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PNoys choice as envoy to China is a member of Taiwans Koumintang Party

Its not too late for President Aquino to recall the appointment of Domingo Y. Lee as ambassador to the Peoples Republic of China. Lees Taiwan connection is so well-entrenched, it will complicate further the Philippines delicate relations with one of the worlds superpowers. A reliable source in the Chinese community said he knows that Lee, in his 70s is a cardcarrying member of the Koumintang. He said he is not sure if he has resigned but what he understood of the party affiliation is that its a lifetime commitment.

PNoys choice as envoy to China i member of Taiwans Koumintang Par

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Recent... Koumintang is the political party of the Republic of China. Online history accounts said it Older... was founded by Song Jiaoren and Sun Yat-sen shortly after the Xinhai Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1911 or the Chinese Revolution which ousted Emperor Puyi on February 12, 1912. Calendar

Led by Chiang Kai-shek, the Koumintang ruled much of China from 1928 until its retreat to Taiwan in 1949 after being defeated by the Communist Party of China (CPC) during the Chinese Civil War. China requires a One-China policy in its relations with other countries: the recognition of the PROC, with its seat of government in Beijing, as the sole government of China. It considers Taiwan its province. The Philippines adheres to the One-China policy but maintains a people-to-people relations with Taiwan, host to an estimated 80,000 Filipino workers. Sources said documents submitted to the DFA showed that the affiliation of Lees family with the Koumintang Party goes back to his grandfather. Lee was head of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office in Taipei, the de facto embassy of the Philippines in Taiwan during the administration of Cory Aquino. In the book Cory, an intimate portrait, a compilation of memories of the late president by people close to her, Lee has a five- paragraph piece which stated his closeness with the Aquino family. Lee wrote: Ninoy and I were childhood friends in our hometown of Concepcion, Tarlac. His father was my godfather. We grew up and bonded a lot. Ours was a special friendship a treasure of a lifetime. Indeed, he was more than a friend to me- we grew up like brothers. Naturally, his chosen partner for life was a matter of a special interest to me. Lee was a member of the business delegation that accompanied Aquino in his first trip to the United States September last year. His business description was senior adviser, Philippine Savings Bank. He is listed as a stockholder of Tower Steel Corp. He is also known as owning an alcohol distillery in Tarlac. China will not embarrass Aquino by rejecting Lee. Some China experts even think that China will use Lee as a showcase of their United Front policy towards Taiwan which they consider a province of China. But as a Koumintang member, in the conflict between China and the Philippines, whose interest would Lee protect?

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Strategic Planning and Political Parties

Paper presented by Dr. Ronald Meinardus* at the workshop on strategic planning for liberal leaders, Century Park Sheraton, Manila, 17 January 2003

While the concepts regarding strategic planning are more or less universal and related manuals in the Philippines and Europe or America contain similar guidance, political parties are very different here compared to where I come from. In a nutshell, parties here tend to be comparatively weak, they tend to lack financial resources, their organizational structures tend to be feeble, their ideological cohesion is not very pronounced and often they lack political continuity. This, as we will see, has serious implications for the planning process. Let me add some more basic observations: Strategic planning is actually a rather antique idea. For centuries, it has been applied whenever large groupings of individuals had to be lead or guided. This was mainly the case in the military sphere. In classical Greek, stratigeia means leading of an army. A modern definition of strategy transcends the military. Today, to give you a definition which I find useful in our context, strategy may be defined as a collective decision of the members of an organization about what they want the organization to be and to do, along which action they must take to make those wants a reality. I like this definition as it emphasizes the collective nature of the strategic planning process. I commend the leadership of the Liberal Party for including so many office holders in the strategic discussion. On the other hand, we know from experience that eventually the detail work and the all important follow-up - will have to be delegated to working groups and a much smaller group of individuals. Strategic planning is a formalized intellectual process that consists of several stages. In the initial phase, the planners always discuss their objectives, beginning with the very fundamental issue of what is the purpose of the entire exercise. Here, the organizers have formulated four points: The strategic planning session seeks to provide liberal leaders:

A scan of the environment A common understanding of their current position Opportunities and threats to the Party A strategic focus for the 2004 General Election

Of course, the strategic planning process in a political party and this is specifically the case with the LP with its long (and at times glorious) tradition does not start from nil. This party has existed long before the planning beginns, it already has goals and objectives, functions, members and structures. The basic and fundamental strategic objective for a liberal party and allow me to be general at this point is always identical: it is the promotion of liberal politics in the respective country. To achieve this, political power is needed. The more political power the liberal party controls, the greater the chances for liberal positions to be put into political practice. Even more challenging for the planners I find the uncertainties on the political macro-level: Today, it is totally unclear who and what the people will vote for in May 2004. There have even been media speculations that the elections may be

more open questions than answers. These do not only pertain to the substance of the issue, whether the governmental system will be changed from a presidential to a parliamentary one. Also the procedural issue, of how (and when) to realize Cha-Cha is highly controversial and of extremely high relevance for the strategic planning of any political party at this given time. A final point I wish to highlight is the absentee voting bill: the implications of millions of Overseas Workers participating in the elections for the first time can hardly be overemphasized. To this moment, I have seen little systematic preparation on the side of any political party for this eventuality. In short, in light of the many political uncertainties I deem it impossible to arrive at a conclusive strategy for 2004 at this given time. Nevertheless, I find this meeting timely and useful, as it may help the party achieve consensus regarding many pending issues, some of which I have just mentioned. If the aim is as stated before to arrive at a common understanding of the partys current position, then one priority would be to define an LP position regarding Charter Change. A second priority could be to come to a common understanding regarding the presidential candidate. One conceivable solution could be that the LP decides not to support anyone for the time being and adjourns the decision. A third priority of the strategic planning session could be to discuss ways and means of strengthening the party organization. I personally believe this is one of the most crucial and least controversial aspects. Everyone agrees that the members and supporters of the party must be mobilized in time well ahead of the final stages of the electoral campaign. A fourth priority I wish to highlight is that todays exercise should not remain a singular event, but that a follow-up should take place. Equally important, a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the strategic decisions should be put in place. My fifth and last suggestion, if I may call it that is related to the monitoring and implementation issue: all sides should agree that the strategic recommendations will be adhered to by the party members. This point is related to party discipline and is probably the most problematic aspect of the overall exercise. But please consider: The best of all strategies is worthless as long as it is not taken seriously by the party stakeholders. I do not have to look at other parties to make this remark, but can refer to my own party, the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP). We often pride ourselves of having the best and most professional strategic planning process. But in the end, we often do badly in the elections, because in the heat of the campaign some politicians dont respect the strategic directives. This is a problem in Germany, where as you all might know political parties are relatively strong. I would assume that the challenge of adhering to strategic directives of the party is even greater in a democracy like the Philippines, where political parties arguably play a much smaller role than where I come from. *Dr. Ronald Meinardus is the former resident representative of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Philippines

Sunday, May 20. 2007

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Do the party-list elections light the way?

The election results so far show a preference among voters for parties with explicit and established ideologies. Count on my father Rod Severino, a retired diplomat and a keen observer of Philippine politics since the 1950s, to make the following comment about GMA-7's senatorial candidates' forum, Isang Tanong: The program is laudable in exposing the candidates to the electorate. However, it also exposes the failing of the political system, indeed, of the political culture. The candidates appeared as individuals and not as members of political parties. Should any of them be one of the 12 elected, how can he/she carry out the programs that he/she promised, even assuming he/she is serious? What can one person do, even in a tiny body like the 24-member Senate, with no organized allies in the House and with no formal links with the President?

ABOUT SIDETRIP

MISSION This blog will attempt to find relevance in the exotic and the commonplace, value the undervalued, and satisfy my personal curiosity about all things that have anything to do with being Filipino. Howie Severino is a journalist, documentary maker, mentor, father, husband, patriot and pilgrim. He does two main gigs on television:IWitness, GMA Network's pioneering documentary program, and Sine Totoo, a showcase for some of GMA's best non-fiction public affairs programming. For four years, Howie also reported on culture and travel in the quirky Sidetrip sa Saksi stories on the late night news. He has also worked at, in reverse chronological order, The Probe Team (reporter), Phil. Center for Investigative Journalism (staff), The Manila Chronicle (reporter), The Journal Weekender (editor), Department of Health (speechwriter), Ateneo de Manila High School (teacher), the Philippine Embassy in Wash. D.C. (writer), the Boston Common (pretzel vendor), McDonald's (grill cook), newspaper delivery boy, choirboy. In the mid 1990s, Howie wrote a column in the Manila Times called Moving Mountains, which explored environmental issues and trends. His email:howieseverino@gmail.com

Most Filipinos have known no other form of politics except for this individualistic, parties-of-convenience spectacle. A declining number lived through the one-party rule of the KBL, the Marcos vehicle. But many Filipinos have now lived abroad, like my father, and have seen the potential for public good of political parties with ideologies, platforms, and disciplined members who will shepherd their parties' agenda through the legislature and bureaucracy. There are some sharp policy differences, for example, between the Labor and Conservative parties in the UK or the Democratic and Republican parties in the US. In the Philippines, it's hard to recall sometimes even the names of the parties. One senatorial ticket distinguishes itself only by calling itself the "genuine opposition," as if all other Arroyo critics are fake. The only thing candidates on that ticket have in common is their desire to remove the president from power. But if this has been the political culture in these woods since time immemorial (assuming one considers it an extension of our ancient datu/strongman politics), how does one go about establishing a modern political party system? In a more perfect world, I suppose we could count on the Comelec to show us the way. But instead, the May fiasco proves that the man heading it should be shown the way out. The one token effort at paying lip service to a real party system is the party-list elections. Satur Ocampo was right for lamenting the miniscule coverage the media has been

Shotlisting in Aceh after a day of covering the aftermath of the Asian tsunami, January 2005. (Photo by Aye Navarro) Top banner photo of Howie in Culion, Palawan by Ella Evangelista
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Wednesday, September 22. 2010

Liberal Party vs. Kabarkada Inc. ni Leloy Claudio

Mareng Winnie Monsod divides Noynoys critics into the Friendlies and the Unfriendlies". As someone who wanted Noynoy to win (to this extent, I guiltily withheld my information about Hacienda Luisita lest it be used by the Villar camp), Id like to think I belong to the former. So let me offer some friendly criticism. By now its obvious to many people that the president has made some pretty bad appointments. The president has appointed incompetent and, potentially corrupt friends to government posts. Amando Doronila has previously alluded to these friends as an old boys club in Malacaang. Personally, I call them Kabarkada Inc. a group which has been causing our president problems since day one. (If you recall, Noynoy's mother, President Cory, was known unfairly or not for her "Kamaganak Inc.") When I heard earlier this year that then President-elect Aquino was planning to appoint an unknown Quezon City administrator named Jojo Ochoa to the position of Executive Secretary (the little president), my immediate reaction was like many others': Jojo who? Aquinos justification for this crucial appointment - a spiel about how close he was to Ochoa and how long theyd known each other was inadequate to say the least. PNoy should recall that his mother appointed an eminently qualified Executive Secretary. Though he is routinely derided today, Joker Arroyo was an iconic and brilliant human rights lawyer in 1986. Civil society groups universally hailed his appointment as little president. It wouldnt take the public long to discover that Jojo was no Joker circa 1986. On his first day in office, Ochoa issued the bungled Memorandum Circular 1, which caused widespread disarray in many government offices. More recently, Newsbreak spotted him drunk in the Manila Pen, oozing machismo and having a grand time with lady friends as the rest of the country grieved over the Luneta tragedy. In many ways, though, Pareng Jojo is just a PR liability. Pareng Rico is another story. As the de Lima report shows, Puno proved inept during the hostage crisis. This isnt surprising. Apart from being Noynoys gun-touting buddy, what gives him the right to run the PNP? The guy himself admits to not knowing how to handle hostage situations. To top things off, based on Bishop Oscar Cruzs allegations, Puno is also possibly receiving payola from jueteng lords. But lets give him the benefit of the doubt. He could be innocent. Even if this were the case, he should be held accountable for hiding information from the president. By his own admission, jueteng lords have attempted to approach the DILG undersecretary. Why didnt he tell his boss? And why doesnt he name names in public? We deserve to know. Ironically, the person who can save the DILG from the likes of Puno is not secure in his position. Jesse Robredo the multi-awarded mayor with a squeaky clean reputation is sadly only an acting secretary because of differences between his working style and the presidents. Having personal differences, however, is not necessarily a bad thing. Friends of a leader can easily become yes-men, rarely providing annoying dissenting views. In contrast, an independent official with integrity can serve as a check and balance to groupthink and sycophancy. Barack Obama might not be the best example given his current unpopularity, but we should recall how much praise he received for appointing independent personalities to top government posts. In making Hillary Clinton the USs top diplomat, he proved that even one of his sharpest critics had a place in government (remember the extent of mudslinging during the Democratic primaries). This may be slightly reductive, but I believe the battle lines within the Aquino administration are becoming more evident as events unfold. The much-touted Samar-Balay rivalry seems to me to be one between close friends and party mates, between Kabarkada Inc. and the Liberal Party.

Five things to watch for in CNN / t Debate political party

National News Service has compiled a itemize of stories and key strategies to countenance for tonight 's National News Service / Tea Party politico Debate. Watch the National News Service/Tea Party politico Debate at 8 p.m. ET weekday on National News Service TV and National News Service.com . metropolis Here are key storylines and strategies to check for in weekday nights National News Service/Tea Party politico Debate. 1. Round digit of the Perry-Romney slugfest? It started in Wednesdays speaking at the Ronald President Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, when Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the newborn man in the vie and the front-runner in the domestic polls, and instance Colony Gov. Mitt Romney, the preceding frontrunner, sparred over jobs creation and Social Security. commodore stood by early comments that Social Security is a "Ponzi scheme" and that it was a "monstrous lie" to verify teen workers that it would be there when they retire. Romney responded, locution that "under no circumstances would I ever feature by whatever manoeuvre its a failure. It is employed for jillions of Americans, and Ill ready it employed for jillions of Americans." Since then, both candidates hit swung at apiece another finished e-mail releases and on ethnic media. In a broadcasting interview, Romney went a travel increase than he did onstage, saying, "If we select someone who the Democrats crapper aright remember as existence anti to Social Security, we would be destroyed as a party." And Romneys aggroup was handing discover fliers over the weekend in Florida that feature commodore is "reckless and criminal on Social Security." Perrys aggroup fired back, noting that in Romneys contract aggregation "No Apology," the instance Colony controller compared the direction of Social Security to a felony.

GOP wheelwork up for repast band speaking Tea Party Express: No conversation points RELATED TOPICS politico Party Tea Party Movement Rick commodore Mitt Romney Michele Bachmann And the commodore crusade highlighted comments Romney prefabricated in Lebanon 11 life after commodore jumped into the race. Romney said, "Republicans, aforementioned myself, are not feat to revilement Social Security or Medicare for grouping who are older or nearby retirement. And for the grouping who feature we are, they are demagoguing an supply rattling much that harms America." As for Romneys declaration that commodore would mayhap abolish the favourite polity program, the Texas controller said in a army Today instrument example weekday that "Americans staleness become unitedly and concord to become the problems so todays beneficiaries and tomorrows retirees rattling crapper calculate on Social Security for the daylong haul." The digit candidates again module be stagnant incoming to apiece another weekday period as they were terminal week. 2. Will Michele Bachmann direct Perry?: This speaking is pivotal to Bachmann, who has dropped in domestic polling since commodore launched his crusade on the aforementioned period the legislator from Minnesota won a pivotal band statesmanly distribute enquiry in Iowa, which holds the prototypal nominating oppose incoming year. Bachmann had brawny performances at debates in New county in June and Chiwere in August, but she seemed somewhat concealed at

terminal weeks speaking in California. But Bachmann has interjected herself into the Social Security communicating over the instance whatever days. "America needs to ready its prospect to grownup citizens, I speech to them every the time. I fuck grownup citizens, I tending most them. My mom is 80 eld older and my papa is 87," Bachmann said in an discourse weekday on National News Services "John King, USA," adding that Social Security needs to be overhauled but "we hit to ready our promises with grownup citizens." Bachmann crusade aides said their politician module essay to ingest the speaking to particular her differences with commodore on Social Security and another issues. 3. Can Jon Huntsman physique momentum?: The ex-Utah controller and instance U.S. diplomatist to China is struggling in the polls, so his display weekday period is especially important. Huntsman attained constructive reviews for his action at terminal weeks speaking when he proven to evolve himself from the rest of the earth by portraying the another candidates as likewise standpat to get the vie for the White House. 4. A bounteous period for bandleader Cain?: The businessman, ex-Godfathers Pizza CEO and instance broadcasting talk-show patron is also in the azygos digits in most domestic surveys, but this first-ever politico repast band speaking could wage the politician with a gaolbreak moment. Cains extremely favourite with repast band activists, and the speaking could be his quantity to increase his position. 5. Who added module become discover swinging? The speaking haw not be pivotal for Rep. Daffo Apostle of Texas, whos making his ordinal effort for the White House. He has brisk and avid supporters and has lowercase difficulty when it comes to upbringing crusade money, but for whatever of the another candidates, a brawny action weekday period could be key to dynamical their fundraising. Apostle did hit whatever grave comments for man American commodore terminal week. Will that move weekday night? For whatever of the second-tier candidates, a gaolbreak time is alive for survival. They requirement to reason whatever points to create fervour and increase fundraising, so they crapper move their hopes of success the band nomination. Former Sen. Rick Santorum of university was leading his distinction of blast at Apostle terminal week. Will he move much attacks? And instance House Speaker Newt Gingrich conventional whatever brawny commendation at terminal weeks debate, thanks to his attacks on the "mainstream" media. Does he move that strategy? Political parties
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Saturday, April 21. 2007

ABOUT SIDETRIP

Don Quixote on bike

MISSION This blog will attempt to find relevance in the exotic and the commonplace, value the undervalued, and satisfy my personal curiosity about all things that have anything to do with being Filipino. Howie Severino is a journalist, documentary maker, mentor, father, husband, patriot and pilgrim. He does two main gigs on television:IWitness, GMA Network's pioneering documentary program, and Sine Totoo, a showcase for some of GMA's best non-fiction public affairs programming. For four years, Howie also reported on culture and travel in the quirky Sidetrip sa Saksi stories on the late night news. He has also worked at, in reverse chronological order, The Probe Team (reporter), Phil. Center for Investigative Journalism (staff), The Manila Chronicle (reporter), The Journal Weekender (editor), Department of Health (speechwriter), Ateneo de Manila High School (teacher), the Philippine Embassy in Wash. D.C. (writer), the Boston Common (pretzel vendor), McDonald's (grill cook), newspaper delivery boy, choirboy. In the mid 1990s, Howie wrote a column in the Manila Times called Moving Mountains, which explored environmental issues and trends. His email:howieseverino@gmail.com

The first person I met on my bike trip around Bohol was a retired professor of Filipino, Peter Peligrino, who was campaigning for governor on a rickety bike. It is a quixotic campaign, to say the least. He has no political party, no campaign war chest, no staff, and poor hearing. But he has Comelec accreditation and is the rare political candidate who can talk about poverty issues without showing off wealth. And he has determination, cycling around his province at turtle-neck speed. His bike however has poor brakes and a horn that doesn't work. Naturally, most people he encounters don't take him too seriously, accustomed as most are to equating bicycle travel with a lack of means to own and drive a car, and thus a lack of means to give out t-shirts or money. But that's too bad, because he is a lot more like the ordinary voter than most candidates: earnest and poor. So the professor may not win, but he might just be ahead of his time. Biking is actually a good way for political leaders to know their place and meet their constituents. It was certainly an ideal way for me to know Bohol and interact with people. Our documentary, BIKE-asyon sa Bohol, airs Monday night, April 23, on GMA7, after Saksi (delayed by a day or two on PinoyTV overseas).

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