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.

Latest Message 5 months ago

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?
meow : aside from 168, what other establishments can we boycott that belong to the arroyos and their cronies?
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Lucrative lawyering on Election Day

Posted by: Jaileen F. Jimeno | May 14, 2007 at 2:02 pm
Filed under: 2007 Elections

IT’S a lucrative day for many lawyers today. That is for those who are not doing volunteer poll-watching work.

Through the years, elections have become less of a battleground between ladies and gentlemen, prompting candidates to hire lawyers even long before they file their certificates of candidacy. And in many cases, it is a paperless, tax-less transaction.

The job description can range from the simplest to the most complex. Some lawyers are hired just to be on call on election day in case legal problems arise in polling precincts. Others are hired full time from campaign day up to proclamation day.

A lawyer reveals he was hired by a senatorial candidate in 2004 to serve for three days beginning on the eve of the elections until Tuesday, when the canvassing at the precinct level wraps up. The fee was P15,000 per day for a total of P45,000.

“We were just required to know by heart the section on the appreciation of ballots and to read up on pre-proclamation controversies,” says Joel, who works for one of the country’s biggest firm. He says the senatorial candidate’s lead legal counsel held a briefing for him and a hundred other lawyers. It was a very organized meeting with handouts on election rules, a directory of party heads at the provincial and regional level, and an explanation on what their work consisted. Joel’s fee was handed to him after the briefing. The transaction did not involve contracts, signatures or receipts.

“Malaking pera ang involved. Iyan ang raket na inaabangan ng mga abogado kapag eleksyon (Big money is involved and lawyers wait for elections because of this),” he says.

Joel’s duty consisted of going to his home province north of Manila and being on call for problems during the counting. He says no one checked if he really showed up for work. “The rule was honor among thieves. It’s a matter of trust,” he explains.

Joel says this election, the going rate for lawyers has risen to P30,000 per day. He did not see action this year, saying the offers he received would have had him working in election hotspots. “I didn’t even dare ask how much the fee was. It’s risky, and I may get shot if it would involve filing an electoral protest,” he says.

A political strategist who was privy to the campaign of some politicians in 2004 says that for a hotly contested mayoralty post in Metro Manila, candidates set aside from P2 million to 10 million for legal fees. He says law firms charged from P50,000 to P300,000 as acceptance fee, and an additional P1 million for election work.

For senatorial candidates, a lead lawyer forms a legal team composed of junior lawyers and paralegals in crucial towns. The political strategist says the lead lawyer and junior lawyer are paid P10,000 to P40,000 per day depending on their caliber, while paralegals may cost the candidate P1,500 to P3,000 per day.

“Nobody will tell you the truth,” he says about a candidate’s expenses for legal fees.

A law firm senior partner confirms legal fees are highest in Metro Manila and hotspot areas. He pegs the minimum at P500,000 for the full range of service, from training poll watchers, handling election day concerns, up to post-canvassing problems. The number goes higher, depending on the risk involved. Another lawyer recalls receiving P10,000 per day for the barangay elections in the nineties.

But friendship and college fraternity bonds among lawyers are also at work during elections. Some lawyers admit to accepting just P5,000 to help fraternity members. Joel says a lawyer’s appearance fee is at a regulated rate of P2,000 at most.

And if a candidate wins, lawyers also get a bonus, depending on the generosity of the candidate.

“It’s still lawyering and there’s nothing irregular about it, except that it doesn’t follow the suggested rate for lawyers set by the IBP (Integrated Bar of the Philippines),” Joel says.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 14th, 2007 and is filed under 2007 Elections. 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.

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