Time and money can derail the recall initiative vs. Among Ed

As I write this Among Ed has safety reached Los Angeles for a series of speaking engagements before various Fil-Am organizations. He will also hold dialogue with the civil society groups foremost of which is PamagCUSA, a US-based organization that advances good citizenship through volunteerism.

Back home, the partisan news stories and editorials of Sun Star Pampanga depict that the recall initiative against Among Ed is already gaining ground. This perception is further bolstered by the moral support on the recall move given by a number of mostly controversial priests headed by an equally controversial monsignor, a son of my town Minalin who is believed to be close to the Pinedas of Lubao and Malacanang having had a hand in the appointment of one regional director in Central Luzon.

Let us not lose hope. The recall initiative will likely face formidable challenges along the way. Allow me to explain them.

1. Time Constraint

Per COMELEC Resolution No. 7505, no recall shall be held within one (1) year before the holding of the next regular election. What is the implication of this? This means the holding of a recall election is prohibited by law from 10 May 2009 until 10 May 2010, the date of the next regular election. In other words, the COMELEC has to set the recall election in Pampanga not later than 9 May 2009. After this date, no recall election is allowed by law.

Stated otherwise, Kambilan has only eight (8) months to complete the whole process of recall initiative which involves gathering of required signatures, filing of petition with the COMELEC, validating the sufficiency of the petition in form and substance and legal battles both in the COMELEC and the Supreme Court. This is a long and tedious process. Unless there’s “kingly” intervention, I don’t think the entire process of the recall initiative could be finished in a span of eight months.

2. Inadequate Budget

When top lawyer Romulo Macalintal downplayed the feasibility of a recall election due to lack of funds for that purpose, I did not believe him. Well, I believe him now after reading Republic Act No. 9498 also known as 2008 General Appropriations Act. In the COMELEC’s budget for fiscal year 2008, an amount of Php 46,894,000 is appropriated for the conduct and supervision of elections and other political exercises.

Out of that amount, only Php 5,000,000 is allocated for recall election that may be held. Incidentally, while Kambilan is yet to file a recall petition with the COMELEC there are about eighteen (18) recall petitions now pending in the COMELEC excluding the recall petition just recently filed against the governor of Sulu.

Given this situation, I do not think a recall election in Pampanga could push through. The COMELEC will have no funds to print ballots, conduct and supervise the election itself and pay the teachers that will man 6,461 precincts in Pampanga.

What happens if COMELEC officially declares that a recall election cannot be enforced because of insufficient or lack of funds? If there’s still time, I think the recall proponents would lobby Congress to pass a bill allocating a special funds for the conduct of a recall election in Pampanga. If this situation occurs, I do not think most of our senators, especially those seeking reelection, would support the measure for a simple reason that Among Ed is largely viewed as a political capital who can influence the political preference of the voters come election time.

I would like to ask a hypothetical question. What if the recall proponents volunteer to fund the recall election? Is there is a law allowing or prohibiting it. I don’t know. What I know is that a leading national newspaper branded the recall initiative as “shameless”. Going to the extent of funding the recall election by the proponents is not only brazen but downright unconscionable.

How ironic! The recall petition can prosper because of sufficient money being used by the proponents in the signature-gathering but the recall election itself cannot prosper because of the lack of it.

Note : Photo courtesy of PamagCUSA website

It's a shame!

The picture above shows Governor Ed Panlilio taking a jeepney ride to the Capitol due to the depletion of his office's fuel allocation. He’s commuting to his office because the funds of his office have been depleted after it defrayed the operations of four offices under the office of the governor, budget of which was not approved by the Provincial Board (PB). This was exacerbated by the non-approval by the PB of the supplemental budget he requested last 21 April 2008.

It is quite obvious that the PB under the leadership of Vice Gov. Guaio is now trying to paralyze the operations of the governor and make him appear immobilize and useless. On the top of that, the initiatory phase of the recall petition appears to have gained ground already, a move publicly supported by Guiao and Provincial Board.

Why the forces of dirty politics want Among Ed ousted? The answer to this is editorialized by the Philippine Daily Inquirer, thus :

‘Nakakahiya’

Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 00:04:00 09/03/2008

That most of the local officials of Pampanga province, especially the mayors and board members, are suddenly beside themselves with their non-negotiable demand for credible and clean leadership is not at all surprising. But their brazenness is still breathtaking. Simply put, their “campaign” is both shameful and shameless. In Filipino, “nakakahiya, walang hiya!”

We are referring to the petition purportedly initiated by Kapanalig at Kambilan ning Memalen Pampanga (Kambilan) for the recall of Gov. Eddie “Among Ed” Panlilio.
The petition, pushed by these same officials, is not unexpected and has partisanship written all over it. It is public knowledge that some of Panlilio’s political adversaries, from the time of his election, do not want him to finish his term.

Right after his proclamation, they drove all over town waving their own version of the three R’s—recount, recall and requiem—like three swords of Damocles. Sure enough, a case for recount was filed shortly thereafter with the Commission on Elections by one of his rival candidates. (The Supreme Court forbade the recount while it deliberated on a related petition.) And the requiem? Panlilio himself has said that he has been told that a requiem (based on the Latin word for “rest,” and which in the Catholic Church’s lexicon refers to a Mass or service held especially for a deceased person) is being eyed by some of his enemies as a “last resort.”

Founded only last July, Kambilan can’t be the initiator of the recall drive; in fact, it can only be the front. This “non-profit and non-stock organization” is headed by the campaign manager of a losing candidate.

Candaba Mayor Jerry Pelayo’s statement that the Pampanga Mayors League will help gather the minimum 100,000 signatures needed for the recall petition gave Kambilan away: that is, it’s a skeleton that can’t come to life without the political networks of the very politicians unhappily watching Panlilio serve as Pampanga’s governor.

The recall petition is shameful and shameless because it is downright hypocritical. Pampanga today, despite being the home province of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, remains a “jueteng-free zone.” It remains, reportedly, the home base of the country’s most influential gambling lord. But Pampanga’s officials, except for Panlilio who is openly campaigning against this corrupting illegal numbers game, are not complaining. And they didn’t complain either when the province’s collection of lahar fees, prior to Panlilio’s term, was at unbelievable lows, amid talk that most of it was flowing into private pockets instead of provincial coffers. Neither did they care that the 2007 elections in Pampanga had been reduced, in the public mind, into a contest between jueteng interests and lahar money.

Disgusted and embarrassed by the prospect of having to vote “None of the Above,” conscientious Kapampangans looked for an alternative. They found a reluctant Father Panlilio who could not refuse because he had preached that the circumstances called for a strong moral stand for good governance, and they thought it was only he who had a fighting chance to win. The priest’s victory earned for the Kapampangans the nation’s admiration. It gave its people a new sense of pride, and Pampanga basked once again in a moment of glory. But most of all, it reassured all well-meaning Filipinos that there’s still hope for the country. Panlilio became the newest symbol of the Filipino people’s aspiration for a decent society.

Now that Panlilio has raised lahar collections from P2.41 million a month in 2006 to more than P17.57 million a month since June 2007, and insists on weeding out the underground lottery “jueteng,” Pampanga’s traditional politicians are scrambling to get him out. For a jumble of fuzzy reasons: loss of confidence in his leadership, gross negligence, perjury, failure to unify local officials, lack of clear directions and programs of actions, failure to deliver basic services, even non-attendance in meetings with the President. Well, the first time he went to such a meeting, he came home with a paper bag containing P500,000 and fell out of grace with Malacañang because he chose to tell the public about it.

The recall petition is not about good governance or transparency. It is about political opportunism and personal greed. At a time the Filipino nation is in desperate need of honest leaders, officials of the President’s province are doing everything to remove one. For shame.

The Price of Among Ed’s Recall

A recall is a process which begins with the gathering of the signatures, and then proceeds to the filing of a recall petition with the COMELEC, the verification of such petition, the fixing of the date of the recall election, and the holding of the election on the date scheduled by the COMELEC.

History reveals that a recall election may take place within a short span of time or take longer than almost a year from the date of its initiation. In the case of Caloocan City Mayor Rey Malonzo, the recall election was held on 14 December 1996 or barely 5 months from the gathering of the required signatures. The recall of Mayor Jovito Claudio of Pasay City was initiated on 19 May 1999 and the recall election was held on 15 April 2000. On 2 July 2002, the people of Puerto Princesa City initiated the recall of Mayor Dennis Socrates and the COMELEC set the recall election on 14 August 2002.

I foresee that the recall of Among Ed would pass the same route as that of Mayor Claudio. It’s going to be a long protracted legal battle. Among Ed’s legal eagles would surely file opposition to the recall petition before the COMELEC citing Lilia Pineda’s pending election protest as a prejudicial question which must first be resolved before the petition for recall could be given due course. The form and substance of the petition would also be expected to be questioned by his lawyers. Even if the COMELEC would eventually give due course to the recall petition, the legal battle does not end there. The Supreme Court would finally decide whether the recall election shall take place.

The whole recall process is a very expensive exercise. The proponents of the recall of Among Ed would spend millions to buy signatures and more millions to buy votes during the recall election. These exclude the enormous amounts to be spent on election campaign, PR and lawyer’s fee. Among Ed himself would not be spared from the burden of incurring cost involved in a recall. He would certainly need millions to get reelected.


It has been said that an initiative to recall an official is always resisted with stronger vim and venom. The reason is obvious. The incumbent would not like to lose power just recently won. The challenger, often a loser in the previous election, would not want to lose a second time. It foments divisive, wasteful and bloody politics where lives are often lost. Moreover, a recall election would undermine the delivery of basic services to the public. The running of the local government units would slow down as our elected officials would be preoccupied with the recall election campaign. This all augurs ill for the future of Pampanga.

This article is also posted in PamagCUSA website and Kasaup blog

May The Force Be With You

Coffee-Table Book (Luid Ka!)

The much awaited coffee-table book (Luid Ka!) is finally to be launched on 24 February 2008 (Sunday) at Bale Ugnayan Betis, St. James Parish, Betis, Guagua, Pampanga.

The coffee-table book, which showcases the stories and images of the Kapampangan crusade for good governance, is a limited edition hardback published by Kapampangan Marangal, Inc. – a civil society group in Pampanga the promotes good governance and advances responsible citizenship.

The guardians of the first and last bulwarks of democracy are Among Ed’s cabalens.

The activist Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the last bastion of democracy, hails from Guagua, Pampanga. He is beacon of hope.



Patriotic Justice Jose Melo, the newly appointed chair of the COMELEC, the first bulwark of democracy, is from Angeles City. To borrow the words of Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban, another Pampanga's illustrious son, Justice Melo has engendered hope for honest, peaceful and orderly elections.



These two honest and courageous Kapampangans along with their fellow cabalen Among Ed are the guiding light for good governance and responsible citizenship.



It is my fervent hope that Pampanga’s favorite daughter President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo come to her sense of history and take a leaf from the book of these extraordinary Kapampangans.

Alphabetized Threat To Panlilio's Good Governance

A RECOUNT looms in the horizon. A threat of a RECALL is in the air. A REQUIEM (death threat) foreshadows an ominous dark cloud.



These 3 Rs are the so-called Swords of Damocles hanging over Among Ed’s head. Who is the Dionysius in all these threats? Otherwise stated, who are the people behind these 3 Rs?



Let’s focus on the RECALL.

Who is behind this sinister move? Taking a cue from lesson in Arithmetic, let’s have a simple lesson in Multiple Choice.

A) Either one or more of the 3 Ls (Lilia Pineda, Lord of Jueteng, Lolita Hizon)





B) Either one or more of the 3 Js (Joseller Guiao, Jerry Pelayo, Juan Miguel Arroyo)





C) Either one or more of the 3 Ps (Provincial Board members, Pampanga Mayors League, Padrino in the Palace)






















D) Either or both of the 2 Ms (Manuel Lapid, Mark Lapid)





E) None of the above



Why they are doing this? Here's why:



Now, it’s up to you to hazard a guess.

More than ever, we must double our RESOLVE to RENOUNCE the RECOUNT. If worse comes to worst, let’s kneel before the Supreme Court to REVERSE the RECOUNT order. Let’s us not give these people enough ROPE. Do not RETREAT. Let’s RESIST and REPEL any attempt to RECALL Among Ed. If they succeed in the initiatory process, let’s REAFFIRM our faith and confidence in Among Ed by electing him again. Lastly, let’s REPULSE any move to RUB OUT the good governor.

In the end the saboteurs of good governance will NEVER succeed because the nation is endowed with a very honorable Kapampangan chief justice manning the last bastion of democracy.

A One-Dollar Crusade For Ed Panlilio

How would you like to launch a historical fight against graft and corruption in the Philippines and “buy” back morality in our government --- all for just One Dollar?

You and I have always abhorred the corruption among our government officials in the Philippines, from top to bottom, and deplored the sad state of our country, where more than 70% of our of our people wallow in massive poverty. While the issue is a complex one, the most obvious etiology of this shameful malady is the overwhelming graft and corruption among our amoral and decadent government leaders.

Would you be willing to invest a dollar --- yes, one single US dollar --- in the fight against graft and corruption in the Philippines?

Leading us in this battle is a man of God, the Reverend Father “Among Ed” Panlilio, the newly elected “Miracle” Governor of Pampanga, a man of dignity and integrity.

What happened in that province is amazingly unbelievable. A humble priest, without political experience, without a bank account, without a political machinery, beating two “unbeatable” seasoned, well-funded, and powerful political giants. “Impossible,” said the political gurus when “Among Ed” first started his crusade. But the Greater Power above obviously had a grander plan for “Among Ed,” and proved the pundits wrong. Suddenly, there was hope for the Philippines.

Armed with his unblemished character, moral ascendancy, love of country, and a strong commitment to honesty and transparency in government, “Among Ed” handily won the election, in spite of widespread vote-buying and rampant cheating. It was evident that a visionary leader with integrity can truly inspire and bring out the best in the Filipino.

The billions of “missing” revenues from the Lahar collection under the past administrations, which Governor Panlilio has discovered since he assumed office June 30, 2007, is only the tip of the iceberg of the invasive cancer of graft and corruption afflicting every level of government in the entire country.

Unfortunately, an honest man makes crooks and villains nervous and uncomfortable, so there is now a move to eliminate “Among Ed, or oust him thru a Recall, courtesy of his enemies, including the majority of the town mayors who have lost their personal cut from the Lahar collection and other government projects., since Governor Panlilio took over.

One can easily imagine what he, as a man of God, of honesty and decency, of principle and genuine love of country, can do when elected President of the Philippines. A dream, yes. A tall order, definitely. An impossible task? No, not with the Divine Providence, you, and people power on his side!

Governor Panlilio has adopted Gawad Kalinga as the pillar of his vision for Pampanga and the nation. His crusade is gaining speed and momentum, and like Tony Meloto’s GK, it will soon be unstoppable. Two giant national religious groups are now supporting “Among Ed.” Filipinos around the world are rejoicing and rallying behind him. And we want you to be a part of this historical transformation.

Come fly with Governor Panlilio in this moral crusade. Our country and our neglected poor need heroes like you in our battle for morality in government, for justice and dignity for our people. This is, indeed, a revolution. Not a revolution of arms where blood will be shed, but a revolution of ideals and of principle, where dreams and vision, sweat and tears shall bathe the nation clean.

All this crusade needs is your personal commitment and moral support for “Among Ed,” an investment for the future of the Philippines. Let’s not miss this opportunity. Let’s use our power to help change our country for the better. The Reverend “Among Ed” Panlilio is heaven-sent and is the hope for our ailing nation.

Please make your check for one dollar, or whatever amount you wish, payable to: FUND FOR HOPE, and mail it to: 1830 Mirmar Road, Munster, Indiana, 46321, USA, or to Buenaventura Condominium, 62 E. Osmena St., Guadalupe, Cebu City, 6000, Philippines. Kindly include your full name and email address for our Historical Archive. This will be the best one-dollar investment you’ll ever make.

Join the revolution, help our country and our people, and leave a proud and lasting legacy for our children and the future generations to cherish with honor and dignity.

May God bless you and your loved ones! God bless the Philippines!

This article is written by Philip S. Chua, M.D. (photo is shown above), Chairman of Filipino United Network (USA) and Vice President of Far East Operations Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, L.L.C.

Dr. Chua is Chairman Emeritus of the Far Eastern University- Dr. Nicanor Reyes School of Medicine Alumni Foundation, a 501(c)3 corporation in New Jersey. He is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Far Eastern University NR Medical Foundation in the Philippines.

Dr. Chua is also a weekly health columnist of six newspapers, 3 in the United States and 3 in the Philippines, and a Manila Times Publication magazine, HealthNEWS. He is married to Farida Isip-Chua, M.D., a retired pediatrician, with whom he has five children, who are all physicians, and four of them married to physicians also.

Panlilio's Electoral Victory ---Year's Most Inspiring Event

When Among Ed took off his robe and ran for governor of Pampanga a considerable number of cynics viewed him as having caught up in the romance of noble deeds and pursuit of unreachable goals.

But scores of thousands who believed in his platform of good governance, civic participation, social innovation, and poverty alleviation followed his cause vigilantly and hundreds more were nudged into the path of loyalty to his crusade. His campaign engendered a lot of support here and abroad even from people who have nothing to do with Pampanga politics.


Among Ed won. He magnanimously humbled the political king and queen of power politics in Pampanga who had all the goons, golds, guns and glitters to buy, terrify, and wheedle the electorate. Succored by an army of moral crusaders, he mightily crushed and brought the gigantic patron/patroness of evil politics down on their knees with a slingshot of prayers. The winning margin was only 1,147 votes – a meager 1,147,000 pesos for vote purchasers who bought votes 1,000 pesos per vote. How amazing.


Admittedly, Among Ed’s electoral vitory is the year’s most inspiring event in the country. A leading newspaper aptly dubbed it a miracle ordained from above. To me, it is God’s mysterious way of manifesting that nothing exceeds the authority that comes from above.

The Birth of New Politics in Pampanga

A couple of months before the May 2007 elections, the electoral result for governorship in Pampanga was a foregone conclusion.

However, the course of history changed that.

Agitated and out of desperation, a group of conscientious Kapampangans conceived what was otherwise viewed as inconceivable. As the election was approaching, they conceived the idea of a priest running for the governorship. They found a father in Father Ed Panlilio, a symbol for Kapampangan dignity and conscience. Fr. Ed agreed to father what these well-intentioned individuals had conceived.

The conceived idea snowballed and emerged into a pregnant crusade. While the struggle suffered innumerable birth pains as the election drew nearer and endured birth pangs during the election day, Pampanga finally gave birth to a new brand of politics in the province now enjoyed by the Kapampangangs under the moral leadership of Fr. Ed Panlilio.

But given the extreme pain during the birthing process, birth trauma has set in. The enemy of good governance has claimed that the birth of new politics is illegitimate. In fact, they went to the Comelec and contested its legitimacy. Our elected board members and mayors have sided with those who question the paternity of the new politics. They refuse to embrace and cuddle the newborn era of moral, transparent and honest governance.

Incidentally, a coffee table book will pay homage to those individuals who conceived and midwived the birth of new brand of politics in Pampanga. The book, which visually tells the stories of the Kapampangan Crusade for Good Governance, is to be launched in the last week of January 2008.(book cover is shown above)

Pampanga’s Only Hope Under Siege

Harvey Keh , an idealist young fellow who previously wrote controversial letters titled : “What will make me leave the Philippines : an open letter to every Filipino” and “Seven things that shouldn’t happen in the May elections”, has written another letter to every Filipino.

This time, Harvey is drumming up support for Pampanga Gov. Ed Panlilio who is now besieged by Pampanga local officials and other GMA’s apologists over his exposé of alleged bribery in Malacañang last 11 October 2007.

I'm putting out here his letter to demonstrate my support for Governor Panlilio.




Mind you, the speed with which this letter is being circulated in the internet is so amazing that the Philippine Daily Inquirer carried it in its breaking news 12 November 2007. Several bloggers and sites have already published this letter (www.amonged.org, www.manilabaywatch.blogspot.com, www.pamagcusa.org, etc.) and others have been asked to do the same.

The support for Among Ed steadily gains ground and will soon snowball to reach a critical mass.

Thank you, Harvey!

Dear Fellow Filipinos,

Good day to you!

Last October 13 , Governor Ed Panlilio of Pampanga came out to declare that he was given P500,000.00 in cash which came from a Palace Staff Member in Malacañang. The money was allegedly given for baranggay projects and to support candidates for the upcoming baranggay elections.

Since Gov. Panlilio's admission, there have been other local officials and congressmen who have admitted to receiving money from Malacañang as well. Up until today we still don't know where this money really came from.

But since then, Gov. Panlilio has been under fire because of doing the right thing. Rightnow, local officials in Pampanga led by Vice-Gov. Yeng Guiao are ganging up on him and marginalizing him by not respecting his authority as governor. Media Publications in Pampanga are even being used to destroy his credibility. If one looks at Gov. Panlilio's performance thus far in the less than 6 months that he has been inoffice, the results would speak for itself. He was able to raise the same amount of quarry taxes in less than 2 months compared to the former governor who raised the same amount in 1 year. Due to this, mayors and board members are now demanding part of this collection money and dare blackmailing Gov. Panlilio by not passing important policies that will benefit the constituencies of Pampanga.

Isn't this a familiar refrain in our country? Someone does good and yet he is often punished for doing what is right? And worse, while this is happening many of us just turn a blind eye without doing anything. We just shrug it off and move on with our lives. It is no wonder why majority of our government leaders are becoming bolder and bolder in becoming corrupt since for them no one would dare complaint about it. In short, we deserve the kind of leaders that we have because we continue to do nothing despite the fact that we see that there is something wrong.

And this is why I am writing to appeal to you right now, I'd like to ask for a few minutes of your time to send an email of support to Gov. Ed Panlilio, let us all tell him that we are behind him in his quest for the Truth. What is at stake here is not only the people of Pampanga but the nation as a whole. Gov. Ed exposed what has long been happening in Malacañang and now he is being punished for it. Will you do something about it?

Please help us by forwarding this email to all your friends.

Harvey S. Keh, 27, is the Director for Youth Leadership and Social Entrepreneurship at the Ateneo de Manila University's School of Government and a Fellow at the Asian Institute of Management's Mirant Center for Bridging Societal Divides. He is also the Executive Director of AHON Foundation, an organization that helps promote literacy by building public elementary school libraries.

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