Presidential candidate Grace Poe Llamanzares is facing another problem which could really question her honesty and integrity as a person. She has been previously accused of lying, not once but twice, when she filed her certificate of candidacy and for her application for dual citizenship. When confronted by the media about her lying allegations, she claimed that she made an “honest mistake.”
Now comes a news report which recently came out in the Daily Tribune newspaper saying that Senator Llamanzares used two Social Security (SS) identification cards when she was here in the United States, but which she dismissed as “absurd.” It was reported that one of the SS cards she was using was issued to someone who died years before she came here in the United States to pursue a college degree. I do not know how she will deal with this latest controversy. She and her political allies are claiming that the “SS cards controversy” is a black propaganda done by her political opponents to derail her presidential bid.
However, Niñez Cacho Olivares, the feisty executive editor of the Daily Tribune is claiming that her story was based on facts and not just a figment of someone’s imagination.
If Senator Llamanzares has been accused of lying several times.
Meanwhile, her runningmate claimed that he will welcome support from other political parties provided that these politicians were not involved in the P10 billion pork barrel scam. He must have been under the influence of alcohol when he made the statement. Someone should refresh his memory as to how much pork barrel funds he got from the six-year term of President Aquino, including the P50 million pork barrel fund he got for voting to convict former Chief Justice Renato Corona in the Senate. If he thinks that the endorsement of support he and Llamanzares got from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) will mean a lot come May 16, he must be dreaming. Without the blessing of Danding Cojuangco, the main financial backer and chairman emiritus of NPC, most of its members will vote for their own preferential presidential candidate.
Mark Cojuangco, who is running for governor in Pangasinan, and wife, Kimi, have thrown their support for the presidential bid of VP Jejomar Binay who is running for president, however.
In Isabela province, Governor Bogie Dy is also supporting Binay. Dy and his allies, however, are supporting the vice presidential bid of Sen. Bongbong Marcos.
Speaking of Bongbong, his proposal to hold bilateral dialogues with China to ease the growing tension arising from territorial disputes over the West Philippine Sea seems to be the most logical thing for the government to do. The Senator said the Philippine government should not depend its hope of getting a favorable ruling to be handed down by the United Nations (UN) arbitral tribunal over the disputed island in South China Sea. China has refused to take part in the hearing on the territorial dispute, saying that it will not follow any UN decision not favorable to the Chinese.
As for the administration presidential candidate, Mar Roxas should drop President Aquino as his campaign manager if he is still entertaining any thoughts of winning – perhaps by “hocus pocus” – in the May 16 national elections.
Instead of boasting his presidential bid, Aquino’s lackluster performance in office has dragged down the chances of Roxas of being elected as the next president.
In a recent campaign sortie in Bohol, spearheaded by the President himself, Roxas was disappointed and was irked after knowing that most, if not all, of their political allies have decided to support the presidential candidacy of Binay.
It is about time that Roxas give up his presidential ambition. Leni Robredo has a much better chance of getting elected as president than “Mr. Palenge.”