According to the Senate, two things are clearer today than they were last year: the bugging of Garcillano’s phone was done by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. And the number of votes manipulated in the President’s favor totaled about 662,000.
The police say neither terrorists nor the Left were responsible for the “bomblets.”
A curious note: the state visit to Libya has been “postponed”.
Joseph Estrada says he didn’t declare 56 million that he should have.
The President is worth 79.28 million; her son has increased his net worth from 50,000 pesos to 76.53 million in 13 years. Punzi seems amazed at the President’s ability to increase her net worth by about 4.6% a year.
Party-list representatives get a favorable decision from the Supreme Court -but the Department of Justice says the court’s decision is “moot.” The court disagrees:
Court spokesman Ismael Khan Jr. said the tribunal’s resolution covers the ongoing trial at the Makati court.
“If the preliminary investigation is already finished, then all the more that the justice department has to stop the proceedings at the lower court,” he said, adding that the prosecutors may want to clarify the issue by also filing a motion for clarification with the Supreme Court.
In the punditocracy, my column for today is Telephone. The Inquirer editorial expresses skepticism about official reactions to the bomblets. Tony Abaya suggests the greatest defect of Filipino political culture is that it thrives on mediocrity. Manuel Buencamino has part 2 of the purloined diary entries of the President.
Howie Severino and Isolde Amante have a blog entry and column, respectively, on the small- and narrow-minded attitudes of bureaucrats.
In the blogosphere, Susan Ople says it seems that Sigaw ng Bayan will file its petition for a referendum in two weeks. The battle will be joined -at a time when conventional wisdom had it, that the battle had been postponed until after the 2007 elections.
Jove Francisco on hostilities between the Palace press corps and the presidential security people.
Promdi is alarmed over summary executions in Davao City.
Peryodistang Pinay on an economist’s suggestion for investment opportunities.
New Economist on new intellectuals
.Another Hundred Years Hence on understanding urbanization.
Technorati Tags: Gloriagate, Hello Garci, media, military, people’s initiative, Philippines, politics
If today’s revolution is autocracy; then it is a one person revolution.
That is, if I understand the definition correctly that it is giving unlimited power to one individual.
I saw a few crude posters posted along Buendia purporting to be from Sigaw ng Bayan. At the bottom it said, “GMA Forever!” I guess that’s the plan, spelled out in blue letters on cheap paper pasted on walls and meralco posts.
Perhaps a revolution is indeed afoot.
about transparency of campaign funds….
if ever that happens, we will see that most corporations give to all possible winners.
To me, if some one is able to make a miracle and make campaign funds transparent,then everything else will follow and become transparent.
jeg, isn’t it possible that the posters you mentioned were, uhm, posted by those who are against cha-cha? Alam mo na, to drive home the message that cha-cha is about keeping gloria in power?
But GMA is not alone in this. She’s with the Trapos, specially in the Lower House, LGU’s, the noveou trapos – the generals in civilian posts – and of course the super trapos in the Palace.
Autocratic Trapocracy ! is uniquely Pinoy mal-politics.
Jose de Venecia, Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo are Trapo icons of Philippine politics.
Autocracy is bad enough, trapocracy sounds terrible, autocratic trapocracy is horrendous — that’s what Gloria’s autocracy is — a horrendous,a Horrifying Enchanted Kingdom.
Does anyone seriously believe that GMA will still push through with charter change if she can get away with martial law and rule by decree?
hasn’t the 1987 consti so emasculated martial law that it isn’t even like martial law anymore?
so you think Gloria will constrained by the 1987 constitution from doing what she can get away with once the military says they will follow her orders? At what point , from the time she admitted meeting with 5 military groups who were plotting the ouster of Estrada until she issued proclamation 1017, did she show any respect for the consitution, the rule of law and common decency?
that’s a pretty bleak picture, man
MB,
I don’t know if ANYONE can believe whatever Gloria says now, seriously or not. She’s lied once too often.
Perhaps, the following analogy might explain what I meant.
One might say the husband deserves what’s coming to him if he continues to believe his wife whom he has found out to lie once too often or caught en flagrant délit of adultery.
Hasn’t Gloria declared that she is married to the nation? Well, her de-facto spouse – the nation – should be more than circumspect now because, she’s lied to him once too often…
Oh, and MB, just loved that second diary entry … hihihih!
MLQ3,
Re Gloria’s increase in net worth:
Four point something % increase is a passable and almost acceptable increase if she didn’t do any dagdag-bawas but given her penchant for dagdag-bawas, I’m deeply suspicious that she made bawas from her declaration to make dagdag to her husband’s net worth which she conveniently dropped from her list according to the report.
As to Mikey Pidal Arroyo Jr, we’ve known all along that he’s inherited his mother’s penchant for dagdag-dagdag (but no bawas). Imagine, from 50 thousand pesos a few years ago to more than 70 MILLION PESOS … gee, that’s a lot of DAGDAG in one’s net worth – and I thought politicians in the Philippines do not earn much. I mean, how on earth does he do that?
Obviously while he’s mother and son make dagdag-dagdag, the ordinary Pinoy family feels the brunt because of a lot of bawas
in their income. Pretty soon, there’s nothing more to bawas but I don’t reckon the dagdag in the Pidal-Macapagal-Arroyo family will be having any bawas at all.
How disgusting!
To Postigo Luna aka comelecAko,
During previous blog posts; i understand you have been bashing the senate and take the pains on defending Comelec because ika nga: Love your own.
Di na ako umimik pero FYI,my dad is a staff of senator biazon,so if you have something to say,I would also take the pains of defending biazon if love your own ang pinaguusapan.
Pero that is not my style,minsan natitira ko pa nga sya kahit na I know that some of his decisions come from the advice of my dad.
Kaya sa kaso ng so called “massive cheating” please stop absolving Comelec. As you said ,the blame should be spread.
From moe: jeg, isn’t it possible that the posters you mentioned were, uhm, posted by those who are against cha-cha? Alam mo na, to drive home the message that cha-cha is about keeping gloria in power?
In fact it did cross my mind. That why I used the term ‘purportedly.’ But who knows for sure, eh? I wouldnt put it past Sigaw ng Bayan to put up something like that.
(I see you also have trouble with ‘posters posted.’ I tried to get around it too but then again, why? 😀
dear Karl,
I’m not absolving COMELEC of all blame, my friend. Like I said, there is enough blame to go around. It’s other people who want to be blameless and lay it all at the doorstep of the COMELEC. I’m just trying to share a different point of view. No harm in that, eh? And I’ve nothing against individual senators – well not all of them anyway. It’s when they can’t seem to get their act together that annoys me. It has nothing to do with your Dad – who’s writing is very good, btw.
Ana,
re phenomenal assets growth. No wonder the goblin is saying the economy is about to take-off.
Point taken,ComelecAko.Thanks!