By JOSEPH G. LARIOSA

(© 2009 Journal Group Link International)

C HICAGO, Illinois (JGLi) – Filipino Americans in the Bay Area in California want to keep up with political events in the Philippines.

San Francisco, California-based Filipino-American lawyer Rodel Rodis has announced that his group is holding a rally for Noynoy Aquino-Mar Roxas on Saturday, Dec. 12, from 12 noon to 2:30 p.m., at Cabelen Filipino Cuisine at at 347 Parker Avenue, Rodeo, a suburb of San Francisco.

The Filipino-American group is breaking ground by raising funds in the United States to support the Liberal Party standard bearers Senators Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino and Mar Roxas, who are running for president and vice president in the May 10, 2010 elections in the Philippines.

Filipino-American lawyer Loida N. Lewis told this reporter that Mr. Rodis has incorporated the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” in San Francisco to solicit online at least $25 or more from each Filipino, using their own credit card coursed thru “Paypal.”

Paypal is an e-commerce business allowing payments and money transfers to be made through the Internet. PayPal serves as an electronic alternative to traditional paper methods such as checks and money orders.

Donors, however, cannot report to the United States Internal Revenue Service that they have made such donation because the political group has registered under “Section 501 (c) (6).”

Under this category, the organizations are exempt from most federal income taxes, like “501 (c) 3,” but their donors cannot claim tax deduction. And organizations are not required to disclose the amount of donations.

Under “501 (c) 3,” contributions to these charitable groups are tax deductible.

A CHALLENGE

T he only challenge that the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” led by incorporator, San Francisco lawyer Rodel Rodis, had to face is to surmount the provision in the Section 501 (c) 6 that while it may engage in limited political activities in the U.S. to “inform, educate, and promote” its “given interest,” it “may not engage in direct expenditures advocating a vote for a political candidate or cause.”

It is not clear if the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” is in violation of Section 501 (c) (6) because the political candidates it is backing up are not running for office in the United States or if they are in violation of election laws in the Philippines.

“So that, we will not be in violation of Philippine election laws on spending,” Attorney Lewis, a Filipino-American dual citizen, said, “we will not turn over the funds that we raise to either Senators Aquino or Roxas but we will wait for the Liberal Party campaign to tell us where and what province or region needs our funding.”

Editor’s Notes: Both Attorneys Lewis and Rodis figure prominently in this website. Each of them has more-than 40 articles about them or where they are mentioned. Please just type in “Loida” and “Rodel” in the Search Button appearing on every page at the right-hand corner. Among the most-read articles . . .

Among the most-read articles in this website are:
 

How Loida Lewis Got Dubbed “Snow White(wash)” and then “CinderLoida” in Ongoing NaFFAA Soap Opera

Rodis Exemplifies the Arrogance, the Avarice and the Abusive Conduct of the NaFFAA Leadership

As a third-party donee/donor, the Liberal Party will not take credit for the donations of the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” so it can circumvent the Philippine Omnibus Election Code that caps spending of candidates for president and vice president to 675 million pesos (US$14-M) based on the 45 million registered voters in 2007.

Candidates for these two positions can spend as much as 15 pesos (31 U.S. cent) per voter.

Violation of the election law is an offense punishable by imprisonment of not less than one year and disqualification from holding public office.

“What we are doing,” Lewis said, is the concept of “kanya-kanyang kayod” (KKK) (dutch threat) manner of fund-raising. Every city or province, supporters or friends of Noynoy and Mar will be donating cash or kind to the campaign. The money comes from the voters, not from the candidates.

THANKS TO PENERA VS. COMELEC CASE

T he “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” has been set into motion when the Philippine Supreme Court reversed itself last Nov. 25 by a vote of 9-5, reinstating Rosalinda Penera as mayor of Sta. Monica, Surigao del Norte, who was earlier disqualified by the Commission on Elections for premature campaigning. The reversal paves the way for the start of campaign season soon after the candidate files his certificate of candidacy. The deadline for filing COC’s is midnight of Dec. 1.

Without the reversal, the campaign period for position of president, vice president, senators and PartyLists groups would have run from Feb. 9 until May 8, 2010, while for local positions would have started March 26 and would have ended on May 8, 2010.

Attorney Lewis said the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar” fundraising will kick off on Dec. 12 simultaneously in the East Coast (New York), West Coast (San Francisco), Houston (Texas) and Midwest Chicago (Illinois). The fund-raising ends on May 8, 2010. “We will make public whatever amount we collected and whatever we turned over for transparency.”

OBAMA MODEL

S he said her group got the fund-raising idea from the campaign of then Sen. Barack Obama, who was able to raise millions of dollars from small amounts of donation and from as low as $20 using massive email campaigns and other social networking websites like Facebook and Twitter.

Senator Aquino has no money, she said. So, he needs the help of voters, who can contribute to his campaign.

Also helping Mr. Rodis is former head of the Philippine Presidential Management Staff Ms. Vicky Gatchitorena, U.S. Ayala Foundation president.

Mrs. Lewis’ younger sister, Imelda “Mely” Nicolas, former lead covenor of National Anti-Poverty Commission, heads the “Pinoy Pinay for Noynoy and Mar” in Manila.

Lewis appealed to Filipino Americans to help in the fund-raising campaign. In Chicago, it will be community leader Marlon L. Pecson, who will be coordinating the fund-raising drive.

Mr. Pecson, grandson of the late Philippine Senator Geronima Pecson, said, “The Filipino Americans have a unique opportunity in history to create a political impact in the way the election is conducted in the Philippines by electing officials like Noynoy Aquino and Mar Roxas.”

Pecson is referring to the fund-raising campaign of the “U.S. Pinoys for Noynoy-Mar,” which is the first time in Philippine historical elections that a fund-raising for political candidates is being conducted overseas. (lariosa_jos@sbcglobal.net) # # #

© opyright 2009 The Journal Group Link International. The contents provided in the JGLi may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of the Journal Group Link International.

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