Tag Archives: philippine politics

5
Dec

News people under siege

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If you have received a letter like this one, what would you do?

TO: MARIA RESSA
Head of ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs

GREETINGS:

By virtue of the authority vested upon me pursuant to Section 6 of Republic Act 5750, you are commanded to appear before the office of Southern Metro Manila Criminal Investigation and Detection Team, NCRCIDU, CIDG SPD Compound, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City on December 5, 2007 at 10:00 o’clock in the morning and bring with you a DVD copy of raw video footage re-March of SENATOR ANTONIO S TRILLANES IV and GEN. DANILO LIM together with thirteen (13) other members of Magdalo soldiers and civilian supporters from RTC, Branch 148, Makati City to Manila Peninsula Hotel.

FAIL NOT UNDER THE PENALTY OF LAW:

WITNESS my signature this 3rd day of December 2007, Camp Crame, Quezon City, Philippines.

EDGARDO M. DOROMAL
Police Director
Director, CIDG

FAIL NOT UNDER THE PENALTY OF LAW. Ominous words.

—

I think the dialogue between the Arroyo dogs and the media being facilitated by the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkasters sa Pilipinas (KBP) is a useless exercise. Let’s face it: the Philippine National Police had erred when it arrested and/or handcuffed several media people who covered the Manila Peninsula Hotel affair. No amount of dialogue will change that.

Anyway, what’s the dialogue for? To draft guidelines on coverage of crucial situations? It is almost as good as the PNP telling the media on how to cover an event. Yes, the police wants to control the way media covers such events. I think this is some form of prior restraint, and good thing the media people who attended that dialogue are clearly showing where they stand (except NBN 4, but that should be expected from a government-owned propaganda machine). Jessica Soho was even gleeful when she pointed out that it is a good thing GMA 7 is no longer a KBP member.

And as for the KBP, I have not realized that it has become an Arroyo factotum. Tsk, another institution compromised by Arroyo’s scorched earth policy.

3
Dec

Notes on the Manila Peninsula Hotel affair

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Some people have already said this, and I had made the same observations to some people, but I think a lot of people haven’t realized how dangerous the Arroyo regime’s reaction to the Manila Pen affair.

Many thought that the PNP’s action was an overkill. Two armored personel carriers, several hundred elite police men, loads of tear gas – is it really an overkill? There are tactical blunders in the police’s action. For example, why force themselves in a sofa-bariccaded front door when there are other entrances that they can use? Why use an APC to force the front door open when they can use other means? I think someone’s ego was seriously pricked, hence the action (that someone’s name sounds like a part of a vehicle).

But no, the medium is the message. The police reaction is precisely overkill because the Arroyo regime is sending a message to its enemies – it will not hesitate to kill just to survive. The queen’s enemies better think twice.

—

What the police did to media men last Thursday is the worst blunder, the most stupid blunder that they can ever do. And it does not end there.

Earlier today, Plinky Webb (one of those “processed” by the police) interviewed the Director General of the Philippine National Police (PNP), Avelino Razon. To be honest, he seems to be the most media-savvy PNP chief since Babylon, and he appears to be a decent chap. Apparently not. In the interview, he said that if media people decides to file a case against the police, they will have no choice but to file a countersuit.

Yes, that is called blackmail.

—

And probably the most scary part for the Arroyo regime – the military. How afraid can the queen be of her armed forces? The official action was entirely a police matter. Logically.

But there is one thing that was buried deep by the usual propaganda crap and litanies by dogs and monkeys. Remember that Trillanes et al were escorted by military police at the courtroom. How were they able to pull the stunt off? It scared Hermogenes Esperon so much that the AFP chief by default claimed that they were ordered to go along. Fool.

Hence the absence of the AFP in last Thursday’s affair. The Arroyo regime is deeply scared of the possibility of the military supporting Trillanes instead.

—

The reactions to the Manila Peninsula Affair reminded me of George Orwell’s Animal Farm. I don’t know why. Maybe I should reread that novel. If you can connect the two, please let me know.

Maybe it was because of Vivian Yuchengco.

Speaking of Yuchengco, her reaction is typical of those who have a lot to lose in a big social upheaval. Understandable, but her family’s reaction to the Pacific Plans fiasco, however, puts a damper on Yuchengco’s credibility. Her reaction is not surprising. Remember her family’s reaction to the PEP Coalition? The Yuchengco family filed libel cases against the officers of the PEP Coalition.

Niloko na, kinasuhan pa. Still want the status quo? It can happen to you.

—

I am currently re-reading John Cornwell’s Hitler’s Pope. I had read this once, and I was re-reading it, since I think the book’s contents are relevant to how the current Roman Catholic hierarchy is acting (or not acting).

Have you read this book? What is your take on it?

—

Finally, as I have said, the regime’s later actions after Trillanes surrendered are disturbing. Let’s outline them:

* The media being treated as suspects and some of them being handcuffed. Read the following accounts for context:
– From Manila Pen to Bicutan: When the Media Became the Story
– Hours, media grit in the Manila Pen
– ABS-CBN reporter: No one told us to leave Pen

* The PNP declared a 12AM-5AM curfew for a rather large area of Luzon.

Scary? Both of these already happened before.

If there’s one thing that Gloria Arroyo has learned from this episode, it is this: she can declare martial law anytime and no one would bother crying foul. Well, some few people would cry foul, but not enough to deter her.

—

To end this post, let me quote Ederic Eder:

“Sa kaloob-looban natin, gusto rin natin ng pagbabago. Ngunit nagagalit tayo sa mga mapangahas na nais gumambala sa maalwan nating pamumuhay.”

I could have not said it any better.

3
Dec

If they vote now, the Senate will not kick Trillanes out

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Last Friday, Miriam Defensor Santiago, the epitome of sanity in the Senate, had threatened to file a resolution for the suspension or expulsion of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for that November 29 stunt (she already did.). While Senate President Manny Villar thinks this resolution will not prosper and Senator Aquilino Pimentel says the opposition will block such a resolution, anything can happen. So, let us speculate who will vote for the resolution.

Assuming that resolution goes like this: “RESOLVED, that Antonio Trillanes IV be expelled from/suspended from being member of the Philippine Senate.” The vote will likely go this way:

Yes
Edgardo Angara
Joker Arroyo
Juan Ponce Enrile
Richard Gordon
Miriam Defensor Santiago
Juan Miguel Zubiri

No
Benigno Aquino III
Rodolfo Biazon
Alan Peter Cayetano
Francis Escudero
Jose Estrada
Panfilo Lacson
Loren Legarda
Ma. Consuelo Madrigal
Francis Pangilinan
Aquilino Pimentel Jr.
Manuel Roxas II
Manuel Villar

Maybe yes
Pia Cayetano
Gregorio Honasan
Manuel Lapid
Ramon Revilla Jr.

The possible NO senators who can switch to yes are:

* Estrada – We will now see if the pardon for Joseph Estrada will affect Jinggoy’s stance. Note Erap’s reaction to the Manila Pen affair.
* Lacson – If the gossip is true (that Ping Lacson is involved in the Thursday Pen affair), his voting YES will be a strong indication.
* Legarda – Cmon, she can switch sides like it is her second nature. Kidding aside, she is rather silent on the issue.
* Roxas – He always plays safe, so voting Yes will not be a surprise.
* Villar – Another play-safe senator, he claims that the Santiago resolution will not prosper. He knows how to switch sides at the right times. If he sees that the Trillanes caper is unpopular, he can always vote yes when the time comes, right?

—

Mrs. Santiago should somehow reconsider her idea. Remember what she said in the days before the May 1 siege of the Fortress by the Pasig? Remember when she admitted to the entire universe that she lied when she claimed that she will commit suicide if Erap is impeached (well, he was removed from office extra-constitutionally)? Remember when she said that corruption originated in China? The opposition could have censured her (they should have), but they did not. Her ghosts will haunt her soon.

3
Dec

National Press Club’s credibility problems

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I put into question the motives, credibility, and sincerity of the National Press Club when it threatened to file a complaint against the police for the unlawful arrest made against news people last Thursday.

I just find their proposed action icky for the following reasons:

1. This is the very same organization that censored a mural made by a group of artists because of political implications. They have several “offending” parts defaced, all because the guest of honor for the opening of their restaurant might get offended. The guest of honor? Gloria Arroyo. Ironic, no? Whether the complaint is sincere or an attempt to deodorize the NPC’s image remains to be seen. However…

2. I doubt the sincerity of the group in filing the complaint. Of all places, why file a complaint at the Commission on Human Rights? CHR is as toothless as a baby panda. It can only investigate and recommend. It has no prosecutorial powers. In the end, the complaint is useless. Also, when another group files another complaint, this time a criminal one, forum-shopping may be raised by the prosecutors, thus seeing a criminal complaint dismissed.

3. The NPC in the recent years, including this one, has been beset by credibility problems. For this year, aside from the mural censorship, it has disposed of the Manansala mural. Also, in parallel to the legitimacy problems of Gloria Arroyo, the current crop of officers suffer from legitimacy problem, too. (I just find it ironic that they had Gloria Arroyo as guest of honor in that restaurant opening, heh.)

If there’s anyone who should sue the police, it should be the media people who were arrested/invited/whatever by the police. They are more credible than the NPC.

27
Nov

A tale of two losers

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Such losers.

—-

After Sen. Manuel Roxas II’s election as president of the Liberal Party, here comes the Arroyo saboteur Lito Atienza crying his heart out. He even has this to say:

Congratulations, Sen. Roxas, at your installation as president of the Liberal Party faction led by Frank Drilon and his merry cabal of destabilizers. We were hoping we would be congratulating Mar as our president, the head of a newly-united Liberal Party, but it seems the worst fears of our group became reality after all.

He then ranted on about LP being finally divided, etc.

Mr. Atienza: who caused the division of the party? Who went on to have a rump, unofficial, illegal party elections? Who tried to sabotage the party by subverting it to Gloria Arroyo’s regime?

Sure, go ahead and sue. Let’s see who the true losers are. (Yeah, the fact that you have the environment portfolio speaks for itself.)

—

Let’s have a wimp for another poor loser.

Speaker Jose de Venecia is in the hot seat for the past two months. His troubles began when his son, Jose de Venecia III, began his exposes against the National Broadband Network project (in the process, Comelec chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. was forced to resign, faced with imminent impeachment). To test his loyalty, de Venecia faced two crucial questions.

First, Atty. Roel “Palyado” Pulido filed an ethics case against de Venecia, at the height of the younger de Venecia’s exposes. Then, he filed a three-page impeachment complaint against Gloria Arroyo. It seems that the gameplay was simple: have the impeachment complaint dismissed or else.

JDV tried to be cute for all when he asked Representative Raul del Mar to transmit the complaint to the House Justice committee, in a way giving the Fortress by the Pasig a scare. Well, the dogs were compliant: committee killed the complaint. Then, the plenary buried it.

JDV should be in the clear now, right? Wrong. That’s how vindictive this regime is.

Not only is the ethics complaint festering at his back, the Office of the Solicitor General is reviewing a compromise agreement made by a company owned by JDV and the Presidential Commission on Good Goverment in 1988. Of course, the Solicitor General immediately claimed that this is not politically motivated. The deal was made in 1988. Great timing, madam solicitor.

(I am not even dealing with the Northrail project.)

And de Venecia? Ever the martyr, cries foul, says that the Supreme Court has already ruled on the case with finality. His lawyer, Singaw ng Bayan sycophant Raul Lambino branded the move as political harassment.

My grandmother used to say: do not deal with the devil. (To counterbalance that for atheists: do not deal with cheats.) So there.

—

Who’s the loser from all of this? All of us. At the end of the day, it is us who are screwed.

21
Nov

Typical response

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Stimulus: World Bank defers loan, probes graft

Response: Palace blames World Bank

World Bank v. The Fortress by the Pasig. Sa pula o sa puti?

(Will expand this post when I get the time.)

19
Nov

The Church and the State

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For the longest time, a rational population management policy eludes the Philippine government due to the rabid opposition by the Roman Catholic hierarchy. So it is not a surprise when a councilor in Quezon City is met by stiff opposition by the Church (like this one: Cubao bishop opposes proposed QC population policy).

Historically, the Church and the State were intertwined since the Spanish colonization of these islands (some would even dare say that the Church and the State were one and the same). The arrival of the Americans and the invasion by the Japanese were just great interruptions in the relationship. It is therefore not surprising that the Church exercises great influence in the government. And it exercises that influence well.

Everyone who knows his Constitution will argue that this influence is crossing a thin line defined by the Separation clause (Article II, Section 6), to wit:

The separation of Church and State shall be inviolable.

However, I will not condemn the Church for its rabid opposition to birth control, rational or scientific its reasons or not notwithstanding. The Bill of Rights has this to say about religious freedom:

Section 5. No law shall be made respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The free exercise and enjoyment of religious profession and worship, without discrimination or preference, shall forever be allowed. No religious test shall be required for the exercise of civil or political rights.

I believe that the Church, through its people, is exercising a right guaranteed by the Constitution. I cannot blame them if they oppose birth control with a fervor of an army ready to do battle with the enemy. Not only they are entitled to express opposition, they are also entitled to express their religious belief. And that includes the usual political gimmick (blackmail, pressure, to name a few). I will not begrudge them for their religious belief.

I will not give the same leniency to the government. Specifically, Gloria Arroyo.

Article 2, Section has this to say:

The State recognizes the sanctity of family life and shall protect and strengthen the family as a basic autonomous social institution. It shall equally protect the life of the mother and the life of the unborn from conception. The natural and primary right and duty of parents in the rearing of the youth for civic efficiency and the development of moral character shall receive the support of the Government.

Note the phrase “the life of the unborn FROM CONCEPTION” (emphasis mine). As you can see, the Constitution is clear that it will protect the unborn upon conception. Conception is defined loosely as when a sperm cell fertilizes an egg cell (Wikipedia). There is no constitutional barrier that prevents the government from instituting artificial family planning methods. But what prevents this government from doing so?

There are several issues that needs to be cleared here.

1. Does a president have the right to impose his religious conviction on the nation? Hell, NO! That is tantamount to establishing a state religion, which is expressly forbidden by the Constitution.
2. Does the government have the right to impose a policy that is clearly in violation of one’s religious belief? The answer is unclear at this point – we will need a court case to establish a solid answer. I think the answer is generally no; refer to Article III, Section 5 as stated above.

That’s why I wondered why no one challenged Lito Atienza when he banned the distribution of condoms and similar materials from Manila’s health centers. I think what he did what patently illegal, since his reason is religious in nature. This is the same reason why the Department of Health and the Population Commission are not pushing hard for artificial family planning methods. And this I condemn with strong words. This is the Catholic Taliban in action. The government is not even promoting such use only because it is against Gloria Arroyo’s religious belief.

Let me clear things out in closing.

1. The Church has every right to oppose artificial family planning methods and the Government from instituting such policy. However, the Church is limited to such opposition but doesn’t have the right to disrupt the Government from doing its job (specially when what the Government is doing is legal). It doesn’t have the right to impose its beliefs on the State.
2. The Government has every right to institute policies that will protect the people’s well being. However, it doesn’t have the right to impose a policy that is clearly against a person’s religious belief. (This is a gray area, specially when “imminent danger” is invoked.)
3. Gloria Arroyo, Lito Atienza, and other members of the Catholic Taliban have no right to impose their religious beliefs to anyone. They have no right to use the executive powers granted to them by the Constitution and the laws to “obfuscate” religious belief as government policy.
4. Every Filipino is free to choose what he wants, within the limits of the Constitution and his religious beliefs. Neither the Government nor the Church has the right to impose their beliefs on a Filipino citizen. If a citizen desires to use artificial family planning methods, the Government and/or the Church can’t stop him.

The Government must promote (not push) artificial family planning to those who are willing to use it. It should not be denied to those who need it most. I believe that the policy should be of promotion, not institutionalization.

—

This post was made in reaction to The Jester-in-Exile’s post on the same topic.

19
Nov

Do you feel the self-righteous torment?

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Have you seen that fugly “Ramdam ko ang pag-asenso” (I feel the progress) TV ad (well, I only saw one)? You know, I want to interview each and everyone who appeared and talked in that commercial. I want to pick their brains. I want to establish that they were taking hallucinogens. I want to see their ITRs and 2316s. I want to see their bank records, billing records, records of property ownership, payslips. I want them to look at me straight in the eye, and repeat what they had said on TV. I want to be sure that what they were spewing at the TV were true.

The fact that the advertiser is unidentified raises more questions that answers. It is obviously a government ad, what with the quality and utter disregard for the truth. Hiding in anonymity is trademark Arroyo regime.

How about you? Ramdam mo na ba ang pag-asenso? I surely do not.

—

A self-righteous Filipino sent a self-righteous letter to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, protesting on her innocence, claiming that she is not guilty over the death of Mariannet Amper, nor she feels any remorse whatsoever. I pity her, not for her self-righteous apathy and arrogance. I pity her because of her glaring ignorance of how a government operates.

She threw the book, the sink, the toilet bowl, everything, on the Gloria Arroyo administration, claiming that it is the Arroyo regime’s fault. I would have gladly joined her, except that she has to answer a simple question first: if Gloria Arroyo is at fault, what had she done about it?

I will not be surprised if she had elected Gloria Arroyo in 2004.

—

It seems that the Armed Forces of the Philippines has really did it this time.

The years 2006-2007 have been a banner year when it comes to extra-judicial killing and forced disappearances. Victims are mostly linked with the left, suggesting a Red Banner witch hunt, and all fingers point at the military. There is even a poster boy of Red Banner witch hunt – Jovito Palparan, nicknamed “The Butcher” (the nickname that can safely be given to Stalin). The Arroyo regime formed the Melo Commission to investigate such killings and disappearances. While the Commission recommended that Palparan be investigated, its other findings are unknown, and no other concrete actions were taken by the regime.

The Supreme Court had to take action, calling an unprecedented all-hands, all-stakeholders summit, and then issuing new rules based on the findings and recommendations made in that summit. One of the new rules is the implementation of a writ of amparo, or writ of protection. Said to be more powerful than the writ of habeas corpus (specifically stated in the Charter), the rules regarding the writ no longer allow the respondent to simply deny the fact. The habeas corpus’ main defect is that it allows the respondent to simply deny the fact that he has the person being petitioned to be produced.

It seems that the AFP is really engaging in clearly illegal activities.

In several amparo cases filed, two persons have been produced since the rules regarding the writ of amparo were promulgated. If these two people are criminals, how come charges are not filed against them? Why engage in torture?

The protector of the people has become the tormentor. Tsk.

16
Nov

Another diva senator

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Juan Miguel Zubiri is making the people who “elected” him proud.

In the Senate’s investigation on the Fortress cash buffet, the Senator of Maguindanao called for an end to the investigation since there was nothing illegal in what had happened in the Fortress. Very bright boy, isn’t he? The Comelec people from Maguindanao must be very proud of their work.

Unfortunately for Zubiri, Majority Floor Leader Senator Francis Pangilinan disagreed. They had a heated exchange of words, so heated that Zubiri asked for a suspension of the hearing so that Pangilinan could cool down. Pangilinan was not cowered.

In the end, imitating another useless self-confessed liar of a senator, Zubiri, the distinguished Senator of Maguindanao, walked out of the hearing.

Bravo.

14
Nov

Two murders

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Two murders were committed at the Batasang Pambansa in a span of less than 24 hours.

Last night, an explosion at the South Wing lobby of the Batasan killed Basilan Representative Wahab Akbar, and a driver of another congresswoman, who was herself injured. Another congressman was injured from the blast. Police believes this was an assassination and not a terrorist attack.

(Nope, contrary to the police line, I thought the blast was caused by the collective fart of congressmen who received Php 200,000 a month ago at the Fortress.)

To be honest, Akbar is not a great loss to the country, being a political overlord of his province (two of his wives are elected officials of Basilan, too), and is rumored to be connected with the Abu Sayaff. Heck, he had his Louis XIV moment, boldly saying “I am Basilan.” Read Wahab Akbar’s profile by Newsbreak.

The morning after, the House Committee on Justice offered a moment of silence for Akbar. That’s the official line, of course. The real reason is that they were to commit another murder that day: the murder of the palyadong Pulido impeachment complaint. Which they did with gusto, with murderers’ grins, without much semblance of conscience amongst the dogs of the Justice Committee. Their amo at the Fortress was very pleased, of course.

End of story.

—

You know, some people are being stupid. Some people are blaming the opposition with the murder of the palyadong Pulido impeachment complaint, saying that the opposition was caught “natutulog sa kangkungan.”

Maybe there is really a problem with our knowledge of politics, history, and governance.

The impeachment attempts last 2005 and 2006 should have been instructive. Politicians have shown that impeachment, a process defined in the Philippine Constitution, can be reduced into a numbers game. So if you want to impeach Gloria Arroyo, you should have elected an opposition House.

But, no. Confused as we are with what we want to happen with our lives, we gave the Senate to the mongrel opposition, and the House to the dogs of the Arroyo regime. What confused message have we delivered through that 2007 elections?

The opposition of the 14th Congress knew by July of 2007 that impeaching Gloria Arroyo is as remote as the Second Coming happening at this very moment. So when the palyadong Pulido impeachment complaint was filed, even I was surprised by such foolishness. (Well, yeah, no wonder the Magdalos dropped him as their lawyer.) I cannot blame others if they think Pulido is the new Oliver Lozano.

And now that the palyadong Pulido complaint is dead, some people have the gall to blame the opposition. Hello? Are you watching the news, or Kokey (alright, Zaido)?