vonjobi: wow, congratulations! kelan ang trip? i hope i'll be around when you come. had a good time with diosa last...
Keith Bacongco: Knowing Nograles and his Big Boss...garapalan na lang talaga.
Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee: Congratulations, PCIJ! Mabuhay kayo!
Lead Philippines: But without credible mass media there, what is left to protect the people..?
vonjobi: it's juned sOniDo.

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hopeless_race : Lets not just focus sa mga malversation of funds, sa mga overpricing..ating pagtuunan ng atensyon ang diskarte ng mga politiko na umuutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno."Small time" ang ibang pamamaraan ng pangungurakot kumpara sa pag-utang sa gobyerno ng bilyon na tunay ngang masasabing "pinaka big-time" at wala pang sabit.
hopeless_race : Mukhang tikom ang bibig ng lahat pagdating sa diskarte ng mga politiko sa pagutang ng mga bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno na tinatakbuhan. Itong pamamaraan na ito ang tunay na kumakain ng malaking porsyento ng ating national budget batay na din sa sinasabi ng world bank.
hopeless_race : Pakisilip naman po ang mga utang ni Villar sa BSP, ang mga utang nila RAMON JACINTO, RONNIE ZAMORA, JOE DE VENECIA at madami pang ibang mga pulitiko. Iilan lamang yan sa mga nababanggit sa balita na may mga malalaking utang sa gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Nagmimistulang "small time" lamang ang malversation of funds kumpara sa laki ng kinakamal ng mga umuutang sa gobyerno. At ito ay malinaw na natatakbuhan dahil hindi nga naman pwede makulong ang may-ari ng kumpanya sa pagkaka-utang lamang. Tunay na mga tuso at magagaling sa batas itong mga politiko natin. Masasabi ko na malamang lahat ng mga politiko ganito ang diskarte...wala pang kulong.
hopeless_race : PCIJ pkitingnan naman po ang mga gaya ni Villar na my malaking utang sa Gobyerno pero tinatakbuhan. Magtatayo ng kumpanya at uutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno ng walang balak bayaran. Tunay ngang walang nakukulong sa utang...ito ang prinsipyo ginagamit ng mga politiko ntin kaya nakakapagtaka kung san napupunta ang daang bilyong pera ng gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Sana itreat naman po ng media ang hacienda luisita at mendiola massacre na parang MAGUINADANAO MASSACRE. Ipublicized ang mga katotohanan at ipakita sa tao ang karumaldumal na pinaggagawa sa mga farmers dun. Untouchable po ba sila cory at danding at hindi magawang batikusin ng media about these two massacres?
hopeless_race : Kapag napaguusapan ang mendiola at hacienda luisita massacre ay parang walang nangyari at parang hindi big deal. Anu po ba ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang nabanggit na massacre sa maguindanao massacre?
hopeless_race : Its sad that we pinoys are blind to the fact of what had happened in mendiola and hacienda luisita. Ang tanong..bakit ang media ay hindi manlang matackle ang ganitong usapin? Takot ba sila kay cory at danding?
hopeless_race : Wilkins" brand, for P1.4 billion.-1999 Sugarland Multi-Food Corp. for P2.9 billion 2001- Purefoods Corp P7 billion P60 billion Coca-Cola ... See More 2002- Cosmos Bottling Corp. from RFM Corp. for P14.1 billion October 2008- GSIS' shares in Meralco worth PHP30 Billion. December 2008- country's biggest oil refiner, Petron Corporation. international company shopping spree: Australian boutique brewer J. Boag and Son for A$96 million in 2000. $97 million for Thai Amarit Brewery Ltd $35.5 mi
hopeless_race : Gud am..glad to be back.
jr_lad : rip mr. alecks pabico. you'll be greatly missed!
sevens21 : Dati input mo lng name at SSS ID makukuha mo agad STATIC INFO...
sevens21 : tawag ka sa HOTLINE nila walang ANSWER grrr we need pa namn ng static info SSS Gising!!!
sevens21 : Gawa naman po kayo ng article about SSS. Pangit ng site nila dali ma blocked ng account
guest_899 : we must check the background of each potential candidates to avoid having another big mistake like GMA
guest_899 : congratulations to PCIJ, more power and God Bless !
jazzymuver : how did Arroyo swallow that kind of things!! how come that she just spend the money our countrymen for her own sake!!
guest_3664 : i would be glad if u can include the investigation of the manner public officials announce infra projects as per COA regulation. It is frustrating to see their faces on the tarpaulin instead of the prescribed information like name of project, date of implementation,amount of contract, source/s of fund, among other things. This is very rampant here in Marikina. Thanks and more power on your noble endeavors. We need people like you to have make our country great again.
jhanz_08 : im making research on R.A 9136...with rgards to the privatization of NPC..could someone out there can let me understand more bout this matter?why was monopoly dismantled?email me..jhanycem@yahoo.com...thanks much
erika marie : P.S.:) my paper is due next week and i do hope someone could provide me these reports coming from reliable resources thank you ulit.
erika marie : P.S.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study regarding political killings in the philippines. could someone out there please send me human rights reports under Aquino and Ramos administration. you could send it at my email: erikamariet@yahoo.com your response would surely be very much appreciated. thank you everyone. god bless.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study for my paper regarding political killings in the philippines. i noted that there are no human rights reports during the Aquino and Ramos administration. could someone out there please send me reports regarding these matter? i do hope these reports came from reliable resources you could send it in my email; erikamariet@yahoo.comyour response would surely be appreciated. thanks everyone. god bless.
jayson bourne : gusto ko po maging member ng PCIJ, panu po ba? may application po ba? sana mapadalhan nyo ako ng info sa email ko... www.jboxpenshoppe@yahoo.com
jayson bourne : cory is OK, but kris & Noynoy sensationalize masyado...
guest_9891 : LABAN pa rin!
meow : boycotts worked during marcos years. how about doing it now against the businesses of the con-ass congressmen?
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Who is a nuisance candidate?

Posted by: Lala Ordenes-Cascolan | March 21, 2007 at 2:32 pm
Filed under: 2007 Elections, Comelec Watch, Governance

ATENEO de Manila University professor Danton Remoto could get a few pointers on how not to be declared a nuisance candidate from Felix Cantal. And while Remoto’s at it, maybe Ang Ladlad, the party-list group he heads, could also learn a lesson or two from Cantal’s party, the Philippine Green Republican Party (PGRP).

Felix Cantal Section 69 of the Omnibus Election Code as amended by Section 5 of Republic Act No. 6646 (The Electoral Reforms Law of 1987) defines a “nuisance candidate” as:

one who files his candidacy to put the election process in mockery or disrepute

one who causes confusion among the voters by the similarity of the names of the registered candidates

one who, based on demonstrable circumstances or acts, has no bona fide intention to run for office

In its Resolution No. 7832, the Commission on Elections declared Remoto a nuisance candidate even as it gave due course to the candidacy of Cantal.

Felix Cabrera Cantal, or “Kuya Peck” as he prefers to be called, is PGRP’s lone senatorial candidate for the May 2007 elections. He claims to be a “political economist” with a doctorate degree in Political Economics from Oxford University. He also says he has honorary Ph.D.s in Arts and Letters from Columbia University and Mathematics from Harvard University.

He lists the Cantal Group of Business Services as among his Philippine-based businesses, which include the following companies: Cantal Globe Oil Worldwide Exploration and Distribution, Cantal Shipping and Lighterage, Cantal Engineering Metal Builders and General Construction, and Globe Oil Shipping Lines which, he claims, has passenger ships in Indonesia. He also markets rope, textile, apparels, cables and wires from China for distribution to Europe, the Middle East and the United States.

A search at the Securities and Exchange Commission, however, showed that not one of the establishments he mentions as part of his business ventures is registered. In fact, only four corporations are listed under the name Felix C. Cantal, none of which have business-sounding names: Citizens of the Philippines Movement for Sovereign Rights, Perpetualight Top Service Movement Philippines International, Inc., Youth Monetary Economics and Public Economics Movement Philippines International, and Global Movement for Social Economics, Inc.

Cantal also claims to have business interests in other parts of the world. These are the American Globe Oil Exploration which operates in the “North Pole, near Iceland and Greenland, between Russia and Canada.”

In an interview with the PCIJ, Cantal enumerated the various positions he has held over the years. According to him, he was a United Nations officer for sixteen years. He started in 1957 until 1973. He claimed to have been the Internal Director of the United Nations Security Council for two years, Operating Officer of the United Nations General Assembly for two years, editor-in-chief of the United Nations Organ, United Information Division for two years, and director of the International Court of Justice for four years.

In his certificate of candidacy, however, Cantal wrote his birth date as May 18, 1949, which means he was only eight years old when he started working for the United Nations. Either Cantal is a genius or this Doctor of Mathematics from Harvard miscalculated his age.

Prof. Winnie Monsod, while reading Cantal’s bio data minutes before the taping of Palaban, exclaimed: “This is ridiculous, incredible!”

But wait till she reads Crispina Belen’s interview in the Manila Bulletin dated June 13, 2006 where Cantal claimed to have directed “more than 60 full-length movies in Hollywood, nine of them James Bond films (six of them starred in by Sean Connery, and three by Roger Moore) under the name Abdel Sommers.” Or the July 17, 2005 interview by the same writer where Cantal claimed to have “landed in the Guinness Book of World Records for being Asia’s Advertising Wizard.”

His showbiz connection doesn’t end there though. He claims to be the owner of Starboard Films Production which, he says, syndicates the Charlie Chaplin movies. “I bought the rights for worldwide distribution from MGM.” The official site of Charlie Chaplin however states that “the worldwide all media distribution rights to (Charlie Chaplin) films, excluding live orchestral screenings of the films, are currently licensed to MK2 in Paris.”

Asked if the Philippine Green Republican Party has the resources to launch a nationwide campaign, Cantal countered that their funds come “from contribution of the members of Black Forest which has five million card-carrying members nationwide.”

Black Forest, according to Cantal, is “a group, whose members are the remnants of the guerrilla forces based in Sierra Madre, attached to the reservist group of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.” Its mission is “to protect the sovereign territorial domain of the Republic of the Philippines from an invasion.”

When asked if the group, of which he is the national commander, is allowed to take up arms, Cantal replied that the members will use “bow and arrow, and the vintage arms left by the Japanese.”

In its resolution, the Comelec declared that the PGRP “has a nationwide constituency.”

On the contrary, the Comelec resolution dated February 27, 2007 signed by Second Division Presiding Commissioner Florentino A. Tuason Jr. and member Commissioners Rene V. Sarmiento and Nicodemo T. Ferrer stated that Ang Ladlad’s declaration of “untruthful statements” regarding the national scope of its membership was the reason why the poll body junked its accreditation bid.

In its petition for registration submitted to the Comelec on September 5, 2003, PGRP listed Fernando Poe Jr., Noli de Castro, Edgardo Angara, Miriam Santiago, Juan Ponce Enrile, among others as founding members. Atty. Edgardo Tumangan, campaign manager of Senator Edgardo Angara, however refutes this, saying the senator has only one party, the Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino.

The office of Senator Santiago, in a statement sent to PCIJ, said that “Senator Santiago does not remember founding or being a member of the Philippine Green Republican Party. She does not have documents on PGRP.”

In the PGRP’s constitution and by-laws submitted to the Comelec, documents which served as basis for the party’s accreditation, it was alleged that in a meeting held on December 20, 2002 the founding members of the party ratified its constitution duly seconded by Oscar Orbos, Pong Biazon, Rufus Rodriguez, Rodrigo Duterte, among others. Former Executive Secretary Oscar Orbos expressed shock and disbelief in an interview, even calling PGRP’s use of his name “gratuitous.” Orbos says he has never heard of Felix Cantal and he is not in any way connected with the PGRP.

But by issuing a Comelec resolution dated January 24, 2004 penned by then Commissioner Rufino S.B. Javier and concurred in by Commissioners Luzviminda Tancangco and Resurreccion Borra granting the petition for registration of Philippine Green Republican Party as a national political party, the Comelec in effect affirms that the allegations of PGRP are true and correct.

In Pamatong vs. Comelec (Rev. Elly Chavez Pamatong, Esquire vs. Comelec, G.R. 161872, Feb. 9, 2004), quoted by the poll body in Resolution 7842, it is provided that “the State has a compelling interest to ensure that its electoral exercises are rational, objective, and orderly.” It goes to say that “the factual determination of whether a candidate is a nuisance candidate is within the province of Comelec.”

Section 6 of Comelec Resolution No. 7800 dated January 5, 2007 states that “the Commission may, at any time before election, motu proprio refuse to give due course to or cancel a certificate of candidacy of any candidate for the positions of Senator and Party-list.”

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 21st, 2007 and is filed under 2007 Elections, Comelec Watch, Governance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

10 people have left comments

wow, incredible talaga! mas matindi pa pala etong si cantal kisa kay eddie gil. yan pala ang gusto ng Comelec natin. para makapasa ang isang kandidato dapat pag nag-apply ka mag-imbento ka na ng katako-takot para makalusot. yung matino hindi pinapayagang tumakbo pero yung baliw puede. pero matino nga ba talaga etong mga Comelec officials natin at tingin ko parang puro mga abnormal rin ang mga nakapuwesto ngayon. during sa hearing ng mga sinasabing nuisance candidates puro sila tawanan. hindi kaya mga baliw din ang mga eto?

yang sinasabi ng Comelec na dapat may enough resources ang isang kakandidato para ipantustos sa kanyang kampanya, hindi naman nakasulat sa ating Omnibus Election Code yan. ibig sabihin pala pag mahirap pero may kakayahan hindi na puedeng tumakbo? ang klaro ay yang mga pinaggagawa ni oliver lozano (bistado ng pakawala ng palasyo) na paglalapastangan at pangungutya sa proseso ng ating batas at halalan pero nagbububulag-bulagan at nagtatanga-tangahan lang etong mga “incredible” Comelec officials natin.

jr_lad wrote on March 22, 2007 - 1:25 pm | Visit Link

Ang Ladlad should be accredited because it represents a distinct sector or section of Philippine society.

The same with women sector which needs more representation in Congress. Thus, I could not fathom the reason why Eta Rosales and her Akbayan is questioning the accreditation of Babae para sa Kaunlaran or BABAE KA.

Here is BABAE KA’s press statement on the matter:

PRESS STATEMENT
MARCH 21, 2007

BABAE KA CONDEMNS AKBAYAN
“Accusation is nothing but a wild goose-chase”

The Babae para sa Kaunlaran or BABAE KA condemns in the strongest words possible the unfounded accusation of Akbayan. This is nothing but a wild goose-chase and a cheap shot aimed at gathering media mileage at our expense and that of other legitimate party-list organizations.

BABAE KA is not a government-controlled party-list organization. BABAE KA is a legitimate organization existing since 2005 and registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) before being accredited by the Commission on Elections (Comelec). It submitted all the requirements and went through the legal process. It has organizational presence in majority of the regions and provinces of the country.

As an organization, BABAE KA never received even a centavo of assistance from the Philippine government. It will support programs of government that it deems as pro-people. However, BABAE KA will be critical of programs that shall negatively affect Filipino women and the people, in general.

Unlike its accuser, BABAE KA has no political agenda or ideology except to advance the rights and welfare of women and the Filipinos, as a whole. BABAE KA views itself as a centrist organization and not a leftist or rightist coalition.

BABAE KA does not have multimillion pesos in campaign funds like AKBAYAN but it has the logistics garnered from its officers and members and the organizational network around the country that will guarantee a decent and possibly victorious campaign.

BABAE KA urges AKBAYAN leaders to be true to their written program and to stop engaging in gutter politics and mudslinging, as well as to fulfill its 2004 election promises to those who campaigned and voted for them.###

ladyeagle wrote on March 22, 2007 - 3:28 pm | Visit Link

How long will it take to see my response get published? Everything I stated can be documented by verifiable sources, which I’ll gladly furnish if you so wish.

Jayo wrote on March 23, 2007 - 3:39 am | Visit Link

Jayo,

Sorry, but I didn’t encounter a comment from you. It could have been lost in the spam comment harvest because there was a problem with our anti-spam plugin over the weekend which disabled the commenting feature on the blog. But we’ve installed new plugins yesterday to address the problem. Please try posting your comment again. Thanks.

Alecks P. Pabico wrote on March 23, 2007 - 10:09 am | Visit Link

Upon reading the above item Wednesday night, I commented that no one named “Abdel Sommers” had directed any of the James Bond films, that no one by that name was a registered member of the Directors Guild of America, nor was anyone with that name at the Internet Movie Database. The following are my sources:
“When the Snow Melts: The Autobiography of Cubby Broccoli,” with Donald Zec. Mr. Broccoli was a producer of the authorized Bond series; the book’s filmography covering the Bond films are on pages 331-334;
http://dga.org/index2.php3?chg=
URL for the Directors Guild of America Membership Directory;
http://imdb.com/find?s=nm&q=“Abdel Sommers”
URL for the Internet Movie Database search for “Abdel Sommers.”
Now that I’ve provided my sources for the comment I made, will you please publish this?

Jayo wrote on March 24, 2007 - 9:27 am | Visit Link

This is the official statement from the World Bank Office in Manila sent to PCIJ on March 23, 2007:

“Please be informed that we have no record of Mr. Felix Cabrera Cantal as having worked or been connected with the World Bank.”

Cynthia F. Manalastas
World Bank Office Manila
23/F The Taipan Place, Emerald Ave., Ortigas Center, Pasig City

Lala Ordenes-Cascolan wrote on March 24, 2007 - 3:10 pm | Visit Link

Could someone please “clean up” the comments section? It seems that, as they appear on site, readers’ comments overlap, making them difficult, if not impossible, to read.
Thank you very much.

Jayo wrote on March 24, 2007 - 10:42 pm | Visit Link

Jayo,

I think it’s because you are using IE 7.0. For some reason, the comments do not display properly with the latest version of Bill Gates’s web browser. The blog does not encounter such problem with lower IE versions. In fact, it works perfectly all right with Firefox, which I think is a far superior browser. I suggest you use it to view our blog.

Alecks P. Pabico wrote on March 24, 2007 - 11:13 pm | Visit Link

[...] http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=1553 [...]

UP Medicine Student Council » National Election Bulletin: Independents and other Parties wrote on April 26, 2007 - 9:32 pm | Visit Link

hahahaha! pati b naman comelec nadenggoy ni cantal?..anu b yan?! kilala ko c cantal nagtrabaho ko jan sa cnasabi nyang cantal group of companies lahat ng business nyan di naman nag ooperate at may tama ang pag-iisip nyan, cno b naman maniniwala sa mga nilagay nya sa resume nyan e kahit nga cguro brgy tanod di mananalo yan. sandali lng ako namasukan jan lahat kmi ng kasamahan ko umalis kc wala naman pampasweldo isang buwan ako nagwork sa kanya pero wla kmi nkuhang salary, at wla naman kmi gnagawa s residential na opisina nya sa 16th flr, ocean tower, roxas blvd., malate manila..alam ko p ng anumber dun 521-4102..puro kahanginan pa pinagsasabi na kesyo madame dw sya barko sa amerika may pagawaan ng langis at kung ano2x pang kayabgan..napag-alaman ko din nu n kumandidato pala xa na congressman ng 2001 at mayor ng manila nung 2004, ayun bokya sa nkuhang boto!! ang masasabi ko lng s kanya mahilig sa babae yan at madami anak sa ibat-ibang babae, at ang usap-usapan dati dun may mga illegal na business sya at pang front lang nyan yung mga cnasabi nyang business para d xa mahalata.. ang masasabi ko naman sa comelec isang malutong na tawa HAHAHAHAHA!! nkakatawa tlaga comelec natin kung bakit nkalusot tong c cantal..mas malala pa c cantal kay eddie gil eh! wla ng maniniwla sa kakayahan at katinuan ng comelec lahat ng nakakakilala kay cantal pinagtatwanan na kyong mga taga comelec…kawawa naman ang bansang pilipinas…

galvan_marl wrote on April 30, 2007 - 10:30 am | Visit Link