Ebdane joins 2010 derby

By Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)
Updated November 09, 2009 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Banking on his long experience in the uniformed and civilian service, former public works and highways secretary Hermogenes Ebdane formally declared his intention to run for president next year with a platform centered on peace, unity, and development.

Ebdane, a former police and defense chief, was proclaimed as standard-bearer of the Lapiang Manggagawa (LM) party, which will be renamed as Philippine Labor and Peasant Party (PLPP) for the 2010 elections.

Officials and members of the LM elected Ebdane as party chairman during its 46th anniversary and national convention at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

Ebdane said he had no original plan to seek the presidency but several sectors, including religious and labor organizations, persuaded him to run.

“With my accumulated experience and know-how, I believe I stand as the candidate with the first-hand working knowledge of how government really works and the track record to get things done,” Ebdane said in his speech.

“I bring the expertise of working on the ground and of enabling communal action to my campaign for the presidency,” he said.

“From the uniformed service to the civilian side of government, I have been privileged to serve and lead.

“Peace and order, national security, defense, public works, pillars of growth and development, all areas that I have been allowed to supervise and to lead.”

Ebdane said he has been working to get the endorsement of former President Fidel Ramos, chairman emeritus of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats party before it merged with President Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi). He used to be Ramos’ presidential aide de camp.

Ebdane said he had talked with Ramos about seeking his support but did not say what the former president’s response was.

Ebdane is a member of the Philippine Military Academy class of 1970. He was among the officers who provided security to then vice president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in the weeks leading up to EDSA II.

Together with other former police officers Leandro Mendoza and Reynaldo Berroya, he has been among the most durable members of the Cabinet, despite controversies hounding his service.

Under his watch at the Philippine National Police, terrorist suspects, a notorious drug dealer, and the head of the Pentagon kidnapping gang escaped from Camp Crame, PNP headquarters.

At the DPWH, his stint has been marked by scandals involving the overpricing of lampposts in Cebu for the ASEAN summit, the rigging of the bids for World Bank-funded projects, and the misuse of the Road User’s Tax.

After serving as PNP chief, Ebdane was named national security adviser from August 2004 to February 2005.

In February 2005, he was appointed to the Cabinet as secretary of DPWH, after which he served as secretary of national defense in February, then back again to the DPWH in July 2007.

“In my four decades in public service, where service 24/7 is the key to getting the job done, I realized that though I have helped to do much for our country, there is much more that needs to be done,” he said.

Ebdane, who will turn 61 next month, said the experience and insight he gained have helped him shape the action agenda that he plans to implement in 2010 and onwards.

On peace and order and insurgency, he said putting tractors and not bombs to work on the ground could win peace.

“We will boost productivity of our vast land resources, instead of pouring money into weapons that cause loss of life and derail unification,” he said.

“Peace and order is our shared responsibility, the community must be the frontline of defense,” he added.

On infrastructure development, Ebdane said he would push investments in the “east-west laterals,” to open up more access roads to productive areas.

“While we will continue to expand the national road network which has attracted much investment over the last nine years, we must also focus on boosting the opportunities of our farmlands and our farmers,” he said.

On building world-class labor force, Ebdane vowed to continue to provide skills training Filipino workers to improve their competencies.

“Training and education are essential to ensuring that each of us who work and earn a living are at par with the best and the rest of the world,” he said.

On the challenge of environmental preservation and climate change, Ebdane said his basic principle is anchored on what he had learned in his Australian survival training course: “Take only what you need and leave the rest for the generations to come.”

“We will practice judiciousness in the use of our resources, and implement programs that will ensure the availability of such resources for our children and our grandchildren,” he said.

“I also intend to propagate the discipline needed to bring back orderliness and encourage law-abiding citizens,” he added.

He said one of the most important tasks for the Filipinos is to bring back responsible citizenship and respect for the laws and time-honored values.

Among the reforms to be implemented under his leadership are the change in party name from LM to PLPP, review and revision of the Party’s constitution and bylaws, and the creation of a selection committee to identify and nominate candidates for various national and local elective positions.

Earlier in the morning, the LM celebrated its 46th founding anniversary with a wreath-laying ceremony at Liwasang Bonifacio, Manila, led by LM president Jose Malvar Villegas and some 2,000 members and supporters from all over the Philippines.


Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=521677&publicationSubCategoryId=68