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(France24) His bid for the top job started in typical bold style: a livestream broadcast of himself riding in a coach emblazoned with “Man of Destiny” through Manila’s morning traffic to file his candidacy.

But his vow to jail corrupt politicians and arrest drug users — despite having admitted using crystal meth and marijuana when he was a younger — failed to deliver a knockout punch and he lost Monday’s election by a huge margin.

An initial tally showed Pacquiao picked up fewer than four million votes, or 6.8 percent of votes counted.

That left him a distant third behind winner Ferdinand Marcos Junior, who got more than half the votes, and runner-up Leni Robredo.

The loss came as no surprise — pre-election surveys showed Pacquiao had almost no chance of winning.

But the fervent evangelical Christian convert had talked up his chances of victory until the last moment.

“I believe there are more poor people than rich ones,” Pacquiao told reporters on Monday as he voted in his southern home province of Sarangani.

“We want to assure them that the majority of the poor will unite to show the rich that there are more people suffering in poverty in this country,” said Pacquiao, who lives in an enclave of billionaires and foreign ambassadors when he is in Manila.

The failed tilt for the country’s highest elected office has cost Pacquiao more than just money and pride — he also had to give up running for a second term in the celebrity-packed Senate, which he likely would have had a strong chance of winning.

In an interview with AFP in November, Pacquiao, a former congressman, ruled out a sporting comeback if he lost the presidential election… Read More

(Reuters) – Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the son and namesake of the Philippines dictator deposed in a 1986 popular uprising, won a presidential election by a huge margin on Monday, according to unofficial results, marking a stunning comeback for the country’s most famous political dynasty. read more

Following is reaction to his victory.

PETER MUMFORD, EURASIA GROUP PRACTICE HEAD, SOUTH & SOUTHEAST ASIA, SINGAPORE
“Marcos’s apparent landslide electoral victory is not a guarantee that he will be a popular and/or effective leader, but it gets his presidency off to a strong start. In particular, it will create a strong initial gravitational pull on members of Congress …. and will mean more technocrats/economists will be willing to serve in his cabinet.”

“One of the key watchpoints under his administration will be whether corruption and cronyism – already notable risks in the Philippines – worsen. It will be interesting to watch whether he recognises these concerns and signals/takes action in the coming weeks to reassure foreign investors, or if he mostly appoints close family and other personal connections to key positions, reaffirming investors’ worries.”

ALEX HOLMES, EMERGING ASIA ECONOMIST, CAPITAL ECONOMICS
“The victory puts Marcos in a powerful position. Given his family background and his chequered political career to date, there are concerns among investors that his election will fuel corruption, nepotism and poor governance.”.. Read More

(Bulatlat) MANILA — Dehumanizing queues, malfunctioning VCMs, and violence — election-related anomalies pushed the voters and watchdogs to call for the extension of voting hours to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) today, May 9.

In the latest report of VoteReportPH, an alliance of ICT professionals and organizations that aims to engage in the electoral process, they have documented over 3,000 reports of possible election-related anomalies, prompting them to call on the Comelec to extend the voting hours.

The same point was also raised by election watchdog Kontra Daya, saying that there is a need to cater to the voters who have “endured long lines not just due to health protocols but also due to the malfunctioning VCMs.”

The recent data from Comelec in the first half of today’s poll have documented around 2,000 cases of malfunctioning VCMs. These breakdowns have already deprived nearly a million Filipino voters as each VCM caters to hundreds of Filipino voters, said Rey Valmores from Bakla Bantay Boto in a tweet… Read More

(Kuwait Times) MANILA: Hundreds of Philippine priests on Thursday endorsed the main rival to former dictator Ferdinand Marcos’s son, just days ahead of a presidential election they called a “battle for the soul” of the nation. About 200 members of the clergy from the deeply Catholic country joined the mounting number of priests publicly backing Leni Robredo, who polls clock at a distant second behind Ferdinand Marcos Junior in the lead up to Monday’s vote.

The election is seen as one of the most consequential in Philippine history — a potentially make-or-break moment for the young democracy. The group of clergy called it a “battle for the soul” of the nation — a choice between the rule of law and the “diminution of our liberties.”
Marcos Jr has a seemingly unassailable double-digit lead, winning widespread support by forging alliances with several of the country’s rival political dynasties. But his juggernaut campaign has been propelled by social media misinformation seeking to rewrite history about his father’s brutal rule.

As many as 50,000 people were detained during martial law that ran from 1972-1981 as the elder Marcos and his wife Imelda became by-words for authoritarian kleptocracy. Imelda, now 92, is seen as a driving force behind the family’s public rehabilitation and the rebranding of that era as the Philippines’ “golden age”.

After six years of President Rodrigo Duterte’s authoritarian rule, critics doubt Marcos Jr’s commitment to democracy. And they fear his rule could further degrade human rights and worsen corruption. Marcos Jr has previously expressed support for the “healthy exercise of democracy”.
The country’s highly influential Catholic church has so far not taken an official position in the upcoming election. Top bishop Pablo David has urged voters to back “candidates who will sustain and strengthen our democracy, uphold the rule of law, and respect the dignity and rights of human beings”… Read More

(Journal Online) MANILA — Healthcare Asia Awards has given the COVID Management Initiative of the Year (Philippines) award to Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc. (AC Health) for the latter’s integrated ecosystem approach in responding to COVID-19.

In a feature published on the leading healthcare magazine, AC Health was hailed for helping strengthen the Philippines’ COVID-19 response by leveraging its unique ecosystem to address the gaps and fulfill its mandate of providing quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare to Filipinos.

“To effectively manage the spread of the virus, AC Health launched a multipronged approach, establishing a strong presence across all patient touch points and providing end-to-end services to Filipinos,” the article reads.

Healthcare Asia Awards aims to honor hospitals, clinics, and other healthcare providers that have “risen above the challenges and made a remarkable impact to their patients most especially amidst the massive disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.”.. Read More

(Journal Online) According to Fr. Tito Caluag, Caritas Philippines consultant for development programs, “the program aims to respond to the growing unemployment and underemployment problems in the country, hurting more the impoverished families.”

He further underscored that the program “will capacitate the scholars on industry-standard technical and soft skills to prepare for internship and gainful employment.”

“It is important for us at Caritas Philippines to concretely put into practice the advocacies that we espouse like advancing labor rights in the country,” stressed Fr. Tony Labiao, the national Caritas’ executive secretary.

Aside from the community schooling program, Caritas Philippines is also implementing an educational assistance program for academically challenged students, family feeding program, and the capacity-building programs at the Caritas Philippines Academy.

Overall, Caritas Philippines has allotted 44 million pesos this year for the programs to upscale the capacities of the youth and young adults, through the various Alay Kapwa Legacy Stewardship Programs… Read More

(SunStar) MISS Pasay Celeste Cortesi was crowned Miss Universe Philippines 2022 during the Coronation Night on April 30, held at the Mall of Asia Arena, Bay City, Pasay, Metro Manila.

Cortesi also bagged special awards like Best in Swimsuit and Miss Photogenic. The 24-year-old model will represent the country in the prestigious Miss Universe 2022 pageant.

During the final question and answer portion, event presenter Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach asked the beauty queen coming from Pasay, “If you could stop time for a day, how would you spend it?”

“If I could stop time, I would spend it with my family especially with my mother. It’s been two years I didn’t see my family because they live in Italy and I came here in the Philippines just by myself. So if I had the chance to spend one day I would definitely be with my mom and I would tell her how much I love her and miss her,” said Cortesi… Read More

(Journal Online) MANILA — Ayala Center For Excellence in Sports (ACES) on Saturday names eight national athletes selected for its pilot program Atletang Ayala.

Launched last March, ACES is part of Ayala’s commitment to nation-building by providing holistic support to the country’s emerging athletic Olympic bets. Ayala believes that sports can inspire and bring together a nation. Hence, through ACES, Ayala finds a way to help the next generation of Filipino athletes achieve their full potential.

“Many of our athletes are already well on the way to becoming internationally competitive in this way. We would like to help support them, by building long-term relationships that will help them become the best they can be in both their athletic and post-athletic careers,” said Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, Chairman of Ayala Corporation.

“We believe that this posture of investing in the long-term development of the individual, as both an athlete and as a person, is an effective and sustainable way to build success in Philippine national sports,” he added… Read More