Franz Jonathan G. de la Fuente
ABS-CBNNews.com
May 3, 2010


MANILA, Philippines - Two House colleagues seeking a Senate seat challenged each other at ABS-CBN’s Harapan: Mga Isyu ng Bayan debate at La Consolacion College, Manila on Sunday but only one came out on top.

Muntinlupa City Rep. Rozzano Rufino “Ruffy” B. Biazon, senatorial candidate of the Liberal Party (LP), went head-on against Agusan del Sur Rep. Rodolfo Rodrigo “Ompong” G. Plaza, senatorial candidate of the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP), in the debate’s law and order round.

Biazon, son of former Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, stressed the need to improve the government’s capability to fight crime. “We need to add equipment, increase the government’s investigative powers, and boost morale through privileges like housing,” he said.

On the other hand Plaza, who holds a masters degree in national security administration from the National Defense College, would want to see social problems solved first.

“Kapag may aarestuhin, madalas ang dahilan, ‘Gusto ko lang pakainin ang anak ko,’” Plaza said.

He also lamented the rise of private armies under the Arroyo administration. “Pinayagan ng pamahalaan ang private armies para labanan ang [Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Dapat i-implement ang full force of the law,” he said.

When asked by Biazon whether he would support PMP presidential candidate former Pres. Joseph Estrada’s all-out war policy against rebels in Mindanao, Plaza exclaimed, “We should declare an all-out war against poverty. We should declare an all-out war against hunger. We should declare an all-out war against corruption!”

During his term as president from 1998 to 2001, Estrada declared an “all-out war” against the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, opposing peace talks with the rebel group and rejecting the Catholic Bishop Conference of the Philippines’ call for a ceasefire.

Death to drug lords

In response to a question by Plaza, Biazon said that he supported the death penalty for drug offenders in order to crack down on crime.

“Nakita ko ang mga drug lord na kahit nasa loob ng penitentiary ay patuloy pa rin ang negosyo. Kaya kahit hindi man deterrent, sapat na parusa ang kamatayan.” Biazon said. The national penitentiary, New Bilibid Prison, is located in Biazon’s congressional district in Muntinlupa City.

However, Plaza countered by saying the death penalty is not enough as it should “cover everything, not just drug trafficking.”

“Death penalty is a penalty, not prevention,” he said.

Biazon also defended his record as vice chairman of the House committee on veterans affairs. "I follow up with the Veterans Office, at nagsasagawa tayo ng mga public hearing. Hindi isang tao lang ang Kongreso,” he said.

He also boasted that he lobbied the U.S. Congress to pass a bill paying Filipino veterans through veterans bonds.

Audience ratings

Biazon had an edge over Plaza in audience response. Using Harapan’s Wireless Audience Response System (WARS), 76.4 percent of the show’s audience believed in Biazon, while only 28.7 percent believed Plaza.

There were 71 members of the audience from the cities of Manila, Bacolod, Baguio, and General Santos.

The trend was similar online. Answering the question “Sino ang mas kapani-paniwala sa mga kandidatong nagharapan tungkol sa law and order,” Biazon took 76 percent of the online poll compared to Plaza’s 24 percent from 53 live chat participants.

Comments online revealed viewers’ dissatisfaction with Plaza’s responses. Dexter Tan said on http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/harapan: “I think Ompong Plaza should have read well the rules of Harapan. It seems that he came for a debate without any knowledge about what he should do...and please answer the question straight forward!”

On Twitter, Enzo_Musikero said, “Plaza's answer regarding ‘all-out war’ is out of context. It doesn't answer the war Biazon was referring to.”

In contrast, Biazon received praise for his answers. “Galing talaga ni Biazon sumagot. Direct to the point,” said TREXIE, also on the Harapan website.


View original post on ABS-CBNNews.com