Tag Archives: philippine current affairs

22
Feb

“It hurts! It hurts!”

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In yesterday’s TV Patrol, classmates/schoolmates of Gloria Arroyo from Assumption were interviewed. All of those who were interviewed defended her vigorously. So vigorous, in fact, that one of them almost showed she listens to one of those radio stations.

“It hurts! It hurts!” she blurted.

I almost expected her to continue “It hurts, you know!”

Anyway, just one thought for these ladies. You get wrinkles over time, right? So is it impossible for a person to change over time? How can you be so sure that the girl you knew before is still the same person now? Defend her all you want, but it doesn’t change the fact that this country is nearing scorched earth status because your classmate-who-did-not-change-since-high-school has destroyed every social and political institutions that we have.

Take the Ombudsman, for example. Merceditas Gutierrez is the current Ombudsgirl. And she is a classmate of Mike Arroyo. Nothing wrong with that, right? Fine. How about this one? Since August last year, after the NBN-ZTE scandal broke out, several personalities and groups have filed charges at the Ombudsman. And nothing happened at these charges. At all! But when Jun Lozada came out, and the Fortress began its idiotic reaction, the Ombudsgirl changed tact! Immediately, she called for a preliminary investigation. Imagine that! And she claims they have been discreetly investigating the issue. But on the first day of the hearing, there were complaints of respondents not having copies of charges! The Ombudsgirl does not have copies of Senate transcripts! Some of the respondents and complainants have not received summons!

Or how about the old, aging duo of the Presidential Legal Counsel and the Secretary of the Department of Justice? In other parts of the world, their stupid remarks could have lost them their jobs. But no! Your classmate thinks these two have their uses, so she didn’t even publicly reprimanded Sergio Apostol for his racist remarks. The same for Raul Gonzalez for his sh*t remarks about anything.

How about the Office of the Press Secretary? Do you still remember Ignacio Bunye’s “I have two discs, the original and the fake?” And then Gonzalez threatens those who will play the Hello Garci tapes with cases! How come he has not charged Bunye, who played the discs, too?

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she allows people of this caliber to remain in office, even if these people drag their offices to the estero. In other parts of the world, these people wouldn’t be employed at such positions in the first place.

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she allows persecution of those who went out of their way to testify for the truth. How many more Gudanis, Balutans, and Lozadas before you can even see that?

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she kills all efforts to ascertain the truth. How many impeachment attempts has she concocted for her lapdogs in the House to stamp out into oblivion? Why hide in the hideousness called EO 464 and yet claims she is clean? Why is she always claiming she did nothing wrong but does not even entertain efforts to uncover the truth? Remember Ricardo Manapat and his stupid attempt to have Fernando Poe Jr. disqualified by making a fake birth certificate?

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she allows her people to peddle lies as truth. She allows the use of state resources and police power to silence potential whistleblowers. She pays lip service to good governance and transparency yet shuns every means of ascertaining the truth.

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she treats human rights as if Article 3 of our Constitution does not exist. She hinders our exercise of our rights. Remember 1017? She puts mechanisms that put us on guard. See those surveillance equipment at La Salle Greenhills and St. Scholastica College? (If the reason for a camera at La Salle is to monitor traffic, then it is the wrong reason. The right solution is honest-to-heaven traffic enforcement! Such reasoning is BS.) I shudder to think when they put a camera in front of Sto. Domingo Church.

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she allows her people to use threats against her critics. Remember the “we-will-unleash-BIR” text message when Makati Business Club called for her resignation? Remember Nograles threatening the removal of tax exemption of churches, because they dared to call for her resignation? Remember Mascarinas filing perjury charges against Jun Lozada’s wife, all because Lozada dared to tell what he knew? Remember Gudani and Balutan, who were court-martialed because they testified at the Senate?

Gloria Arroyo is (fill in the blanks, Neri) because she has shattered the integrity of our political institutions.

Just look around you. Just look at how you perceive our political institutions. Do you trust the Department of Justice? The Philippine National Police? Raul Gonzalez? Norberto Gonzales? Sergio Apostol? Ricardo Saludo? Prospero Nograles?

Now, dear ladies. Open your eyes now. Is she still the same girl you knew? I don’t think so.

—

I am sick and tired of people saying there’s no alternative. That is just a lazy way out. For example, why not you? Yes, you! You are not an alternative? No? You mean you are not capable of anything? Is anyone not capable of anything nowadays? Goodness!

I am also sick and tired of people saying they are all the same. So are you telling me you are the same with *shudders* Raul Gonzalez? This is just another lazy way out.

What I am getting is that either (1) people are lazy nowadays or (2) creativity is dead.

20
Feb

Confused bishops? Whatever

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The recent comments by Jaro Archbishop and Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines President Angel Lagdameo is a sad reflection of the sorry state of the CBCP nowadays. Aside from talking from hindsight, the comments have implied that the hierarchy is not inclined to support any mass movement versus Gloria Arroyo, and neither it is inclined to call for her resignation, too. Not only do conservatives have the numbers in the CBCP, most of them are known supporters of Gloria Arroyo.

Whenever the Roman Catholic hierarchy is somewhat involved in Philippine politics, I am reminded of the book Hitler’s Pope. The said book details the history of the Canon Law and how the power structure became centralized. After EDSA 2, the large archdiocese of Manila was divided into several dioceses; that is why we now have bishops of Caloocan, Cubao, Novaliches, Parañaque, Pasig, etc (see here, and here). It was said that the decision to divide the archdiocese was made in reaction to Jaime Sin’s active involvement in EDSA 2 (though Rina David disputes this view, without citing sources), and also due to the failure of Monte de Piedad (now GE Money Bank). Now, take these things into today’s context, and understand why these bishops are acting this way.

Anyway, what the good archbishop cannot say is that some of his brethrens are already compromised. Fr. Robert Reyes was not so circumspect. In national TV, he noted that some bishops are reticent in calling for Arroyo’s resignation because they are afraid the government will reduce its donations. A bishop (a known Arroyo supporter, of course) chastised Reyes for the comment. Heh.

Lagdameo calls for a people power of a new sort. Maybe what he meant is that people should no longer look at these bishops for guidance. If that is what he meant, I fully agree. Let the people decide, and let the bishops do the collecting, este their jobs pala.

—

If you think the current situation is confusing, you are not alone. Just look at those Catholic bishops.

—

If you are a man (or woman), and you know something that is so wrong, illegal, and damaging to someone who has all the means to wipe you out of this planet, would you reveal what you know? Jun Lozada first thought he should run. He was provided the means to do so. Yet how come he is acting that way? If you take on the mob, you know that your life is in danger; hence, the tendency to run away. Yet he came back and faced the mob.

If for that alone, I believe him more than all the Abalos, Apostol, Arroyo, Bunye, Enrile, Fajardo, Gaite, Golez, Gonzalez, Mascarinas, Neri, Razon, Saludo, and Santiago of this world.

15
Feb

Mga maikling bukas na liham

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Para kay Vivianne Yuchengco:

Ang taray mo ha? Bago ka magtaray, balikan mo muna mga pinaggagagawa mo noong panahon ng impeachment ni Joseph Estrada. May pa walkout-walkout ka pa nun. Ngayon, nagpuputok ang butsi mo dahil sabi ng club mo, dapat magresign sina Atienza at Neri. Di ka sang-ayon, sabi mo, dahil dapat hindi mamulitika ang Makati Business Club. Noong mamulitika ang MBC noong 2000-2001, kumontra ka ba? Nagwalk out ka nga eh. Ang labo mo naman. Kaya siguro stock broker ka lang at walang mahalagang posisyon sa mga kumpanya ng pamilya mo – malabo ka kasi kausap.

Ganito na lang. Maniniwala ako sa iyo kung babayaran ng pamilya nyo ang lahat ng nadugas ng Pacific Plans nyo. Hangga’t hindi nyo ginagawa yun, nek-nek mo.

Arbet

—

Para kay Romy Neri:

Di ko malaman kung matatawa or maaawa ako sa yo. Ewan ko ha. Ikaw ba naman na halos linggo-linggo may nagpipiket sa harap ng bahay mo. Buti nga di ka pa nababaliw.

Pero ewan. Kung anu-ano pa pinagsasabi mo. Kesyo hindi rally ang sagot sa problema, kesyo dapat sagutin ang ugat ng problema. Ang problema, kasama ka run sa problema! Hindi mo ba magets yun? May alam ka, pero ayaw mo sabihin. Bakit? Executive privilege ka dyan. Palusot mo lang yun. So porke may executive privilege di ka na magsasalita tungkol sa krimen?

Sang-ayon ako sa yo na malalim ang ugat ng problema. Ang problema sa yo, mukhang nakompromiso ka na ng isang taong malapit sa yo.

Pakikumusta na lang ako kay Tom.

Arbet

—

Para kay Heneral Avelino Razon:

Ilang buwan pa ba bago ka magretiro? Kung ako sa yo, aayusin ko ang trabaho ko para hindi masira ang kredibilidad, integridad, at reputasyon ko.

Naaawa ako sa yo noong Lunes. Parang hirap na hirap ka magsinungaling. Mahirap naman talaga, di ba? Lalo na kung matagal kang naging matinong pulis. Dapat ngayon ay iyo nang napagtanto na walang maibubungang mabuti ang pagsisinungaling, kasi mapapahiya ka lang.

Tulad nyan. Sabi mo noong Lunes, yung kapatid ni Jun Lozada ang humingi ng proteksyon sa PNP-Police Security Protection Office. Nanumpa ka nun ha, na sasabihin mo ang totoo. Ngayon, sabi ng hepe ng PSPO, hindi raw humingi ng tulong ang kapatid ni Lozada na si Carmen. Sinungaling ka ba, General? Siguro naman hindi. Kaso, ayan oh.

General, hanggat maaga pa, isalba mo ang iyong reputasyon. Bigyan ka man ng pera ng amo mo, pero araw-araw ka naman nilibak sa mga aklat pangkasaysayan. Karamihan ng tao iisipin na isa kang tuta at sinungaling. Sabagay, buhay mo yan, pakialam ko ba?

Arbet

12
Feb

Short, open letters

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To Donald Dee:

There you go again, ranting against anything thrown against your amo, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. There you go again, raising that bogey called the economy.

To shut you up, here’s a deal: if all the members of your organization will unilaterally increase the minimum wage by Php 125, then I will shut up and join you in ranting against destabilizers. Deal?

Arbet

—

To Sergio Apostol:

Wow. Your law school must be proud of you. Actually I agree with you. Let’s deport all of the Chinese people out of this country! Let’s include those Chinese who were already naturalized, and those who have Filipino blood. Let’s do that, and see your beloved amo’s economy crumble down. Suportahan ta ka!

Arbet

—

To Joker Arroyo:

Pag bad ka, lagot ka, says your campaign slogan last 2007. I just wonder if you even understand that. Maybe your handlers should have translated that into English, so that you’d understand what that slogan meant, since it is clear you don’t.

Just a thought: maybe you really need to take a long, hard look at a mirror.

Arbet

—

To Juan Ponce Enrile:

I know this regime is considering appointing your wife as ambassador to the Vatican. I am not suprised by the way you conduct yourself in the Senate. Heck, no one is surprised. We all know you serve to please. Not us, of course. That Vatican appointment, that is.

Arbet

—

To Johnny and Joker:

What a sight you were! The two of you, seated together, working as a tag team! How time flies! Thirty years ago, you were opponents, obviously on opposite sides of the political fence. Now, look at you. As if history meant nothing.

No wonder this country is in deep sh*t.

Arbet

8
Feb

Bloggers’ reaction to Lozada’s testimony (Updated)

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MLQ3’s live twit of the Senate hearing on ZTE with witness Rodolfo Noel “Jun” Lozada Jr. here.

Initial reaction from bloggers:

* Simbahan
* Lozada’s Testimony
* Explosive Testimony at Philippine Senate Rocks Arroyo Government (with an MP3 recording)
* Will More Lozadas stand up?
* The Aftermath of the Jun Lozada’s Senate Testimony
* Thomas Aquinas and the Moderation of Greed
* Washington Sycip and The Rise of the Technocrats: A Reality Check
* NBN-ZTE Senate Investigation Awards Part 1
* Jun Lozada’s Testimony: Will Sec Romulo Neri stand up please? and BLOGGERS, UNITE!
* Jun Lozada and Our Battered Nation

Got this via IM:

pls help me 2 publish sa lahat ng tao pupunta sa nabanggit kong lugar, tomorrow feb 09 phil time 11am plan A lrt baclaran terminal, plan B tutuban mall, plan C Uniwide Quiapo, Plan D SM manila, Plan E Robinson Malate, paki advice nmn sa mamamayan ng manila wag cla punta muna sa mga lugar na yan kc sa intel report namin pasabugin yan bukas para maligaw ang isyu sa senado 2ngkol kay LOZADA. tnx…pls pass

Tomorrow is Esperon’s birthday.

UPDATE:

If you have a blog post regarding Lozada’s testimony, please leave the URL at the comments.

6
Feb

A renegade PNP or a lying Fortress? (Updated)

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Is the Fortress in control of this country or are there renegade officials under its wing?

When star witness turned chicken Rodoldo Lozada Jr. arrived from Hong Kong yesterday, he was taken by some people, one of which was later known to be a policeman. Lozada’s family, including his wife, were super worried, though according to Romy Neri (another chicken) Lozada was able to call him and said he was OK.

All eyes are on the Fortress, who quickly denied any knowledge of Lozada’s whereabout. Well, the Fortress should have asked Mamang Pulis TSIP himself. PNP’s Director General, Avelino Razon Jr., admits that Lozada is under PNP’s custody. Razon did not disclose where he is right now, but says that Lozada had requested for security.

Razon and the Fortress have a lot of explaining to do. First, they should get a good scriptwriter. Their lies are so obvious. If Lozada had requested for security, shouldn’t he have informed his family first? He could call Neri but not his wife?

Second, Razon claims that a brother of Lozada had also requested the PNP to provide the chicken some security. Then how come this brother has not surfaced to tell that? His siblings and his sister-in-law are all worried, and he won’t tell them?

Third, Razon inadvertently admitted that they had impeded the Senate’s arrest warrant against Lozada. Yay. The Senate should now summon Razon and cite him in contempt. But who am I kidding?

Anyway, the fact speaks for itself. The PNP is operating without the knowledge of the Fortress. Yay, renegade police. Or the Fortress has lied, again. Take your pick.

UPDATE:

The ABS-CBN report linked above states that Lozada has met his family according to Razon. How come his wife is going to the Supreme Court to file for a writ of habeas corpus? (The petition has been filed since lunch time, rendering Razon’s claims as lies. Unless Lozada has another family, of course.)Senator Panfilo Lacson scores the PNP for brazen lying. I agree.

The Senate intends to file obstruction of justice against airport officials. I suggest they include the PNP in such a case.

5
Feb

The House at its all time low (Updated)

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I think a congresswoman’s explanation of her vote best sums up why the majority of congressmen voted to unseat Pangasinan Representative Jose de Venecia, Jr. as Speaker of the House of Reprehensibles. If I remember correctly, her vote has something to do with staff, pork barrel, and projects.

In short, it is all about the money.

And if gossip is right, the price for a yes vote was Php 1 million – the half paid after the vote. So, that would be Php 174 million. Neat. No wonder everyone wants to be a congressman.

Here’s the list of how congressmen voted last night. See if your congressman voted yes, and then ask him/her to show you the money.

For residents of district 2 of Caloocan, Mary Mitzi “Mitch” Cajayon voted yes. So yes, you can ask her money for your needs and projects. (And to think I shook hands with her when she campaigned last year *shudders* When I get to register in Caloocan, I will definitely not vote for her. I mean, come on. We are all for change and reform, but what happened last night was not for change and reform. Lokohin nyo lelang nyo.)

Seriously, if JDV meant what he said, and assuming all he said was true, then his removal was a calculated move by the Fortress. If JDV really knows a lot, the vote last night was a big risk for the Fortress, yet it pushed for such a vote. Maybe the Fortress is assuming that the fallout will be minimal. The Fortress is banking on JDV’s very low credibility (see this post and this post, for example); that the people would assume that JDV was just mounting a desperate attempt to save his seat. The Fortress is operating on the assumption that the people is on a “let’s move on” mentality. On that, the Fortress is correct – we have been in that mode since 2005.

An act of desperation, maybe. But a desperate man will do anything because he has nothing more to lose.

—

In one part of his speech, JDV warned that if it had happened to him, it will happen to others, too. That’s what I have been telling everyone since 2005.

UPDATE:

It seems that the Arroyo regime knows the pulse of the people. After stabbing JDV with 174 knives, the Fortress attempts to downplay his “exposes”, calling him “too late the hero.” And the Fortress is prolly right, based on initial reactions from bloggers.

4
Feb

Goodbye, Speaker de Venecia (Updated)

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Should we maintain a death watch?

2/3/2008 10:11 PM ABS-CBN News – Amado Bagatsing of Manila says at least 143 congressmen have committed to sign a manifesto declaring loss of confidence to Speaker Jose de Venecia.

2/4/2008 8:54 AM GMA News – A defiant de Venecia nixes graceful exit, vows to fight on the floor. We are statesmen, not gangsters – heh. Nice shot, JDV.

2/4/2008 9:48 AM ABS-CBN News – JDV is still defiant, claims that congressmen were offered at most Php 1 million each to support his ouster. Yay, congressmen for sale. Lobbyist should stop lobbying and instead start buying congressmen, no?

2/4/2008 10:21 AM GMA News – Administration congressmen start arriving at the Fortress for the caucus to decide on what to do with de Venecia. The Mafia doesn’t engage in talks. If they want to kill, they contract someone to do it.

2/4/2008 1:07 PM GMA News – Another lease of life for de Venecia? Caucus fails to unseat JDV, mini-caucuses to be held tomorrow. Here’s an advice to congressmen: PUT UP OR SHUT UP.

UPDATE:

Starting 3PM yesterday, I couldn’t access this site, hence the last update was about the removal apparently wouldn’t materialize yesterday, which it did. Well, you know the rest of the story, so it is indeed goodbye, de Venecia as speaker.