Richard Gordon or commonly known as Dick Gordon is best known as a man of action. He started his political career in 1971 when he was elected as a con-con delegate for the 1973 Philippine Constitution and was the youngest delegate in the said convention. In 1980 he became the mayor of Olongapo City which was at that time known as a "sin city", but after 3 of his first term Olongapo City was recognized as a "model city" by raising police accountability through I.D. systems, proper health and
sanitation, waste management and the strict observance of color-coding
in public transport. In 1991 he led the nationwide rally for the retention of US Bases in Subic bay because it generates a large income for Olongapo City, in the same year Olongapo faced the wrath of the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo but despite the pull-out of the US Base in Subic and the Pinatubo eruption, his leadership in the city made it strong despite the challenges it faced. The withdrawal of the Americans from the U.S. naval base in Subic
meant the loss of over 40,000 jobs for Filipinos who were employed in
the said base. To address the problems that Olongapo faced at that time, Gordon led the citizens of Olongapo to mobilize and lobby for the
inclusion of a free port concept into the national legislation for the
conversion of the U.S. bases. The effort was successful, with the
inclusion of the establishment of the Subic Bay Freeport Zone
(also known as the Subic Special Economic Zone) in Section 12 of
Republic Act No. 7227, otherwise known as the Bases Conversion and
Development Act, which was approved on March 13, 1992. Section 13 of the
same legislation also provided for the establishment of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), which was tasked to administer the Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Volunteerism and the high civic spirit of the host community marked the pioneering efforts at conversion. In the 1996 APEC Summit, 18 world leaders were impressed with the facility and Subic became a new investment hub in Southeast Asia. Bluechip companies like FedEx Express, Enron, Coastal Petroleum now El Paso Corporation, Taiwan computer giant Acer and France telecoms company Thomson SA
invested US$2.1 Billion in the freeport reinvigorating the economy and
creating 200,000 jobs replacing those lost during the US Navy
withdrawal.
In 2001 after his removal as the chairman of SBMA, Gordon was appointed as the secretary of tourism by Gloria Arroyo and under his leadership in DOT, he conceptualized the country's tourism campaign WOW Philippines. Despite of the negative effects of 9-11 attack and several kidnapping cases in the country tourism arrival increased heavily. Gordon also encouraged domestic tourism by holding regional events and having provincial destinations showcased at Intramuros and the rationalization of Holiday Economics.
In 2004, Gordon ran for the Senate and in his term he was able to pass these laws:
- Automated Election Law
- WWII Veterans Compensation
- Tourism Act of 2008
He was also the chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee that led the investigations to Fertilizer fund scam and NBN ZTE Deal
The best credential of Richard Gordon is being a volunteer of Philippine Redcross for the past 43 years. You can see that when calamity hits the country, Richard Gordon was there to save lives. In Volcanic Eruptions, Earthquakes, Floods, Typhoons, Bombings, Stampedes, Terrorism and Kidnappings Richard Gordon is there to help.
Dahil para kay Gordon ang pag-gogobyerno ay pagbibigay buhay, HINDI hanap Buhay
"Ang kailangan trabaho ng inyong lider:
Edward Solon Hagedorn or better known as Ed Hagedorn currently the Mayor of Puerto Princesa City in the province Palawan in the Philippines. He started his career in politics as the mayor of Puerto Princesa City in 1992, years later in 2007 Puerto Princesa was declared as one of the highly urbanized city. Mayor Hagedorn is recognized as one of the most successful leaders in the local arena in Philippine Politics because of his strict policies especially in terms of development of the city while preserving the nature. In an interview with CNN Hagedorn said that "he was a logger then became the kingpin of city's gambling ring" but now he leads the fight for the nature.
Here are some of Mayor Hagedorn's accomplishment in Puerto Princesa City
Oplan Linis Program (Clean and Green Campaign) - Launched on
August 1, 1992, the program aims to sustain cleanliness, beautification,
and sanitation in the city through active and continuing partnership
among government agencies, non-government organizations, the private
sectors, and citizens. The program has earned for Puerto Princesa the
coveted label of being the cleanest and greenest city in the
Philippines.
Bantay Puerto Program (Puerto Princesa Watch) - Protect +
Rehabilitate + Plan - These are the program’s key management thrusts.
Protect what is there, rehabilitate what has been destroyed, and plan
for the intelligent utilization of the city’s terrestrial and marine
resources. This is the life cycle that the program envisions for the
community to achieve sustainable development.
Tourism Program - Puerto Princesa City was a place no one really
bothered to know, except of course the Puerto Princesans. What little
that people knew about Puerto Princesa were mostly conjured images of a
not-so-wholesome place like being the abode of prisoners, and where
malaria abounds, but Hagedorn has built an image for the city as a place
to go for eco tourism, seeing a developing city yet maintains a balance
with nature, a city in the forest.
E-tricycle - On January 19, 2007, Puerto Princesa Mayor Edward S. Hagedorn unveiled the environment-friendly and economical electric-powered “Trikebayan” (which does not emit any noise or carbon monoxide)
Mayor Hagedorn is very strict in terms of preserving the nature, in Puerto Princesa each tricycle has its own trash can inside; and there was one story in which a senator who visited Puerto Princesa threw his cigarette butt on the streets and then a street aid approached the said senator and gave him a ticket. With those strict measures that Mayor Hagedorn placed in the city, it is now a leader in terms of eco-tourism in the country that made the Puerto Princesa Underground River as one of the new 7 wonders of nature which attracts a lot of tourists everyday that creates an income for the local town folks.
Turismo. Trabaho. Mismo! Hagedorn for Senator!
Here is the link of Mayor Hagedorn's interview with CNN
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kedD1rPrlvY&feature=share
It's May 2 and the 2013 midterm elections is only 11 days away. Our country is in a stage of development and progress, for this progress to continue we need a very intelligent and dependable senate. How will we have that? Of course it will happen if we have intelligent, competent, caring senators; people who knows what we need and not what we want, people who has clean and competent track records. When the campaign period started I began to watch the senatoriables on their campaign and as they state their platforms and I'm so proud to campaign this four people whom I found clean track record, competitiveness, intelligence and integrity. They are Philippine Redcross chair Richard "Dick" Gordon, Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro "Teddy" Casiño, Former Senator Ramon "Jun" Magsaysay Jr. and last but not the least Puerto Princesa City Mayor Edward "Ed" Hagedorn. I really campaign for these people because they did achieve something, they did something good to their constituents, they have paninindigan and they are men of action. So please do not forget that if it is change that we want, it is change that we will have if we will vote for these people.
Election 2013 with Rep. Teddy Casiño
As part of my final exam for our Introduction to Journalism, I was given a chance to follow and cover the campaign sortie of Makabayan Senatorial Candidate Teodoro "Teddy" Casiño last Mar. 4, 2013 in North Fairview. A very good experience for me and also a very good chance to see and be with the karaniwang tao. I would describe the campaign as very simple because Mr. Casiño is really walking and going even to the I would say remote baranggay in the area and he is patiently shaking the hand of each people that come across his way. One thing that I was able to observe during his campaign is that unlike other politicians, he is not in a luxurious SUV and just waving and giving shirts, candies and other stuffs away. Mr. Casiño is out on the streets talking to the people. In the spirit of fairness I attempted to cover other politicians in their campaign but they do not respond to my tweets and e-mails
Here is a video presentation of my coverage to the campaign sortie of Makabayan Senatorial Candidate Teddy Casiño and a one-on-one interview with COMELEC Spokesperson Dir. James Jimenez regarding the issues on the upcoming elections.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6sTpyEjnnqc
Bonifacio Global City: Foundation of Philippines' Stability.
- As a journalism student, I got the chance to cover a place that symbolizes the Philippines' progress and growth and that place is the Bonifacio Global City. A few minutes drive from the capital city Manila, Bonifacio Global City is at the heart of Taguig City. From a vast grassland, this area is now one of the center of commerce and lifestyle in the Philippines. Let's start our tour Inside BGC with one of the first structures inside of it, the Market! Market!. Located within the newest central business district
Bonifacio Global City, Market! Market! has the variety and freshness of a
Sunday street market within the distinctive surroundings and the essential
comforts of an Ayala Mall. Its themed retail zones, fruit and flowers market,
and a regional food and hawker’s area recreate the souk while still providing
the basic needs one expects. Inside Market! Market! are the following amenities, the Gift Market! which you can buy gifts at a tiangge price, the Fashion Market! where you can be fashionable without sacrificing so much money, the Pearl Market! which is can also be considered as the "Pearl Capital of the Metro" aside from Greenhills because a wide variety of pearls especially from Mindanao can also be found here and last but not the least, the Fiesta Market! that has the "Palengke" setting inside because you can find delicacies from provinces inside of it, there are a lot of famous province restaurants that will give you the taste of their local delicacy and lastly, there is also the "prutasan" inside where you can buy quality fruits at a palengke price.
To give you an insight on what's inside Market! Market!, here is a short AVP about Market! Market!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJFL5MUOuSY&feature=youtu.be
Kapag medyo napipilay, patindigin niyo!
Kapag nakayuko, patanguhin niyo!
That is a business of a true leader in this country!" - Richard "Dick" Gordon
To know why should you vote for Dick Gordon, watch this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tVX5TSyvmo