-percent rule, a group that gets 2 percent of the votes cast for the party-list system is entitled to one seat in the House, according to SWS. A group can have a maximum of three seats, or 6 percent of the votes.

Under this rule, the 17 party-list groups could take a total of 23 seats in the House.

However, the Supreme Court’s “Veterans Formula,” in its October 2000 decision in Veterans Federation Party v the Commission on Elections, provides that the allocation of seats to party-list groups depends on the total number of votes garnered by the top party-list.

Other party-list groups that made the cut were Luzon Farmers Party (Butil, 4.9 percent), Buhay Hayaan Yumabong (Buhay, 4.2 percent), Gabriela (3.9 percent), Advocacy for Teacher Empowerment Through Action, Cooperation and Harmony Toward Educational Reforms Inc. (A Teacher, 3.6 percent) and Ahon Pinoy (Ahon, 3.5 percent);

Citizen’s Battle Against Corruption (Cibac, 3.4 percent), Aangat Tayo (AT, 3 percent), Agricultural Sectoral Alliance of the Philippines Inc. (Agap, 2.7 percent), Anakpawis (2.7 percent) and Ahonbayan (2.6 percent);

Cooperative-Natcco Network Party (Coop-Natcco, 2.3 percent), Abakada Guro (Abakada, 2.2 percent), Kabataan (2.1 percent), Anak Mindanao (Amin, 2.1 percent), and Kapatiran ng mga Nakulong na Walang Sala Inc. (Kakusa, 2 percent).

Butil and Buhay were each poised to get two seats, while the rest of the groups would each get one seat, according to SWS.

However, if the Veterans Formula were applied, all the groups would get only one seat each, except for Bayan Muna, which would still get three seats.

Poised to retain their current seats in the House were Buhay (2), and Gabriela, Cibac, Coop-Natcco and Amin (1 each).

Anakpawis is poised to retain only one of the two seats it currently holds.

Nominees

The nominees of Bayan Muna are Satur Ocampo, Teodoro Casiño and Neri Colmenares.

Akbayan — Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Walden Bello and Enrico Dayanghirang.

Butil — Leonila Chavez, Agapito Guanlao and Herminio Ocampo.

Buhay — (1st set) Hans Christian Señeres, Hermenegildo Dumlao and Antonio Bautista; (2nd set) Rene Velarde, Ma. Carissa Coscolluela and Wiliam Irwin Tieng.

Gabriela — Liza Maza, Luzviminda Ilagan and Flora Belinan.

A Teacher — Mariano Piamonte, Ulpiano Sarmiento III and Carolina Porio.

Ahon — Dante Francis M. Ang II, Bernardo F. Ople and Ernesto Herrera III.

Cibac — Emmanuel Joel Villanueva, Luis Lokan Jr. and Cinchona Gonzales.

Aangat Tayo — Daryl Grace Abayon, Eden Debulgado Rivera and Meriam Lasta Paylaga.

Agap — Nicanor Briones, Cesar Cobrador and Rosalinda Dacanay.

Anakpawis — Crispin Beltran, Rafael Mariano and Joel Maglunsod.

Ahonbayan — Edgar Catarongan, Edgardo Manda and Raden Sakaluran.

Coop-Natcco — Guillermo Cua, Jose Ping-ay and Cresente Paez.

Abakada — Jonathan de la Cruz, Samson Alcantara and Cecilia Dy.

Kabataan — Raymond Palatino, Enrico Almonguerra and Mary Francis Veloso.

Amin — Mujiv Hataman, Ariel Hernandez and Arnel Arbison.

Kakusa — Ranulfo Canonigo, Omar Rivera and Ma. Jesusa Sespeñe.

Only 53 percent of voters

The last installment in the three-part series of SWS surveys with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net, as its exclusive media partner also found that 53 percent of some 45 million registered voters chose a party-list group from the official Commission on Elections list. This was equivalent to 23.9 million votes.

The survey used face-to-face interviews with 1,200 registered voters divided into random samples of 300 each in Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Just below threshold

Groups “just below the threshold but within statistical reach” include Abanse! Pinay (1.9 percent), Cocofed-Philippine Coconut Producers Federation Inc. (Cocofed, 1.8 percent), Abono (1.7 percent), Advocates for Special Children and the Handicapped Movement (Asahan Mo, 1.5 percent), Alagad (1.5 percent), Veterans Freedom Party (VFP, 1.5 percent), 1-United Transport Koalisyon (1-Utak, 1.5 percent) and Suara Bangsamoro (Suara, 1.5 percent).

Alyansang Bayanihan ng Magsasaka, Manggagawang Bukid at Mangingisda-Adhikain at Kilusan ng Ordinaryong Tao (Aba-Ako, 1.4 percent), Alyansa ng Mamamayang Naghihirap (1.3 percent) and Association of Philippine Electric Cooperative (Apec, 1.3 percent).

Angat Ating Kabuhayan Pilipinas Inc. (Anak, 1.2 percent), Akbay Pinoy OFW-National Inc. (APOI, 1.1 percent), Bagong Alyansang Tagapagtaguyod ng Adhikaing Sambayanan (BATAS, 1 percent) and Assalam Bangsamoro People’s Party (Assalam, 1 percent).

“Allowing for sampling error, with a survey outcome of 3 percent or more, it is statistically safe to say that a party has truly reached the threshold of 2 percent. On the other hand, a survey outcome of below 1 percent makes it statistically very unlikely that the threshold has in truth been reached,” SWS said in a statement released Thursday.

Incumbent party-list groups that scored below the statistical threshold include An Waray (0.6 percent), Alliance of Volunteer Educators (AVE, 0.1 percent), Ang Laban ng Indiginong Filipino (ALIF, 0 percent) and Partido ng Manggagawa (PM, 0 percent).

An Waray is currently represented by Florencio Noel; AVE by Eulogio Magsaysay; ALIF by Acmad Tomawis, and PM by Renato Magtubo.

Results by area

Akbayan, Gabriela and Ahon met the 2-percent threshold across all areas — Metro Manila, Luzon outside Metro Manila, the Visayas and Mindanao.

Bayan Muna and Kabataan satisfied the 2-percent rule in all areas, except in Mindanao, where Bayan Muna only got 1.7 percent and Kabataan received none (0 percent).

A Teacher and AT missed the threshold only in Metro Manila (1.2 percent and 1.8 percent, respectively), while Cibac missed it in the Visayas (0 percent).

Butil (11 percent) and Ahonbayan (5 percent) drew their support mostly from respondents in the balance of Luzon; Buhay from Metro Manila (11 percent) and the balance of Luzon (5.6 percent), and Amin and Kakusa, from Mindanao ( 10.3 percent and 7.8 percent, respectively).

Coop-Natcco received most of its votes from the Visayas (4.2 percent) and Mindanao (3.3 percent), while Abakada from Metro Manila (3.7 percent) and Mindanao (5.5 percent).

Results by class

By socioeconomic class, the top five groups — Bayan Muna, Akbayan, Butil, Buhay and Gabriela — along with Ahon, Anakpawis and Abakada, satisfied the 2-percent threshold across all classes ABC, D and E.

A Teacher (1.6 percent), AT (0 percent), Ahonbayan (0 percent), Kabataan (1.6 percent) and Amin (0 percent) missed the threshold among members of class ABC, while Cibac (1.8 percent), Agap (1.2 percent) and Coop-Natcco ( 1.8 percent) missed it in class E.

Kakusa drew much of its support from class E (5.7 percent). Kate Pedroso, Inquirer Research

Kabataan Partylist has been receiving messages of support and endorsements from different youth personalities and groups in the homestretch of its electoral campaign.

Consumer and mobile rights advocacy group TXTPower officially endorsed Kabataan Partylist as it relaunched its website. Filipino-American youth organizations and cause-oriented groups have started sending messages through text and the internet as part of their TEXT B.A.C.K. Internet Blast in support of Kabataan Partylist.

This morning, Kabataan Partylist President and First Nominee Raymond Palatino met with fellow bloggers to finalize the “Kabataan Cyber-Fever” which aims to link up Filipino bloggers in support of Kabataan Partylist.

Present were Shari Cruz (misteryosa.com), who bagged the Best Personal Blog Award in this year’s Philippine Blog Awards; Victor Villanueva (bikoy.net), who is also a finalist in the same category; Jay Rocas from the De La Salle University in Dasmarinas (Four-eyed Journal), and; Vencer Crisostomo (Student Strike) and Sarah Katrina Maramag (Adarna’s Attic) of the Young Radicals blog.

Prominent blogger and analyst Manuel L. Quezon III (MLQ3) earlier endorsed Kabataan Partylist in his blog (www.quezon.ph)

Kabataan’s Palatino maintains his own blog (mongser’s nest) and is Global Voices Online’s Filipino correspondent

Here are some of the support statements for Kabataan:

On Hello Garci 3rd anniv, TXTPower relaunches site,
endorses Kabataan, warns vs fraud

http://www.txtpower.org/news/kabataan-partylist-is-texters-choice

Consumer advocacy and mobile activist organization TXTPower today openly endorsed Kabataan Partylist even as it warned against a repeat of the Hello Garci scandal in Monday’s elections.

Today is the third anniversary of the May 10, 2004 elections which were marred by the Hello Garci scandal which exploded following the discovery of an audiotaped cellphone conversation between President Arroyo and Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano.

To mark the occasion, TXTPower today relaunched its website as a portal and team blog. Reposted on the site were the original Hello Garci ringtone and a YouTube video based on it.

The Hello Garci ringtone became the most popular political ringtone in 2005.

In a statement, the group said that “Kabataan Partylist fully supports TXTPower’s advocacy of consumer and political rights. Kabataan Partylist is 100-percent behind TXTPower in batting for lower prices and better services, in battling abusive big companies, in demanding an end to government neglect of consumer welfare. Kabataan Partylist vows to be the champion and voice of Pinoy texters and telecommunication consumers inside Congress.”

TXTPower vowed to form text and email brigades in the homestretch of Kabataan Partylist’s campaign.

“We hope President Arroyo would no longer call any Comelec official to ensure the victory of her favored candidates. No to a Hello Garci part two,” said the group.

The relaunched team blog have the following initial members: physicists Kim Gargar and Dr. Gani Tapang, environmentalist Trixie Concepcion, IT expert Ric Bahague, writer Tonyo Cruz, journalist
Ederic Eder, student leaders Vencer Crisostomo, Jhayvie Dorado and Ana Gabriela Celestial. ###

TEXT B.A.C.K. Internet Blast

PLEASE FORWARD THE FOLLOWING:

Please take a minute to send the following message to your relatives
and friends in the Philippines. Send them via text message, e-mail,
Yahoo messenger, gmail chat or any other form. Post them to various
listserves, websites, discussion groups. Send them as testimonies on
friendster or messages on myspace. Any which way, just spread them as
far and wide as possible:

_______________________________
“KUNG MAHAL MO ANG BAYAN
PANDARAYA LABANAN.
POL KILINGS TUTULAN!
SA TRAPO WAG PALOKO
PROGRESIBO IBOTO.
VOTE KABATAAN PARTY!
FROM TEXT BACK-USA”
______________________________

(Translation: If you love our motherland, fight against cheating.
Oppose political killings!
Don’t be fooled by traditional politicians, vote for progressives)

TEXT BACK (Brigade Against Cheating & Killings) - USA

“Our votes may not count, but our voices will be heard:
No to cheating! Stop Political Killings!
Vote for Progressive Party Lists!”

Members of Kabataan Partylist, students of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and local residents camped out in front of the baranggay hall of Teresa in Sta. Mesa that has been occupied by soldiers for several months now in anticipation of the imminent of pullout of military troops in Metro Manila.

Kabataan Partylist President and First Nominee Raymond Palatino however said the order for troop pullout is not enough to dispel doubts over the military’s non-partisanship in this elections and dispel fears of massive electoral fraud.

“Military troops may have already been pulled out from Metro Manila communities before the elections but we still have the main fraud operator at the helm of the Armed Forces of the Philippines,” Palatino pointed out.

Palatino accused AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon of masterminding the new plot to rig the results of the 2007 midterm elections dubbed as Oplan Mercury Rising.

He said massive electoral fraud has already begun to take place less than a week before election day with no less than the infamous “Garci general” serving as its main operator.

“History is repeating itself. The same personalities who figured prominently in the massive vote rigging in 2004 rigging are also the ones being accused of electioneering in this elections.”

“Unfortunately, it will be easier for election operators in the military to manipulate the outcome of this elections with Gen. Esperon at the helm of AFP,” he added.

Palatino said Gen. Esperon’s continued stay in power will continue to cast doubts over the neutrality of the military and the credibility and integrity of the upcoming polls.

“For as long as Gen. Esperon remains the front man and the main operator of the AFP, the youth and the public cannot hope for a truly clean and honest 2007 elections.”

Meanwhile, Palatino called on patriotic junior officers and rank and file soldiers to come out and speak up against military electioneering.

“We call on our fellow youth and patriotic officers to defend democracy and the integrity of the upcoming elections. Let us not allow these election operators at the chain of command to use the military establishment to manipulate the outcome of this elections.”

Let’s take over the web

Todo na to!

It’s less than a week before the elections and we are calling on all KABATAAN bloggers, egroup hijackers, chat addicts, forum hoppers, and all e-campaigners to give it all we’ve got and be most aggressive in our online campaigning.

We should secure the votes of both young and old netizens and make sure we be seen everywhere online during the last few days of this campaign. Let’s take over the web!

Email everyone. Send personal and group emails to everyone in your list endorsing KABATAAN Partylist. Flood your egroups with daily KABATAAN updates.

Blog Barrage. Friendster blogs, multiply, myspace, livejournal, should be filled with entries for KABATAAN. If you don’t blog, this is the time to start posting. Most friendster and livejournal blogs announce posts to your friends.

Friendster. Make KABATAAN the Friendster favorite. Barrage your bulletin, create header, message everyone, change primary photo to KABATAAN icon, post KABATAAN testimonials.

Comment. Bloghop everyone and post comments endorsing KABATAAN. Link to kabataanparty.com.

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Junior officers urged to speak up vs military electioneering

The Kabataan Partylist today said massive electoral fraud has already begun to take place less than a week before election day with no less than the AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon serving as its main operator.

The youth partylist accused of the Garci general of masterminding the new plot to rig the results of the 2007 midterm elections dubbed as Oplan Mercury Rising which was recently disclosed by an election watchdog.

“History is repeating itself. The same personalities who figured prominently in the massive vote rigging in 2004 rigging are also the ones being accused of electioneering in this elections,” Kabataan Partylist President and First Nominee Raymond Palatino said.

“Unfortunately, it will be easier for election operators in the military to manipulate the outcome of this elections with Gen. Esperon at the helm of AFP,” he added.

Palatino said Gen. Esperon’s continued stay in power will continue to cast doubts over the neutrality of the military and the credibility and integrity of the upcoming polls.

“For as long as Gen. Esperon remains the front man and the main operator of the AFP, the youth and the public cannot hope for a truly clean and honest 2007 elections.”

Meanwhile, Palatino called on patriotic junior officers and rank and file soldiers to come out and speak up against military electioneering.

“We call on our fellow youth and patriotic officers to defend democracy and the integrity of the upcoming elections. Let us not allow these election operators at the chain of command to use the military establishment to manipulate the outcome of this elections.”

Kabataan Partylist tops UST, UE mock polls
http://www.varsitarian.com/details.asp?id=3056&s=3&sec=news

The Kabataan Partylist topped recently concluded student surveys on partylist preferences in the University Santo Tomas and University of the East.

The mock polls were conducted by The Varistarian and The Dawn, official student publications of UST and UE, respectively.

The Varsitarian conducted the surveys on March and April, with the two mock polls roughly showing the same results. The survey had 1,265 respondents from UST’s 11 colleges with a 2.76 per cent margin of error.

In the survey, Kabataan Partylist got a commanding lead of 22.22 percent, with Buhay Partylist placing second with 13.89 percent.

Other partylist choices included Gabriela, 11.1 percent; ABAKADA Guro, 5.6 percent; Bayan Muna, 5.6 percent; and Senior Citizens, Lypad, Akbayan, Kasapi, A Teacher and Anakpawis got 2.8 percent.

“These surveys only show the growing support among students, youth and even the academe for youth representation in Congress,” Kabataan Partylist President and First Nominee Raymond Palatino said.

“There has not been a youth sectoral representative in the past three Congresses since the first partylist elections in 1998. The last time we had a youth representative in Congress was during the Philippine Assembly time more than fifty years ago when Wenceslao Vinzons and Arturo Tolentino’s Young Philippines won seats in Congress.”

Palatino however said the massive disenfranchisement of many potential, first time voters could pose a big hindrance to securing seats for the youth partylist.

“Many first time voters failed to register last year out of confusion and discouragement brought about by the No-El (No Election) scenario being propagated by Charter Change advocates and the government.”

“The youth can still participate in this elections though, whether a registered voter or not. The upcoming elections needs the biggest number of dedicated election volunteers who will guard the people’s votes. We can actively campaign for candidates or political parties and educate our relatives and our community of the electoral process and give guidelines on how to choose the country’s next set of leaders.”

“There are countless ways by which the youth can participate in this elections even if they are not registered voters. Now more than ever is the time for the youth to be involved.”

Kabataan Partylist had also emerged on the top spot in university belt-wide mock polls on partylist preferences last month.

The Student Alliance for the Advancement of Democratic Rights in UP (STAND-UP) and KABATAAN Partylist strongly condemn the misuse of the concept of the well-known and highly recognized Alpha Phi Omega (APO) Fraternity’s Oblation Run by the Partylist ASAP (Alyansa ng Sambayanan para sa Pagbabago).

On May 7, several members of ASAP Partylist marched at the vicinity of the SM Mall of Asia wearing only transparent plastic sheaths and underwear to call for a “honest and transparent” elections, mimicking the Oblation Run which is annually held by the APO Fraternity, whose Eta Chapter is a member of STAND-UP.

“The cheap gimmick of the aforementioned partylist is evidently for the mere purpose of attention-getting, executed without regard for the values which the Oblation encapsulates”, commented Vanessa Faye Bolibol, Chairperson of STAND-UP. “The Oblation symbolizes sacrifice of oneself for the service of the nation and humanity. This symbol must be used in the valid issues of the youth and nation, such as the right to education and freedom from political repression”, Bolibol continued.

According to Johana Urbiztondo, coordinator of KABATAAN Partylist in UP Diliman, “We as members of KABATAAN Partylist and as mga Iskolar ng Bayan believe that the Oblation should be employed to promote the interests of the youth and the nation, not some political assemblage which is composed of noisy few.” Urbiztondo added, “KABATAAN Partylist seeks to have principled politics that counters the kind of leadership that traditional politicians have instilled in the current government.”

STAND-UP and KABATAAN Partylist believes that mere attention-grabbing is not adequate to assert for clean and transparent elections. “We must be vigilant in safeguarding our votes this coming election. It is our responsibility to educate our fellow voters and encourage them to make the right choice,” said Bolibol.

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By WILLIAM ESPOSO

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If we fail to dislodge the corrupt and the tyrants in government, then it is a lesson that voting should be complemented by other political actions that advance the cause of democracy. That means elections are not enough.

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The Philippine Star

Raymond “Mong” Palatino is a former NUS (National Union of Students) president who has earned a United Nations award. He is now the president of the party-list group Kabataan and is the number 1 nominee of that group should they win in May.

Many ask just where the Filipino youth are these days. Are they not interested in what’s happening to our country? The youth will reap the mess that our politicians are creating so again we ask: Why are they not involved?

Thus, I am giving my space Thursday to Mong Palatino. Mong answers a lot of our questions about the youth. Why should the youth vote/By: Raymond “Mong” Palatino

I’ve been trying to write this article for many weeks but I could only think of reasons why the youth should not vote. I could always imagine young voters questioning the worthiness of participating in the elections. Why vote if ‘Garcis’ of this world will count the ballots? Why encourage my family and friends to be active in politics if election campaigning is doomed to be violent? Why support a candidate if he/she will turn out to be a monster in the future anyway?

These are valid questions. These are legitimate apprehensions. These may be reasons why many young people refuse to be involved in the elections. I also have these misgivings about the coming elections.

Ditching a dirty political exercise is justifiable. It is also an easy decision to make. But I need not surrender to cynicism everyday.

If elections are filthy, let’s make it less filthy. If elections are dominated by the elite, let’s make the elite listen to our problems. If elections are a popularity contest, let’s demand a concrete platform from all candidates.

I am already curious about the election agenda of candidates. I want to know their platform for education health and environment. What is their program for the youth? What is their social reform agenda? How would they convince our skilled professionals to remain in the country?

If we abandon the elections and allow the trapos to dominate the campaign, elections will be more meaningless and futile exercise. But our vigilance and active engagement would probably make a difference in the reforms we want to achieve by electing competent leaders and removing imbeciles in government.

Voting is just one of the many ways to be involved in the elections. We can actually volunteer for political parties and candidates espousing programs we think the country needs. We can report electoral violations (use those camera phones). We can campaign for honest and peaceful elections through texting, chat, blog and joining advocacy groups during the counting of votes.

We can cancel out all our activities on May 14 in order to brave the long queues and vote in our local precincts. If we don’t vote, somebody else will vote in our behalf. Remember, ghost voters are hard to catch in a superstitious country like ours. Voting is also a rare chance to get even with bad politicians.

Young voters could potentially dictate who will seat in the Senate and the next batch of local leaders. This is possible if the youth will vote on May or if they are not registered, influence family and friends to vote for candidates they want to win.

Analysts doubt the potency of the youth vote. According to them, the youth will not be a significant force in deciding the outcome of the coming polls. This is our chance to prove the skeptics wrong. The youth vote is REAL. We only need candidates who can inspire the youth with their creative and sensible election agenda.

We need another Cory Aquino who united a grieving nation in the mid 1980s. We need a new Miriam Defensor Santiago who amazed the youth with her wit and bravado during the early 1990s. The country is looking for another politician in the mold of Raul Roco who will articulate the concerns of young people.

It is not enough to be a young politician to win over the youth. It is not enough to be an Opposition candidate to call oneself as an idealistic leader. Sons and daughters of brilliant politicians must still prove they deserve the support of the youth.

I go back to the earlier question. Why vote on May 14? It’s our duty as responsible citizens. It’s our duty to strengthen democracy. To use the language of ‘Star Wars’: We are the only hope. The Force is not with us. We are the Force.

Elections are an opportunity to change the faces that make up the Philippine political system. If we fail to dislodge the corrupt and the tyrants in government, then it is a lesson that voting should be complemented by other political actions that advance the cause of democracy. That means elections are not enough.

If all else fails, revolution remains an option. Revolution?

You may e-mail William M. Esposo at: macesposo@yahoo.com

By Leila Salaverria
Inquirer
Last updated 04:17am (Mla time) 05/08/2007

MANILA, Philippines — Left-wing party-list groups on Monday asked the Supreme Court to order troops out of Metro Manila’s urban poor communities, charging they were dissuading voters from picking leftist candidates in the May 14 elections.

“The deployment of soldiers is unconstitutional because it violates the principle of civilian supremacy and because military men can only be deployed by the President when there is lawless violence, invasion, rebellion or the threat thereof,” said Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo, who led representatives of party-list groups Gabriela, Kabataan and Suara Bangsamoro in filing the petition with the high court.

The groups were joined by Payatas resident Roberto Corbes, who claimed he was threatened by soldiers for distributing membership registration forms for Bayan Muna.

“The militarization of Metro Manila is not just a threat to human rights,” they said in their petition. “It is already injurious to the right to association of political parties and a violation of the people’s right to suffrage. Petitioners find it difficult to continue participating in electoral politics under this condition.”

The groups said they had earlier filed a petition with the Commission on Elections questioning the presence of troops in urban communities but it remained unresolved.

This time, they asked the high tribunal to nullify the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ order deploying troops to urban communities in the National Capital Region, direct their pullout, and compel the AFP to leave the communities in 24 hours.

Named respondents in the petition were AFP chief of staff Gen. Hermogenes Esperon, AFP NCR Command head Gen. Benjamin Dolorfino, and Lt. Roel Cotillon.

Military officials earlier denied the controversial deployment of 260 troops in 26 urban poor communities in Manila, starting in November, was linked to the elections, saying the aim was to boost government services and combat the “culture of rebelling,” including street protests.

“We do not target any people or any particular group,” Dolorfino said.

Lt. Col. Bartolome Bacarro, the military’s spokesman, said the Armed Forces would pull out before election day.

In seeking the troops’ withdrawal from the NCR, the party-list groups pointed to Dolorfino’s reported statements that the soldiers will entice voters to vote for people who are God-fearing, who could give justice to the people and who are physically, morally and intellectually qualified.

In their petition, the groups said this statement violated the constitutional provision prohibiting the AFP from participating in partisan politics.

“Whether a candidate is God-fearing or not is beyond the business of the AFP. It is beyond the competence of respondents to draft and advertise its criteria of who are or are not qualified civilian leaders. This kind of thinking or belief is anathema to democracy because it predisposes the troops to obey, respect and follow only civilian leaders anointed by the powers-that-be in the Armed Forces of the Philippines — whether or not the leader is god-fearing,” they said. With an AP report

Copyright 2007 Inquirer. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.