All 12 Senate winners are ‘criminals’ - Miriam

[explorer]

All 12 Senate winners are ‘criminals’ -- Senator Santiago

May 10, 2007
Updated 22:32:26 (Mla time)
Gil C. Cabacungan Jr.
Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines -- Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago is seriously considering quitting the Senate, saying she cannot stomach serving with 12 new senators who literally bought their way into winning a farce of an election that has become “a battle of billionaires.”

“By July 22 when the 14th Congress opens, I will have at least 12 colleagues in the Senate who all have bought their position. I don’t belong in that league, I don’t have enough money,” said Santiago in a phone interview.

Santiago’s rant followed on senatorial candidate Victor Wood’s complaint against the commercialization of the elections that has favored popular and moneyed candidates.

Wood said the only clear winners in this year’s elections were the giant broadcast networks, the GMA Network and ABS CBN Broadcasting, which have been raking it in from candidates’ ad spending.

“The people with the most money will win. That is why I am thinking of resigning and registering a protest against farcical elections like this one we’re having. It has turned into a contest among billionaires. There is no ideology, no theory, no policy. I don’t see any policy discussion taking place, all personality,” Santiago said.

She said the candidates have focused their spending on three areas that would require hundreds of millions of pesos -- political advertisements on television and radio; bribing mayors to include them on the sample ballots; and paying off a supposed syndicate in the Commission on Elections to either protect or pad their votes or reduce a rival’s votes.

“If this is the case, definitely not one among the new candidates by July would have remained within the spending limits imposed by law. He has started his career in the Senate as a criminal by breaking the election law,”’ said Santiago.

Since the bribery of local officials and the Comelec syndicate would be hard to prove, Santiago said the massive spending on TV ads alone should justify the “declaration of failure of elections.”

She is thinking of resigning because she does not believe anything will come out of her railing against the practice.

“My own colleagues will simply cross-examine and show me up. I will be challenged to put up hard evidence but the method of proof here is different from a court of law. There is no need for physical or testimonial evidence, only rational evidence is necessary,” Santiago said.

Santiago also vented her ire at GMA and ABS CBN for “bastardizing the electoral process and actively contributing to the mercenary process of turning elections into a public auction.”

[chua_riwap]

Na-praning na naman si Miriam!

Sige na, mag-resign ka na........tagal!

[shadow]

inggit lang yan dahil hinde siya reelectionist, kaya wala siyang exposure...ang tagal naman mag resign...eh diba sabi nga niya dati yun nag suicide anak niya di na siya babalik sa politics, saka yun meron siyang sinabi na tatalon siya ng airplane..sus si brenda talaga oh...

[CVT]

Look who's talking?

Resign na,...- Ang tagal!

2701:bye:

[Syuryuken]

Dakdak ng dakdak gawin na lang niya kung kaya niya.

[Monseratto]

Consequence lang talaga ng Democracy. It's really a popularity contest. True naman yun conclusion tuwing may election kahit saan.

[cablespy]

she has a point though.

You either need a truckload of money or a movie career to seriously have chances winning in the elections.

[LexTer]

ok lang sya??? e talagang mananalot-mananalo yung nasa top 12. bakit yung nagpapatanim e di lumusot e yun yata pinakamalaking nagastos. simula pa lang ng kampanya may tv ads na yun e. tri media pa nga. aning talaga. sana wag din lumusot yung kaapelyido nya. hay nako. yung nagpapatanim di ba kaalyado nya yun?

[oliver1013]

May punto namn siya..kaso galing kay Miriam kaya questionable

[gearspeed]

Magresign na sana siya.

[LHV]

no ideology, kaya pala dikit siya kay Erap dati

buti na lang bata pa ako nung tumakbo siyang president at hindi pa pwedeng bumoto, palalakihin daw niya bilibid sa munti dahil madami siyang ipapakulong he he bata pa talaga ako noon

[Devastator]

no ideology, kaya pala dikit siya kay Erap dati

And surprisingly she became GMA's ally noong 2004 considering she called GMA t#*antada and even urged the EDSA Tres crowd to attack Camp Crame and Malacanang at the height of EDSA Tres.

[stonaski]

got this from my e-mail.
[SIZE=5]ANG SARAP MAGING SENADOR![/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Maganda rin naman ang naidudulot ng pagiging prangka ni Senador Miriam Defensor-Santiago. Ayon kay Santiago, marami ang tumatakbong Senador dahil sa laki ng budget na ibinibigay sa kanila kada buwan. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Lumalabas na P35,000 suweldo nila kada buwan ay pakitang-tao lang sa milyun-milyong budget ng bawat senador. Kada buwan ay may Fixed Monthly Budget ang bawat Senador ng humigit-kumulang P2 Milyon. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Sa opisina pa lang nila ay humigit-kumulang P500,000 and budget nila sa Maintenance and Operating Expenses (Rental, Utilities, Supplies at Domestic Travels) at P500,000 para sa Staff at Personal expenses. Kaya para makatipid ang ibang Senador, kaunti lang ang staff na kinukuha nila. Nagtataka ka pa kung bakit mayroong mga Ghost Employee? [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Bukod diyan, may P760,000 allowance pa sila kada buwan para naman sa Foreign Travel. At ang masakit pa nito, hindi na kailngan i-liquidate ang mga resibo ng mga gastusin 'yan kundi Certification lang ang Requirement. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Heto pa, lahat sila ay Chairman ng mg Komite sa Senado. Ang Committee Chairman ay tumatanggap din ng budget na sinlaki ng tinatanggap ng mga Senador na humigit-kumulang P1 Milyon din! Hindi sila mawawalan ng Komite dahil 24 lang ang ating mga Senador at 37 naman ang Committee sa Senado. There's food for everybody 'ika nga! Lumalabas na doble ang kanilang benepesiyo at kita kapag sila ay nabiyayaan ng Committee Chairmanship. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Sa P200 milyon na Budget para sa Pork Barrel ng mga Senador bawat taon, awtomatikong may 10% na S.O.P. o kita ng Senador na P20 milyon. Ito ang porsiyento na ibinibigay ng mga kontratista sa mga Senador na nagbibigay sa kanila ng mga Infrastructure at Livelihood Project.[/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Bago matapos ang termino ng isang Senador, kumita na siya ng P100 milyon sa Pork Barrel pa lang. Yung ibang Senador mas gahaman, hindi lang 10% kundi 20 - 30% ang komisyon hinihingi sa mga kontratista. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Pansinin niyo na lang ang pagbabago ng buhay ng ilan sa ating mga Senador simula nang manungkulan sa puwesto. Kung dati ay simple lang ang kanilang pamumuhay ngayon ay nakatira na sila sa mga eksklusibong subdivision, maraming bahay sa Pilipinas at abroad at mahigit lima ang sasakyan. [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]Ngayon nagtataka ka pa ba kung bakit gumagastos ng daan-daang milyong piso ang mga Senador sa kampanya para sa isang posisyon na P35,000 lang ang suweldo kada buwan? [/SIZE][SIZE=5]Bawing-bawi pala ang gastos kapag naupo na! [/SIZE]


[SIZE=5]ANG SARAP MAGING SENADOR ! ! ![/SIZE]


[SIZE=4]PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY OF YOUR FRIENDS AND LET THE WHOLE COUNTRY KNOW THAT ELECTION IS MORE OF PUTTING AMBITIOUS PEOPLE IN POSITION WHO ARE GREEDY IN POWER, WEALTH & PRESTIGE THAN OF PUBLIC SERVICE... ANG MASAKIT PA PERA NG BAYAN PARIN GAGAMITIN SA ELEKSYON MALUKLOK LANG ANG MGA BUWAYA SA PWESTO!!![/SIZE]