HARAPAN tandem debate cancelled
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATE 2) - HARAPAN: The Tandem Presidential Debate scheduled for Sunday has been cancelled, after several presidential and vice-presidential candidates declined to participate.
The latest candidates to decline participation in the tandem debate are Liberal Party bets Sen. Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and Sen. Manuel "Mar" Roxas II, and the tandem of Sen. Manuel "Manny" Villar and Sen. Loren Legarda of the Nacionalista Party.
Aside from the LP and NP bets, also backing out of the debate organized by ABS-CBN News are former Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro and Edu Manzano (Lakas-Kampi-CMD), and former President Joseph Estrada and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay (Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino/PDP-Laban).
The only presidential and vice presidential tandems to have confirmed attendance are Sen. Richard Gordon and former Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chairman Bayani Fernando (Bagumbayan-VNP), and Bro. Eddie Villanueva and former Securities and Exchange Commission chief Perfecto Yasay (Bangon Pilipinas).
The debate would have been held at the Far Eastern University (FEU) campus in Manila on Sunday evening. It was set to have been broadcast live on ABS-CBN, Studio 23, the ABS-CBN News Channel, The Filipino Channel, and online at www.abs-cbnnews.com/harapan.
Instead, a replay of the HARAPAN: The Vice Presidential Debate from last Sunday will be shown.
Different reasons
The Naconalista bets said their non-participation in the debate was not a result of Legarda's performance in the vice presidential debate last Sunday.
Villar and Legarda said they already committed to visit their supporters in Bicol on the same date.
Villar added they did not back out because they never confirmed their participation.
The Liberal bets, meanwhile, said they backed out after their other opponents withdrew from the debate.
In a statement to ABS-CBN News, the party said they declined to participate because the debate would not be meaningful for them if only a few of the candidates showed up.
In an interview on Thursday, Estrada said he and Binay are simply too busy campaigning to make time for the debate.
"Natiyempo ng maraming gagawin. Nasabi ko na lahat, platform ko, lahat," he said.
The two opposition candidates said campaigning direct to the people is more important than televised debates.
Teodoro, meanwhile, said he has already saturated forums and debates and now needs to concentrate on doing campaign sorties in the provinces.
On the other hand, Manzano said he shunned the first Harapan: The Vice-Presidential Debate last Sunday because he sees TV debates as just another venue for mudslinging. He also noted that the debate would only benefit the TV stations through ad spots.
ABS-CBN's response
In a statement regarding the cancellation of the HARAPAN debate, ABS-CBN said the network is "disappointed" key candidates decided to back out of the debate.
"Voter's education is at the heart of Ako ang Simula. That's why we mounted at least a dozen forums and debates in the past few months. This is public service," ABS-CBN said.
""The response we received from last week's Harapan was overwhelming. ABS-CBN set the stage. The questions and reactions - the content of the program - came from candidates and viewers. It is the most interactive debate we have ever had in this country," the network said.
"We are disappointed key candidates decided they had better things to do than face our nation. It seemed they were driven by fear: afraid to appear together as president and vice-president; afraid to be immediately judged based on their actions and words," ABS-CBN said. "In the end, we all lose."
Political analyst Ramon Casiple said debates are still important to gauge the ability of the candidates to lead the country.
"Kung may kakayahan ka, lilitaw doon. That's the point of the debate. Importante 'yong one-on-one, lalo na sa TV. Kita ng publiko pati mannerisms mo," Casiple said.
Fearing technology?
Talk had been rife that parties backed out of the debate because of the use of social networking tools and the Wireless Audience Response System (WARS) to gauge audience reaction during the debate. (Read: How technology was used in Harapan VP debate)
WARS is a device wherein a pre-selected group can give feedback to the answers of candidates during debates and forums.
The system has been used in various events including the televised debates between US presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama in 2008.
Most of the national candidates know the power of social media in the country, especially considering that there are at least 9.1 million Filipino voters who use Facebook. Most of the presidential candidates have their own Facebook fan pages and Twitter accounts where people can follow up on their activities.
Internet marketing consultant Carlo Ople said social media can be both a blessing and a curse, depending on the type of feedback that they get.
"If a candidate says something good, all those on my network in social media will know about it. It can be a positive thing but also a bad thing," he said.
Rock Ed Philippines founder Gang Badoy said social networks actually allow candidates to touch the public. "As opposed to doing miting de avance or door-to-door, now social media replaces that," she said.
Social media enthusiasts believe sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow them to give feedback to their candidates. After all, in this wired age, the conversation between voter and candidate cannot be just one way but a constant interaction between the two. With reports from Kris Danielle Suarez and David Dizon, abs-cbnNEWS.com; Jing Castañeda and Ces Oreña-Drilon, ABS-CBN News
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NATAKOT SI VILLAR NA SINUNGALING!! ETO ANG KATIBAYAN NA LIAR!!I
AYAN MANNY VILLAR SYLE MO BULOK!! GAMITIN BA MGA MAHIHIRAP SA CAMPAIN MOH!!??? AYAN NA NAGPAPATUNAY!! NA YOUR A LIAR!!! LAHAT YAN MAY EVIDENCE KAYA WAG KA NG MAG SINUNGALING!! KAYA TANONG DAPAT BANG BOTO ANG KATULAD NI VILLAR NA SINUNGALING????? HINDI DAPAT BOTO ANG KATULAD MO NA PAASAHIN MO MGA TAO! YAN AY PANG SARILING INTEREST MO LANG PROTECSYON MO SA NEGOSYO MOH!!! DI BA?? LIKE SA LAND GRABBING PAANO NAPA TITULO ANG LUPA!! NA DI PWEDENG BENTA DAHIL SQUESTERED NA LUPA?? PERO NAPATITULO!!!!! DAHIL SA IMPLUWENCIA MOH??!! NAPA TITULO!! WAG MONG GAWIN MGA TANGA MGA TAO!! TANGA LANG ANG MGA BOBOTO SA IYO!! YOUR A LIAR LIAR LIAR!! IGALANG MO NAMAN KAPATID MO SA PATI SA KAMPANYA GINAGAMTI MOH!! DESPERADO KANA TALAGA MANNY VILLAR!! TO BE A PRESIDENT!!!
VILLAR IS A LIAR!!! CORRUPT!!YAN ANG GALNG MISMO KAY LOREN LEGARDA!! HOW CAN WE TRUST HIM!!!
PATI KAPATID NA NAMATAY GAMITIN BA SA PAG CAMPAIN!! YOUR A LIAR MANNY VILLAR! AND CORRUPT!!!!BASAHIN NYO ANG LETTER NG KATOTOHANAN!!!!!!!!How Manny Villar lied and used the death of his brother Danny
AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR By William M. Esposo (The Philippine Star) Updated March 28, 2010 12:00 AM
“Nakaranas na ba kayong ... mamatayan ng kapatid dahil wala kang pera pangpagamot (Have you experienced losing a brother because you did not have the money to provide him proper medical care)? — Manny Villar asked in his “PANATA (Advocacy)” TV commercial. Villar was referring to his younger brother Danny who passed away on October 1962. In the same commercial, Villar’s 1962 photo with his younger brother was shown.
This portrayal of being poor once upon a time is a fantasy which comes in a series of similar attempts by Villar to create empathy with the nearly 90% of voters who belong to the socio-economic classes D and E. However, this particular attempt to use his late brother Danny to further his political ambition showed that Villar is as capable of lying just like Madame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA).
Two public documents — the death certificate of Danny B. Villar and the Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT number: 135396/3194) of the 560 square meter property in the upper class San Rafael Village of Navotas where the Villars had lived when Danny died — shattered this ONCE POOR fantasy that Villar has been peddling.
What the San Rafael Village TCT presents:
1. Before 1962, the Villars bought 560 square meters (SQM) of high valued real estate on Bernardo Street in San Rafael Village where the more affluent folks in the Tondo-Navotas area resided.
2. The DEATH CERTIFICATE of the deceased Danny B. Villar established that they were already residing there in 1962.
3. Based on 2009 prices, the P16,000 GSIS (Government Service Insurance System) mortgage mentioned in the TCT — not necessarily the total cost of the two 280 SQM lots — is now the equivalent of P1,140,000.00. Poor people today cannot even borrow P200,000. Those who are familiar with the subdivision say that the cost per SQM in San Rafael Village today would be around P10,000 per SQM or an equivalent of around P5,600,000 for the entire property.
4. Jun Borres, the present owner who is using the 560 SQM property as offices of his firm, Jumbo Fishing, stated that when they bought it in 1987 - it had a one and a half floor house. The ground floor was made of concrete while the upstairs was made of wood. This was typical upper middle class and upper class dwelling in the 1960s.
Implications of the San Rafael Village ownership
1. Together with established Manny Villar bio information, they could not have been dirt poor to be able to move to San Rafael Village before 1962. His mother was a seafood (shrimp, crab and fish) dealer in Divisoria Market, not a fish vendor as what Villar tries to project. A seafood dealer supplies the vendors. For a family of 11, they ate canned corned beef — which Manny Villar admitted on his earlier TV ad. His father was a government official, said to be a Budget Officer of the then DANR (Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources) under which was the Fisheries Bureau. Manny Villar studied in private schools — the Holy Child Catholic School for elementary and Mapua Institute of Technology for High School. Poor folks send their kids to public schools.
2. Villar’s parents must have had a sizeable combined income to be able to buy the San Rafael Village property. The 560 SQM size demonstrates their financial capacity. If they could, poor people buy lots sized less than 100 SQMs. Villar’s father must also be making a sizeable income from the government to be able to borrow P16,000 from the GSIS. In 1962, senior executives in big corporations made monthly salaries of about P2,000.
What Danny B. Villar’s DEATH CERTIFICATE reveals:
1. It is NOT TRUE that Danny died because they were poor and could not afford proper health care. The stated residence in Danny’s death certificate was the San Rafael Village property.
2. The BIG LIE is further proved by the fact that Danny stayed 13 days at the FEU (Far Eastern University) Hospital where he expired at age 3 years and 8 months. If they were really poor, the PGH (Philippine General Hospital) would have been the affordable hospital to bring Danny. He was definitely given proper health care. FEU Hospital was one of the top hospitals in 1962, before the establishment of the Makati Medical Center and St. Luke’s Hospital.
3. Danny died from CARDIAC and RESPIRATORY FAILURE resulting from COMPLICATIONS OF LEUKEMIA. In 1962, there was no bone marrow transplantation and chemotherapy yet and everyone whether rich or poor died from contracting leukemia.
4. Upon Danny’s death, his remains were turned over to LA FUNERARIA PAZ — then, until now, considered one of the top two mortuaries (Funeraria Nacional, the other). This further disproved Manny Villar’s claim that Danny died because they did not have the money to take care of him.
When Iggy Arroyo was seen as having taken the Jose Pidal rap for his elder brother Mike, many folks felt that it was rather low of Mike Arroyo to place his younger brother at risk. Our culture expects the older brother to protect the younger brother.
In that regard, we can consider Manny Villar as having done worse than Mike Arroyo. At least, Iggy Arroyo was alive and kicking and he could have opted to stay out of the Jose Pidal controversy. But in the case of Manny and Danny Villar, Danny was used to promote a myth when Danny was in no position to agree to his elder brother Manny’s portrayal of his death.
With the propagation of this ONCE POOR fantasy, don’t you think that Manny Villar also desecrated the memory and honor of his parents who strove to be able to provide their children quality education and an upper class domicile?
If Manny Villar can lie and use his dead younger brother like this, what makes you think that he will really improve and not worsen your life? What makes you think that he is not as greedy as he is being charged in this presidential campaign? What makes you think that you can trust Manny Villar? ANG TAONG SINUNGALING!!! DI DAPAT MAGLINGKOD SA MGA SAMBYANAN FILIPINO!!! AYAN NAKALKAL ANG KATOTOHAN MO VILLAR!! KAYA TANGA LANG TALAGA ANG MANINIWALA SA IYO!! UULITIN KO IGALANG MO ANG KAPATID MO NA PUMANAW NA KAKAHIYA KA PATI SA KAMPANYA GAGAMTIN MOH!!!!!!!!! MANNY VILLAR!!!!LIAR LIAR!!!!!
cancelled harapan
Please pursue the harapan as soon as possible before the election. Im sure u can and will do ur very best to convince the candidates to cooperate/participate.It is very commendable for u to have conceptualized it much more if u can realize it. It's one of ur big contribution in helping electorate make an educated choice for the upliftment of our country
Constantly plugging/highlighting their non appearance in TV Patrol & ur network would compel them to join/cooperate. I & my friends havent seen/heard the candidates' non cooperation being discussed in enough in TV Patrol & other programs. Less impt topics had gotten their way into your newscast
I look forward to seeing your network use ur creativity/power to have the harapan finally push through.It should disprove others' allegation that you are biased for/against specific candidates.
Thank & more power. Mabuhay ang Pilipinos
P.I. Failon may araw ka din!!
ABS-CBN stands for Ang Bias Station - Corporate Bias Network.
Mga Gago staff lalo na ang P.I. Failon na yan, walang magtatangka sumali sa debate nyo gayong alam na man ng lahat na BIAS kayo at MAY-PINAPANIGAN. sino nga bang hindi nkakalam sa mga pinag-gagawa nyo? gusto nyo Y-Speak nalang kung meron pa! mga supporters ang magdedebate! sarap durugin ng manok nyong kalbo!!
Noynoy Po Tayo ! ! !
Ibalik BUHAY na MARANGAL at BAYANG KINAGIGILIWAN. Kung Walang CORRUPT Wala pong MAHIRAP. BAYAN KO KASANGGA MO AKO!!! Noynoy po Tayo!
oops correction!
I'm not in favor of any candidate. I can accept any candidate except those who are corrupt and with low integrity.
I can't vote this year. I hope the next Comelec can do online voting, if that can be possible.
Bias is everywhere.
Everywhere in the world, there is bias in the media. I believe everyone knows that and you don't have to comment anymore. CNN, FoxNews, ABC, CBS, BBC, HK RTHK, etc. are all biased. Just post your comments to counter the bias than talk about bias itself.
Another suggestion to you is to post comments also on other websites who maybe biased in favor of your candidates, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Star, Inquirer, GMA News, etc.
I think NHK in Japan is one of the few which is not biased. That's because of their relatively higher level of INTEGRITY. Not totally but very high.
The nice thing about abs-cbnnews.com is that the comments are easy to post and access. So here I am, not in favor of any candidate except those are corrupt and low integrity.
So there you go. Let's make our government a government of INTEGRITY first so that the rest of our society like the media follows.
@abias_cbn
same thing happen to me...
expect one sided news
or editorialized news from this station..
remember the 1st debate"wherein sen.gordon made a comment to mr ted failon.." ???
-------------
just take a look on their abs cbn kabayan foundation
full of streamers of liberal party and sen. noy???
so what can we expect????
just like the last election..
whrein FPJ lose the election bcoz of this mind conditioning news....
THIS ATICLE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THIS SITE'S HOMEPAGE..WHY???
Nang magpost ako ng comment, nasa Homepage pa ang article na ito, pero ng i-check ko ulit after ko mag-post, nawala na sa homepage..
BAKIT KAYA??
Natatakot rin ang Abias-CBN na marami ang makabasa sa mga comments na anti Noynoy???
Malamang..
Noy-noy, Villar, Gibo, Erap- MAHIYA NAMAN KAYO SA TAUMBAYAN!!!!
Kumakandidato pero ayaw humarap sa mga tanong ng taumbayan??
Karapat-dapat pa bang iboto ang mga ganitong klaseng kandidato??
Kunsabagay marami nga pala silang mga ADS sa radio at TV NA GINASTUSAN NG MILYON-MILYON AT MARAMI NA RIN SILANG NABAYARAN NA MGA REPORTERS,WRITERS, SURVEY FIRMS AT MEDIA ORGANIZATIONS kaya hindi na nila kailangan ang DEBATE na tulad nito..tsktsk..
ABiaS-CBN
Indeed, there is no point in the candidates' attending this debate. Parang pinagsasabong lang ang mga candidates and Pinoys really love that!!! Why don't you just invite the candidates, in teams or individually, on a talk show and let them lay out their platform of governance. Then allow the viewers to ask questions. This is a better way to educate the people.
Besides, ABS-CBN makes no attempt to hide its preferred candidates. It's just a lion's den for the other candidates- they are attending just to be butchered and minced into pieces.
Halatang halata naman kayo. Be fair for fairness' sakes!!!