In defense of the Vice President

Below is the response of Vice President Noli de Castro’s legal counsel to my column on Loren Legarda’s electoral protest.

"We are the legal counsel of Vice President Noli de Castro and we write on his behalf to Ms. Domini M. Torrevillas’ attack in her column From the Stands that was published in the July 2, 2005 issue of the Philippine STAR.

"Being a journalist himself, Vice President de Castro respects Ms. Torrevillas’ right to express her opinion, including her accolades to former Senator Loren Legarda. We merely take this opportunity to react to certain statements made in her column in the interest of fair and balanced commentary, and we hope you will publish this letter to promote the same end.

"First, the Vice President categorically denies any involvement in electoral fraud and irregularities allegedly committed during the May 2004 elections, as insinuated in Ms. Torrevillas’ article. On the contrary, the results of the elections in Mindanao, which were highlighted in Ms. Torrevillas’ article, point to the conclusion that it was the Vice President who was the victim of election fraud. Election surveys conducted just days before the May 10, 2004 election had the Vice President leading in Mindanao. However, the Vice President surprisingly lost by substantial margins in many of the provinces in Mindanao, particularly in most of the provinces that were mentioned in the wiretapped conversation.

"Thus, this wiretapped conversation would hardly bolster Legarda’s misguided cause. It is even likely that Legarda’s allegations of "massive fraud and cheating" would boomerang to hit her once the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) gets underway. This is why we have been calling on the former Senator to make the deposit required by PET, which she had avoided the past weeks until the PET finally denied her attempts to avoid making the deposit in accordance with the PET rules and procedure.

"We also reiterate the observations we previously made that there is neither factual nor legal basis for the bogus computations presented by Legarda during her press conference last Tuesday, June 28, 2005. Legarda does not have a complete set of the original election returns in all the municipalities and provinces she mentioned. Because her computations are based on incomplete data, Legarda cannot accurately come up with the total votes received by her and the Vice President and determine the difference between them.

"Furthermore, even if we consider the number of votes that Legarda claims she was cheated of, Legarda would not even come close to one-fourth of the lead of the Vice President, which stands at more than 880,000 votes. This reveals what this recent tirade from the former Senator really is — a media event designed to keep her within debating distance from the duly elected Vice President.

"Finally, there is no ‘cordon sanitaire’ that is preventing media from interviewing the Vice President, as Ms. Torrevillas surmises in her article. Prior work-related engagements have often prevented the Vice President from personally addressing the media. Despite the raging controversy relating to the wiretapped conversation and the election protest against him, the Vice President’s priority is still the delivery of basic services – such as housing – to the people. As for the media’s queries relating to Legarda’s election protest, it has been the Vice President’s policy to refer the media to us, his election lawyers, who are more up to speed on the matter. Again, the Vice President’s work has prevented him from personally attending to the election protest. – ANDRES MARCELO PADERNAL GUERRERO & PARAS, By: ARMANDO M. MARCELO and EDGARDO CARLO L. VISTAN, II.

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This columnist presented Senator Legarda’s electoral protest and filing of same before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) based on the statements she made at the June 7, 2005 Bulong Pulungan, a weekly media forum at the Westin Philippine Plaza, and press releases that came out after she filed her protest. I will respect the results of the PET findings, and print them in this column.

As to the "cordon sanitaire" that I mentioned is making the Vice President inaccessible for media interviews: A few weeks after the election of Mr. De Castro, representation was made with a person from Mr. De Castro’s office so I would be able to interview him. This person contacted another person also working directly in his office and who called me about my request and promised to call me about my meeting with the Vice President. Sad to say, I never received the second call.

My purpose in interviewing the Vice President is to let Philippine STAR readers know Mr. De Castro. Although he is a popular media celebrity, perhaps accounting for his election to office, not very many people know about him – his family and educational backgrounds, his introduction to the media world, and his thoughts and opinion on issues. I thought I would be doing the Vice President a favor by bringing him to the attention of readers, and hopefully, to the Bulong Pulungan, of which I am a core organizer. (Other core members of this 13-year old media forum are Jullie Yap-Daza, Deedee Siytangco, Aida Sevilla Mendoza, Nelly Sindayen, and Donnie Ramirez.) Modesty aside, high top officials, including Presidents and Vice Presidents of the Philippines has graced this forum with their presence.)

I still would like to interview the Vice President, and invite him to the Bulong Pulungan, if you should find the invitations meritorious. – Domini

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A reader, Mita Carmita S. of SatViz Incorporated e-mailed her reaction to my column on the former First Lady Ming Ramos. She has good words for the good old days under former President Fidel V. Ramos. Let me share her letter:

"Thank you for featuring the former First Lady in your column. Oh how I miss those days of stability under President Ramos! Cleaning the Pasig River seemed like an impossible task and Mrs. Ramos just got down to business and started the project. That’s positive thinking for you. To this jaded Filipino, they both represent the best we can be as Filipinos.

"I remember during those years, I was then working for the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster sa Pilipinas and we had President Ramos speak at numerous functions. He was always so accommodating and pleasant. One time near the end of his term, I was tasked to meet his entourage at the lobby of the Philippine Plaza with my then boss, Maloli Manalastas. He got off his limousine and I was able to take a peek at the backseat . . . and saw piles and piles of folders. The poor man was working so hard even between appointments. And it showed, he looked fatigued and gray. A year later, I was already working with Maloli in ABS-CBN where we had a function and I was again assigned at the main lobby to greet guests. We had Cory, FVR and Erap attending that function . . . and it was so good to see "my: President (FVR) looking so relaxed and in the pink of health. He was certainly worth my vote and confidence.

"Please relay my best wishes to them both and tell them my vote for President Ramos was the one vote I never once regretted."

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The University of the Philippines-Philippine General Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology is currently holding its annual postgraduate course at the Westin Philippine Plaza. The department’s Obstetrics and Gynecology Alumni Association (OGAA) will hold its cocktail party with the postgraduate course appreciation dinner July 13. The program will trace the beginnings of the department, show the performances of batches in the residency training program from 1949 to 2004, and give recognition to outstanding OB-GYN practitioners.

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