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.

[j_avonni]

"I LIED." would be her next statement!

[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.

[claRkEnt]

"I LIED." would be her next statement!

bro, incomplete 'to... may kasunod yan na :

Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

[GlennSter]

ala eh sino ba yang 12 na yan?

[mmanson]

pero dapat talaga may limit ang comelec sa mga campaign spending para pantay2 lang ang exposure.

[j_avonni]

bro, incomplete 'to... may kasunod yan na :

Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!!!

Thanks bro!

[Syuryuken]

pero dapat talaga may limit ang comelec sa mga campaign spending para pantay2 lang ang exposure.

May limit naman talaga (hindi ko lang matandaan kung magkano) pero ang ginagawa kasi ng ibang kandidato pinapalabas na "donation" yung mga ads nila.

[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.

[leinahtan]

Di ba inendorse nya si Mike sa TV ad? Bakit ngumangalngal sya ngayon?

[Asus700]

she really has a point...

with all those uncontrolled spending to be elected, it does not take a rocket scientists to know there is no logic between a P30,000 a month salary and
P50M investment. there will be a lot of magic, pag nakaupo na, to get back the investment and return favor to all those who "donated".

none of the running senators was able to explain convincingly, how is it that they are spending millions to get elected, and how they will recoup those "investments".

zubiri was asked the question in gma isang tanong, he skirted the issue and gave a different answer. the only thing going for this guy is his "pagiging masipag" talaga and perfect attendance in congress.

pichay also did not give a clear answer.