Manny Villar's young men

Much too often, leaders — national to local executives — are brought down by the faulty, poor advice of their advisers. Either these advisers are not too bright or discerning, or have agendas of their own. So it pays for a leader, particularly as election time approaches, to know his/her advisers who have his/her welfare in mind and heart, who tell him/her what the current issues are, how people feel about them, how people look at the appointees to positions he/she makes, and so on and so forth. One can go to such lengths as advising the leader on what clothes and make-up to wear — some such stuff that can help brighten a frowsy image.

With the mudslinging of presidentiables already going on, it would be well that candidates have young — and yes, veterans, too — people around them, to help get them elected, check and correct misinformation being circulated by their rivals, and present issues that matter. So, chiefs of staff, CEOs — more than public relations officers — make or unmake their chief.

At last week’s Bulong-Pulungan Sen. Manny Villar, president of the Nacionalista Party, led his potential rivals by his bright young men talking about the Grand Old Party. These young men demonstrated a kind of politics that would change the political landscape of the forthcoming presidential election come 2010 i.e., by focusing on relevant issues instead of personalities. This initiative has the idealistic and articulate party members discussing and clarifying some major national concerns at the grassroots level. I guess there will be no Cha-cha or dance numbers to lure mature audiences, eh?

The team of NP advocates is composed of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, Reps. Teofisto Guingona III and Justin Chipeco, former Reps. Juan Pablo Bondoc and Gilbert Remulla and Atty. Adel Tamano. They make up the NP Speakers Bureau. (No, the Wowowee champ is not part of the team — as trumpeted in text messages.)

With impressive academic credentials, communication skills and expertise in social disciplines, each of the members of the NP Speakers Bureau is given a subject assignment. Cayetano dwells on matters of national interest, Guingona on the national budget, Chipeco on local governance, Remulla on political affairs, Bondoc on finance and the economy, and Tamano on education and the Mindanao situation.

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Gilbert Remulla is a former congressman, winning in the May 2001 election as representative of the second district of Cavite. A broadcast communication graduate of the University of the Philippines, he gained popularity as a broadcast journalist at ABS-CBN. In 1997, he pursued his journalistic ambition by taking his masters in international affairs, majoring in international media and communications at Columbia University in New York City.

He was born Sept. 5, 1970, the seventh and youngest child of former Gov. Juanito R. Remulla and Ditas Catibayan. In Congress, two of the laws he co-authored were Republic Act 9165, or the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002, and Republic Act 9287, or an Act Increasing the Penalty for the Illegal Numbers Game. He is well respected for his stance on promoting reproductive health.

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A very popular young man (born Oct. 2, 1970), is Adel A. Tamano, the NP party spokesman. Son of the late Sen. Mamintal Tamano and Hadja Putri Zorayda Abbas Tamano, he graduated from Ateneo de Manila with a degree in economics, and a master of public administration, concentrating in judicial governance and reform at the UP. Subsequently, he entered Harvard Law School as a graduate program and Islamic legal studies program scholar, making him the first Filipino Muslim to graduate from Harvard.

Adel is president of Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM) and teaches law subjects at the Ateneo de Manila College of Law, Far Eastern University Institute of Law, and PLM College of Law.

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A well-known member of the NP Speakers Bureau is Sen. Alan Peter S. Cayetano, who has a degree in law from the Ateneo School of Law.

Alan was elected No. 1 councilor of the municipality of Taguig in the 1992 local elections, and subsequently, Taguig vice-mayor. He was elected to the 11th Congress in 1998, became the assistant majority floor leader, and in the next Congress, was appointed deputy majority leader. In his third term as the congressman of Taguig, he became the senior deputy minority leader and the spokesperson of the impeachment team.

As a senator, he co-authored RA 8749 or the Philippine Clean Air Act.

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Justin Marc “Timmy” SB. Chipeco is the present congressman of the second district of Laguna. He is 34, finished high school and the legal management course at De la Sale, and law studies at San Beda College and Arellano University. He was elected to the 13th Congress in 2004, and to the 14th Congress in 2007.

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Juan Pablo “Rimpy” P. Bondoc is the current treasurer of the Nacionalista Party. His first incursion into politics took place in 1998, when he was elected as representative of the 4th district of Pampanga; during his term he was appointed deputy majority floor leader.

Rimpy is 40 years old, attended Xavier school for his primary and secondary education, and the UP for business administration and Harvard University for his masters in public administration.

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 A number of motor vehicle accidents have taken place at the circular juncture leading towards the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (on the right side), and the Philippine Air Force airport, and Villamor Air Base (on the left side). A big, lighted sign should be placed at that section leading towards the NAIA airport. I’ve seen, and I myself has made the same mistake of motorists dangerously swerving to the left to avoid the metal stumps that indicate the route leading to the NAIA airport. If one is not quick enough, his vehicle hits those stumps. Airport authorities, please take note.

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