June 26 marks the date set for the filing of a new impeachment complaint against the President. The administration pooh-poohs the new charges, argues it’s unfairly pandering to public opinion, and warns that if the effort to succeed, not just the President would lose her job.
This time around, the complaint will originate with a broader segment of the public, and then nursed through the process by the opposition. The charges to be leveled against the President are more concise and powerful than ever before. They are, according to the lawyers, three main accusations:
GMA EXERCISED DICTATORIAL POWERS TO SILENCE, IF NOT STIFLE, POLITICAL DISSENT ARISING FROM HER ILLEGITIMATE PRESIDENCY. Charges of obstruction of justice, EO 464, CPR and 1017, Daily Tribune, the Batasan 5, electoral fraud.
GMA COMMITTED CRIMES AGAINST HUMANITY. She abetted, if not encouraged, the systematic and widespread killings of political dissidents and journalists to silence criticisms lodged against her and to continue her illegitimate hold on power.
GMA CRIMINALLY CONCEALED HER CONJUGAL ASSETS, ENGAGED IN GRAFT AND CORRUPTION, AND ENTERED INTO ILLEGAL GOVERNMENT CONTRACTS. The Jose Pidal accounts, PIATCO bribery, Northrail; jueteng; as well as illegal withholding of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA).
The Total War policy steamrolls forward: Crush-NPA war has 3 deadlines; and while you can’t make an omelet without cracking some eggs, it’s about (officially, at least) hearts and minds: Troops, aid to pour into 3 key areas. Predictably, Lacson supports all-out-war to end communist rebellion while equally predictably, Joma says corruption will eat up war money.
In the punditocracy, the Inquirer editorial tackles the breezy attitude of officialdom to the term “collateral damage,” while Juan Mercado takes a skeptical look at the Total War effort. Tony Abaya is all for dissent: as long as its along Jeffersonian democratic lines.
Bel Cunanan floats a trial balloon from the President’s lawyer: a second impeachment is impossible because the first one was questioned!
Connie Veneracion writes on the important distinctions that the law makes with regards to crimes such as rape: it is the act and the circumstances surrounding it, not what anyone thinks about the victim, that matters.
Isolde Amante has an interesting column tackling the President’s mega-region scheme: it’s long been an idea talked about, but the devil, as they say, will be in the details. Check out her blog, Peryodistang Pinay, for background on her column: she’s way ahead of other columnists in using her blog as a means to illuminate what’s been printed. Ilolio City Boy also has a related blog post: ongoing efforts in his city to establish an MMDA-like authority for the area, as well as a Congressional proposal to formalize those efforts.
Overseas, the New Straits Times hopes that the Malaysian parliament will finally be serious about efforts to establish a genuine watchdog over corruption. Ching Ung Ho in the same paper delves into actual regional examples of failed states. The Sydney Morning Herald appeals for a state government to get over its mental gridlock with regards to transport problems.
In the blogosphere, the PCIJ blog focuses on allegations that some official of the National Movement for Free Elections might have been accomplices in electoral fraud. Istambay sa Mindanao wants clearer answers from the officials.
Bunker Chronicles says, if profit is primarily your motive, don’t invest in education. Buwayahman looks dimly on Church opposition to sex education.
Achieving Happiness pens a manifesto in defense of armed struggle. Ellen Tordesillas posts excerpts from a Philippines Marine officer who recently resigned.
Cyberbaguioboy points to a discouraging news article: the Philippine online library may be doomed.
Manila Vanilla takes an inter island vessel (marvelously descriptive!).
Paolo Manalo: what if Rizal was actually Jack the Ripper?
New Economist on how inequality increasingly characterizes American society.
Technorati Tags: impeachment, law, military, Philippines, politics
The war against the communists in the Malaya peninsula under the Brits worked not because the Brits and the Malayans killed each one of the communists… The strategy was simple – they quarantined them – they baited them with food, clothes, medecine, etc. therafter.
Those communists then became some of Malaysia’s most succesful capitalists (and politicians too!).
How extraordinary that at this day and age and backed by a “civilized†and modern nation like the US, Gloria still believes that committing fratricide is still the best course of action to stay in power.
Doesn’t she realize that she is likely to be dragged to the Hague to stand accused in the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity?
She must NOT take world opinion lightly. Bush will not be able to do anything for her when he’s gone and by that time, she will be alone, facing her accusers to answer charges of HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSE if not GENOCIDE.
Correct Anna, GMA and Bush are both dinosaurs. They both believe in repressing those with a differnet line of thought. They never learned from the lessons of the past.
Did GMA timed the announcement of her “Total War” policy ahead of the new impeachement complaints just to divert the public’s attention from it?
I heard this ANC interview, ( forgot who the congressman was) that laws signed by the president then later declared unconstitutional by the SC cannot be grounds for culpable violation of the constitution, because nothing daw is culpable about it………..Di naman daw gusto mag violate ng constitution ang president when she signed to law PP 1017,etc..
hahahahah! “Di naman daw gusto mag violate ng constitution ang president when she signed to law PP 1017,etc..”
It sounded like a joke because I paraphrased it,maaring di ganon exakto… yung signed to law PP1017 ..akin lang yun, di naman law ang mga PP di ba..pero,parang ganun ang gusto ipahiwatig ni congressman eh. Nakakatawa na nakakaiyak.
This is for the previous blog…
For MB,
Di ko sinasadyang magmukhang correction yung Anscor at Armscor kala ko talaga na sigurado ka, pero per Anna hindi nga ke Soriano.
THIS IS ILLEGAL!
“Negotiated PNP deals defended
First posted 02:36am (Mla time) June 20, 2006
By Luige A. del Puerto
Inquirer
THE PHILIPPINE National Police top brass yesterday defended the decision to dispense with a public bidding in the acquisition of some P322 million worth of patrol cars, handguns and motorcycles, saying it was advantageous to the government.
The police even saved roughly P56 million from these purchases, top PNP officials said.
Also coming to the PNP’s defense, Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said that among the reasons officials opted for a “negotiated procurement†or “direct contracting†was standardization.”
Sonny Razon knows full well, it’s illegal…
The U.S. troops killed 3 millions “Vietnamies Communists”. Did they beat them in the war fields? Instead the Americans tasted their first defeat in War. Now they end up importing goods from Vietnam and started investing in the country. And Ms Arroyo is telling everyone that she is going to defeat the communists within two years. Somebody from the Armed Forces need some more money for their pockets. Show me a Military Officer from the Rank of Major Up and let him explain his assets and I’ll show where all this money to fight the communist go.
karl,
a culpable violation of the constitution is “the deliberate and wrongful breach of the Constitution. Violation of the Constitution made unintentionally, in good faith, and mere mistakes in the proper construction of the Constitution do not constitute and impeachable offense.” That’s according to lawphil.
Of course, one might argue that EO 464 and all the rest were not drafted in good faith, but that has to be proven.
I totally agree with Buwayahman. Trying to prevent teens from learning about and experimenting with sex is about as futile as anything Canute ever dreamt up. Better to tell them frankly about the facts of life than to sit up at night everytime your daughter has a date, chewing your fingernails and worrying if she’s gonna come home knocked up.
bystander – medyo off topic, but you were wondering about the “awaiting moderation” tag? I think it shows up when you enter html in your comment. just guessing.
Karl,
Ganoon ba? Hindi ba one of the original owners si Soriano sa Armscor ?Wholly owned Tuason company ba yan simula sa umpisa? Alam ko Squires Bingham talagang kanila dati pa pero Armscor pagkaintindi hindi kanila from the start.
Oh MB & Karl,
Maybe it was I who got it wrong or Butch was bragging…
The New Straits Times of Malaysia is one of several newspapers owned by UMNO, the rulng party within the rulling coaltion, Barisan Nacional. It is no different from those crony papers during the Marcos years.
There will never be a true watchdog in Malaysia for as long as UMNO is in power. UMNO is incredibly corrupt. And it is entrenched. How can anyone trust a watchdog appointed by UMNO? This so-called watchdog will be used to impose party discipline. Any erring member of the party will become the target of the watchdog and crony newspapers will headline it as if it were really a serious attempt at fighting corruption.
Malaysia is a good example of what will happen in our country once we go parliamentary and all checks and balance are removed. In Malaysia the only check and balance that remains are competing ambitions and business/corruption interests.
The current fight between Mahathir and Badawi is a struggle between yesterday’s and today’s corruption. It is also against Mahathir’s hardline vs. Badawi’s accomodation of Anwar. Malaysian politics is like those old Italian courts. When Anwar first became Depuy Prime Minister owing to his election as Umno’s number two, Badawi lost his party posts and ministerial positions. The current deputy prime minister Najib, the son of former PM Tun Razak, was one of Anwar’s strongest backers. Najib turned on Anwar and joined Mahathir when he saw that Anwar’s ambitious power grab was premature. Meanwhile, Badawi was resurrected by Mahathir and made DPM after Anwar was sacked, Now Najib is DPM to Badawi and is said to be the prime candidate for overthrowing Badawi. He is said to be backd by Mahathir and Malaysia’s old establishment and so acts as a balance to Badawi. So Badawi did not press more charges against Anwar when his prison term was served. Anwar is now out and about and there are talks that he will be pardoned by the King which means he can run for Parliament again. So Anwar is now like Badawi’s balance against Najib. If Anwar decides to rejoin UMNO the party leadership is fucked. Anwar is like Ninoy and Marcos combined, A sharp mind with a silver tongue. The last election under Mahathir, when UMNO lost control of two states, it was because Anwar was able to get a lot of UMNO malays to defect to his party. He talks the talk and walks the walk,Meanwhile every UMNO member in the Malaysian cabinetprofesses complete loyalty to Badawi. One other nice thing to observe in the Malaysian parliament is how cabinet portfolios are parceled among the members of the ruling coalition, Barisan Nacional. It is a study in the division of spoils.
MB,
If the US weren’t meddling and Anwar hadn’t been playing footsie with the CIA, things would have been different in Malaysia.
anna,
The US meddles of course and Anwar had his share of US ‘advisers” but I don’t understand what you mean by ” things would have been different in Malaysia”.
I would be interested in your take on Malaysia.
We Filipinos seldom exchange views about our neighboring countries. We are always discussing America or Europe so it’s good to hear/discuss things closer to home. Besides, Malays are so much like us.
MB,
I wrote a paper on Malaysia (UMNO & Mahathir) just right after the incarceration of Anwar 1998. In it, I predicted that Najib would be Minister of Defense.
I would be willing to discuss this with you in a separate context.
To me Mahathir was good for his country. He was not the most democratic of leaders but he knew where the buck stopped.
One of the blunders that the Philippines committed – of course, it was Erap’s presidency was when Tessie Aquino and friends met with the wife of Anwar at his hotel. Tessie didn’t even tell Erap that she was going to there. It was an ambush thing. Mahathir was really mad. And that reflected on the Philippines for a great number of months.
Anyway, that’s just an anecdote.
Seriously MB,
Tell me, do you know how many times Madeleine Albright went to Indonesia right after the incarceration of Anwar?
Can you think of the reason why she did that?
What do you think was in her mind when 36 hours after the incarceration, she flew to Jakarta?
Hello MLQ3, Friends, People and Everyone,
Just to wish you all good luck.
Will be away from my office for 2 weeks starting on Wednesday for a brief respite from the mad, mad world.
Will check up on my favorite blogsites when I have the time and see what’s cookin’, and perhaps post a thing or two but am not promising anything.
Oh yeah, might look in on my blog from time to time but I doubt I will be able to post anything ‘newsy’.
So, to one and all, see you again soon!
A great aloha to all and happy holidays… A bientôt! Arrividerci! Hasta la vista!
Yours always,
AdB
Re: Inequality in American society
Via Brad de Long (http://delong.typepad.com/sdj/2006/06/that_triangulat.html) , Paul Krugman says’
“if the real source of today’s bitter partisanship is a Republican move to the right on economic issues, why have the last three elections been dominated by talk of terrorism, with a bit of religion on the side? Because a party whose economic policies favor a narrow elite needs to focus the public’s attention elsewhere. And there’s no better way to do that than accusing the other party of being unpatriotic and godless…”
As has already been said, the parallels are uncanny.
(AdB, have a good holiday.)
Tony Abaya’s argument collapses on itself when he says “we should respect political agitators, but only if they are agitating for a more perfect Jeffersonian democracy”. This statement is a contradiction of what Jefferson himself said in his inaugural address:
“If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.”
what happened to the old (last year’s) impeachment charges? i was under the impression the opposition was refining or establishing further evidence re: the garcillano wiretapped conversations with gma. is the philippine public never going to know the truth with regard to that? does anyone think we deserve to know that truth? having an entirely new set of impeachment charges (however valid) without including the old set leaves one with the impression that the opposition is not really interested in restoring truth & justice etc. in Philippine government. it is mostly interested in restoring itself. and that’s why the majority of the middle-classes remain indifferent to the opposition’s knee-jerk ‘patalsikin si gloria’ platform. because we know there will be no qualititative difference of governance under them either. this doesn’t mean we support gloria either. it just means that we’re indifferent to the alternative presented by the opposition–even if that indifference does keep GMA in office (she stays by default–that doesn’t mean we like or support her). where are the young not-yet-corrupt leaders who will offer a different (new & more progressive) face of politics? and i don’t mean the ones who come from trapo families either. escudero & remulla don’t really seem to offer a new & modern style of politics, i guess they can’t escape their trapo genes & upbringing.
One Billion pesos: “Bounty gift sa we called happy days again. Actually it will not be used principally against insusrgencies. It will be used to stop another impeachment complaint, to push Charter change and to help administration candidates in the election next year. This is another magic of Gloria to rule out in defeating the communist rebels in two year. GMA and her mouthpiece little Mike Defensor must have dreaming when they say that. No modern army has been able to crush a guerilla war in whole as written in history books.
To my mind, Defensor was thinking of defeating not the insurgencies but the majority of the Filipino people who are against changing the Constitution, who want his faake queen impeached and all mercernary politicians, Tonggressmen in the pocket of Malacanang be kicked out the coming election 2007. The regime’s New War against the comminist rebels is just diversionary tactics and a convenient decoy.
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution_history.html
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/06/19/opinion/19krugman.html
I cannot understand why Antonio Abaya continues to get away with a lot of what he writes. Jeffersonian democaracy as far as Jefferson himself was flawed. He did not participate in writing the U.S. constitution and neither did he participate in the amendments instituting the Bill of Rights. Representative governments then was only for the white man who was a merchant ,tradesmen and or landowner.
He is however credited with (as some American writers write) the poetry in the Declaration of Independence. Contrast that with the prose (Federalist Papers) or practical suggestions of Alexander Hamilton and James Madison that were the forces behind the U.S. constitution (including the Bill of Rights) that set the foundation for the two major political parties in the U.S. (Republican/Democrats), the form of government and the national economic system of the U.S. Credit for the foundation of the U.S. experiment should go to both James Madison and Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is considered the father of U.S. industrial capitalism. The foremost national democrat of the United States.
In point of fact Jefferson changed the words of John Locke …… life, liberty and property to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness because of the slavery question. That reality would stand for close to a hundred years till Lincoln changed it practically to win the war and because he personally believed that property was sacred. (property to mean- the fruit of man’s labor)
Those bedrock principles and ideals were the foundation for the establishment of democratic political,economic and cultural institutions through blood, (lots of it) sweat and tears. Liberal democracy comes after struggles to establish economic equality. It is not a static situation but fluid. Antonio Abaya forgets that it was another Roosevelt, Thurgood Marshall, Martin Luther King that kept those principles alive by equalizing economic incomes and opportunities.
It is at risk today together with the ideas of liberal democracy by men who distort the meaning of freedom and democracy in Washington. It was enlightened government that equalized incomes and opportunities and not markets. (A top income tax rate of 90% on the income rate helped a lot) That is as close you can get to a command economy without becoming one.(Marxists and free market ideologues please take note) The government of the Peoples Republic of China will soon find out that those millions that were emancipated economically in China will fight to maintain their economic freedom and the hundreds of millions left behind will demand the same.
Here in the Philippines nationhood, much less statehood still remain alien concepts. We remain to be colonial constructs. We either become a province of China or Indonesia/Malaysia or both. The Philippine state will eventually disappear as we know it.
“The charges to be leveled against the President are more concise and powerful than ever beforeâ€Â.
Witnesses and evidences make the charges strong. We can only hope for witnesses to come out.
An old Russian friend of mine once said that if you want to see where the shoes are headed always talk to the head.
It is clear the anti-insurgency or so called war on terror in the Philippines gets its direction from the head.
Defense Secretary Cruz and GMA were given a template.
It is clear the dogs of war are winning out over diplomacy. One can see the one percent solution being applied to perceived enemies of the State.
“Last week, Lt. Gen. David Richards, the NATO commander in Afghanistan, continued to speak of the “ink-spot theory” as the strategy’s “central” concept. He was referring to a longstanding metaphor of counterinsurgency theorists. The commanders pick an area, send in troops to clear it of insurgents, and keep it secureâ€â€at which point government representatives and foreign aid workers come in and build roads, schools, whatever’s needed or wanted. The example of this success spreads to other areas, where the sequence is duplicated, until gradually the country prospers, the insurgents lose favor with the population, and the central governmentâ€â€which has been taking credit for these successesâ€â€gains legitimacy.†Fred Kaplan, Slate
http://www.slate.com/id/2144094/
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/08/international/americas/08forces.html?ex=1151035200&en=49e57bf370a433a8&ei=5070
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/05/22/opinion/22koppel.html
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/06/21/opinion/21Dowd.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/20/books/20kaku.html
For the anonymous guy,
The wire tapping contrioversy is still pending in the senate.
If there would not be any revamp in the committees it will still go on.
Speaking of committee revemp,with the limited time Villar has .will he still tinker with the committees.
About the present charges:Please refer to the comment of Juan makabayan above.
I have always been jumping to conclusion about Vilklar and the senate pero hindi pa naman sya ang senate president.
Let’s wait for the long awaited third week of July for that,but what’s important is the third week of June.
Syanga pala anonymous, baka technicality din yung opinion ni Atyy Macalintal that there is a pending appeal sa supreme court, kaya di na sinama yung wire tapping, pero I don’t believe that they can not file this year, because of that pending appeal.
hvrds,
The Americans theorizing about counter-insurgency are as credible as GMA talking about electoral reforms. But Dog-of-War GMA (or Bitch-of-War)will buy their theories on counter-insurgency-counter-terrorism as long as it suits her agenda.
juan makabayan,
american intervention in the philippine ‘all out war’ against the national democrats, communists, progressive nationalists and other so-called leftists must be rejected.
the american dog of war and the philippine bitch the bitch of war must stop snarling because they can not be credible.
Sige sisihin na naman niyo kano, pero at the same time, with the other hand strethced out, tuloy ang tangap ng limos. Yung mga armchair communist sympataysers diyan, akyat kayo ng bundok.
GMA would be doing the filipino people a favor and likewise a great opportunity for her to clear not only herself but altogether her family if she would only let the impeachment proceeding go on its normal course without much intervention using government resources, after all it could always be filed year after year, putting every filipino to its worst effects not only economically but also morally, after all those repressions they never were able to give credible explanation, to almost all questions raised, and to say that she is the best at the moment, unless cleared, would mean that the best that the filipinos have for them to lead is but an immoral, a cheat, and a greedy option, what a great shame, let it proceed and let those guilty be prosecuted and the innocent free…..freedom to the filipino people
there is one thing that is very obvious at the moment about administration poitician they never want people to exercise what is in the law, as it is stated about legal remedies to unseat the president whenever they have commited impeachable offenses, and yet they also would not tolerate unconstitunal activities to effect such, are they only after there own political survival or are they really true stateman or have the genes totally mutated because of greed, for if only they have the first impeachment run its course it could have been through by this time and GMA by some luck or miracle could be on full throttle serving this country and hope had learned her lessons on proper governance
to all those who want this country move on for the oppositi0n get united, to the administration the truth will set you free, to the bystander give your support, cheer,,,,,and you shall be heard
Si eres cualquier cosa como mÃÂ, odias el pensamiento del gasto cuarenta horas a la semana en un trabajo del punto muerto. Las luces fluorescentes de zumbido, la gerencia idiota, el hecho de que necesitas despertar doloroso temprano – el único alto punto son que viene viernes cada semana. Dije tan a me, allàme consigo ser una manera mejor. ¡Una cierta manera de hacer el dinero que me deja fijar mis propias horas y hacer una cantidad cómoda del dinero!