The sad, sad, news today is that Haydee Yorac is dead: she who fought Ferdinand Marcos, tamed warlord Ali Dimaporo, educated students, fought corruption, and achieved more for the PCGG than most others who have been part of that commission: PCIJ sums up her achievements. Sassy Lawyer eloquently sums up Yorac’s life as one well lived.
The big news is the meeting of the directorate of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of the Philippines, preceded by lobbying by the President (which Max Soliven thinks has buoyed up her hopes), who authorized a statement saying the bishops have heeded her call to move on, so the faithful must move on, too; and lobbying by people against the President, and much media speculation as detailed by the stories of the Inquirer, the Manila Times, the Philippine Star, Bishop Teodoro Bacani weighs in on politics and morality from a prelate’s point of view (recall his outrage on television after witnessing the goings-on in the House).
News-worthy, too, are recent pronouncements of former president Fidel V. Ramos, who warns of a potential civil war (Newsstand tries to dissect the meaning of his words and actions).
In the Propaganda 101 Department, opponents of the President will have to come to grips with the simple yet effective strategy of the Palace: if the enemy comes up with a powerful word, simply adopt it and make the resonance of the word your own. And so, Sec. Bunye can say, congressmen voted with “truth and morality” as the basis of their votes. By the way, a friend never fails to remind me that the President’s team is uncannily like the media handlers of George W. Bush. TPM Cafe has an interesting take on what the Bush people believe to be the secret for continued political survival and even success:
Back to the administration, or the administration+congressional leadership: I think their attitude, and tactically it’s a brilliant insight, is that only a few things count: winning presidential elections, keeping absolute control of Congress — which means not just a Republican majority but a malleable one — and winning on the few things that matter to their cash constituents — tax cuts, tort reform, tax cuts, energy bill subsidies, tax cuts, bankruptcy changes, and eliminating Social Security. The war was also important, for a lot of reasons, but not least because it established the president’s authority to act without any check, domestic or external and gave Bush the advantages of a “wartime president.” Everything else is means to those ends. The president’s popularity dipped into the low 40s, and they passed the energy bill anyway — what more proof do you need that the president’s poll numbers hardly matter, if you control the instutions? …That’s why I didn’t fully accept Garance’s argument last week that they aren’t really PR geniuses because of the poll numbers — they don’t need the poll numbers until they need the poll numbers, and when they need them, they figure they can find a way to push them up a bit and/or push the relevant Democrats down. (Or, another way to put it, is that they may not be PR geniuses, but they actually know that the exercise of power does not depend entirely on PR.)
Read it and weep.
In the punditocracy, the Inquirer editorial objects to burying Marcos in the Libingan ng mga Bayani or cemetery of heroes. Fine, and we should add, as far as I know, it was Marcos who decided to name the Veteran’s cemetery the Cemetery of Heroes. Thing is, there are portions reserved for burial not on the basis of heroism, but simply, on rank or past position: for example, there is a portion for past presidents, a portion for past chief justices, a portion for chiefs of staff of the armed forces; why not segregate that portion and rename it “Himlayan ng nagkaroon ng Katungkulan,” or something?
Juan Mercado delves into Millennium Development Goals; Bel Cunanan coos about all things praiseworthy about the administration; Federico Pascual says former president Estrada is not a flight risk, since Estrada’s lawyers have proposed “Metro Manila arrest” (I say, just send him home; I was always against his arrest and detention, anyway, to the shock of many of my friends: I told them, lock him if and only if, he’s tried and then sentenced, not a moment before or all hell will break loose, which it did); Dong Puno takes a dim view on the idea of a People’s Court; Alex Magno admires Koizumi of Japan; Robert Lazaro says media’s having a tough time; Emil Jurado claims the military accomplished People Power and tells Cory Aquino to go away (he hates the reality TV show “Pinoy Big Brother,” too, which Rey Agapay loves); Alvin Capino dissects the intramural fighting in the Liberal Party; and Tony Abaya takes a dim view of Renato de Villa, suggesting Senator Biazon or Rep. Golez as better civilian bridges to the armed forces.
The blogosphere has ina alleco strongly defending the value of protest actions; Philippine Politics predicting Bong-bong Marcos as the heir apparent and leading candidate in a Marcos restoration (I disagree, the leading contender is Imee who has her father’s brains); Ronnel Lim with an amusing take on Malaysian politics; Edwin Lacierda advocating the revival of the mosquito press;
I’ve noticed that my blog readings now include a group best described as the Policy-Economy-Systems blogs: namely, Big mango, who resumes his series on the Blueprint for a viable Philippines, by examining its proposals on health care; Go Figure who begins delving into “hyperwage theory” by proposing some sort of mental chess with his readers; and overseas, New Economist who has an entry on something called “Hindu growth” -economic expansion helped along not by inviting new investments, but simply by taking on a more pro-business attitude towards governance.
In media aesthetics-related news, Kottke.org links to the new design for The Guardian of London, new typefaces and everything; the future for the broadsheet is a comin’ and it’s in tabloid size. Finally, Dubaichronicles has the most touching photo of the week: Choc-nut sent from home.
that pr thing makes me weep but it makes sense. like bush like gloria. they dont care about the surveys and polls or what the people think because they are the government at the moment. They used surveys and polio stastistics if they need it then throw it out if they dont. They are the power but not for long.
Marcos should be buried to that cemetary because even though people said he is the reason for all this debt ( they forgot cory had the option to default all those debt but didint )( i also heard that marcos borrowed money for he knew it will be defaulted when he is out of the power). He is still the former president of this country. He is also a war here ( somebody should really dig up if he really participated in WWII ). for all its worth he should be there. He paid his dues. He is dead. Let the man have his peace.
Manolo you dont like that pinoy big brother show too? better encantadia than that shit.
peace
We have to give credit sa goup ni GMA, kahit ilang bagyo pa ang kanilang sinusuong, Matibay pa din sila. para silang mga bingit bulag na walang pakiramdam sa clamor ng tao basta maprotektahan lang nila si gloria. (o di kaya sarili nila?) Hmmmm
Ed magkaiba ang airtime ng Pinoy Big Brother kesa Encantadia, Pero Encantadia pa din ako. Halatang gumigimik lang ang mga housemates para mapansin at mabigyan ng airtime. Bwahahaha nanonood din pala ako. Pero mas gusto ko pang magbasa na lang ng blogs kesa manood.
i really think the clamor of the people is that we want to have a life!!!
i’m a realist.there are many things in life we can’t change.but i can change. i can weigh things. I can be more strong in character so as not to be easly influenced by confussing noises
i know what i don’t want.
don’t want a military junta.
certainly don’t want a revolution cuz you never know w/c side is gonna win.
i know it’s not worth replacing pgma w/ our present system cuz we will just continue our non stop protest!
i know the roots of all this mess is a power grab.
i no that technology has made it eassier to fool more people.
i know that emotions and perceptions can cloud our judgments.
i’m for changing the form of goverment,unicameral.
even the blind can see faults in our goverment!
nga pala, i also know i did not vote for a saint.
Felix nag ooverlap ang airtime nila kaya minsan nag kakasabay. nakakabad trip lang dahil I am forced to watch it pag commercial dahil sa mga kasama ko dito sa bahay 🙁 . langya kahit ordinaryong tao na pala ngayon basta mapansin kung ano ano gimik ang ginagawa 🙁
Joey, I dont want a junta too. Thats why I always reiterate my position that Gloria must go. if she doesnt it will be a lot shitter it gets if she continue to hold office. just have your senses in overdrive and you will see what I mean.
Manolo respond please! re: about that pinoy big brother show!
Ed, di ko napanood Pinoy Big Brother kaya wala akong opinyon, except kung ayaw ni Emil Jurado yung show it can’t be that bad siguro. 😛
where have all the good men gone?
a legendary account of gringo honasan tells of a military man, stripped of all powers, jailed in a ship anchored in the middle of the bay and vilified by the opinion makers, but nonetheless escapes with all the soldiers tasked to guard him. even without bars on his shoulders, he was still able to command loyalty. a long-time pma instructor once said that gringo is the soldier’s soldier. he was good in academics and his orders obeyed without any need for him to raise his voice. the same teacher said that in all his years as a part of the the academy’s teaching faculty, no finer cadet has ever walked the halls of fort del pilar. where, then, is he and his bretheren during these troubled times?
what we need is for this government to be struck down now. from fvr, down to the last corrupt barangay official, there should be a purging. i don’t want to wait for the time when the global war on terrorism is waged here as a consequence of gma’s willingness to be used by western forces. i do not eagerly await for federalism in my country, which will only weaken national security and make it easier for terrorist cells to put up camp here. i am not excited either with the prospect of regionalism that will result in the susceptibility of mineral rich provinces to exploitation of foreign capital. will a hero please stand up?
surely, militarism has cost us dearly. its acceptability to those who are against it may be close to impossible. after years of leading corrupted lives, generals are appointed to the civilian government to do more damage. not only are they corrupt, many of them are grossly incompetent. in the service, the deserving ones are denied the rightful promotions too. recently, in the garci tapes, these people, with the privilege to bear arms, were also heard to have dipped their fingers in the ballot boxes.
so let me ask the achillean question made famous by cong edmund reyes, “is there no one else?”
i tried looking to the left, middle and the right. in the end, my search left me deeply saddened because the best that i could come up with is also the most absurd. i have come to the conclusion that the key to a lasting renewal is in the hands of susan, cory and gma working together. unfortunately, we may have crossed the point of no return.
on the other hand, wisdom and faith may take precedence over emotions; after all, hanging around the religious may have some rubbing off effect. if this happens, since the two widows were the first to condemn, maybe the initiative could come from them. is it that hard to do? anyway, the people whom they claim to protect know that gma only lends her face to the hidden machinations of pidal, tabako and now bush & blair at the u.n.(poor girl).
togeher, these 3 mothers of our country can unite the people. there is nothing that they cannot do. they could give us, as a country, a real fresh new start. i honestly believe in this so please forgive me for boring you people.
i asked someone, whom i respect for his capacity in handling concepts, to say something about my thoughts. he said that they will shoot gma first before she could escape to the susan-cory camp. and i think they’d probably will…
Haydee Yorac is one ICON who set things right after marcos.
A few have followed but no one can claim better than the feisty Lady.
I have my deepest respect for Haydee.
May she rest in Peace.
_____
Kung sino pa ang matino ay maagang nawawalay,
Itong mga korap at basura
Kay tagal ng buhay!
Heidi Yorac is good. Thats the reason why the Lord took her agad agad. Have you ever notice that being a good person will land you to 6 feet under? look what happened to FPJ,Roco and lots of other good folks. Lord is mighty and full of love for those who loved Him back maybe thats the reason why He see no more reason for these folks to stay in this shithole any longer.
Kaya ako medyo paka bad boy konti para hindi agad kunin ni Lord.
such a good person left us maybe there is one waiting to take her place.
Manolo, eheheheh nde ka na ata nanonood ng mga tagalog na sitcom puro na lang comedy sa politika ang napapanood mo! suggest ko lang pwede ka bang mag in depth analysis sa ugali ng chimpanzee at kung pareho ng ugali ng mga pulitko ngayon? siguro nakaka aliw yun! isa pa pala maging bad boy ka konti para tulad ko hindi pa kunin agad ni Lord!
peace.
haydee was a great loss i guess…we used to joke about her hairstyle though when we were in high school (manila science was full of young adult thinkers) but still we respected her in the highest sense…concerning the “potential civil war” tabako pronounced i think is definitely prepostorous and pathetic…loko talaga tong si ramos utak pulbura… i watch pinoy big brother by the way (i think it stinks personally pero…) and id be most amused if 6 people from admin and 6 from opposis lived there for 100 days…
bogchimash said: “what we need is for this government to be struck down now. from fvr, down to the last corrupt barangay official, there should be a purging…”
More than a few good citizens may agree with you. The question is who can do it? The military? There may be some honest, idealistic, dyed-in-the-wool professional soldiers, but the military has largely been politicized and corrupted. Marcos showed the way, but Cory, FVR, Erap and GMA have cultivated their own corps of military officers. 40 years of intense corruption and politization have taken a toll on the AFP and the police.
The politicos? They bastardized both EDSA’s. They are the main problem, so it’s improbable that they can be the solution. We must also remember that, deep down, the military resents the politicians. It was the military that made the decisive difference in both EDSA’s. Both times, they were like the genie that was put back inside the bottle after granting the master’s wish. Now, after seeing how politicians squandered away opportunities after both EDSA’s and have nothing to show by way of economic progress, the genie may refuse to go back to the bottle. The genie may want to take center stage. This time, the military won’t leave it to the politicians.
Having said that, there still could be a maverick band of junior officers in the military who could do the purging, a la the “sergeant’s coups” that occured in other countries. But chances are slim and I doubt if they have the numbers or the logistics.
As for Susan Roces, Cory Aquino and GMA, well…the best that can be said is that anyone is free to dream. Susan is an unknown factor, but the company she keeps betrays naivette. I strongly doubt whether she has what it takes. Cory is a known factor, and her imcompetent and corrupt administration says it all. GMA? I will take that as an attempt to inject humor.
So going back to the question posed: “Is there no one else?”. We all think that there is someone else. The problem is that he doesn’t seem to be there right now. But, like Napoleon after the French Revolution, he may be waiting in the shadows. To surface a few years hence.
Cebu Archbishop Cardinal Vidal made a statemet that indirectly frowned on effecting change through people power, he said “collective efforts do not bring about lasting change” who was the CBCP head in 1986. He said that Filippinos are obsessed w/ numbers and give importantance only to the rule of the majority or by massing of millions of people. Change Vidal said must begin within oneself.
got this from Sketches,Philstar.
All the countries around us are moving on & we are perpetualy stuck in our “small world”.complaining,contradicting, planning and scheming, drowning in our rightousness. Allowing ourselves to be lead by a Bro. Luistro!
Quo vadis Philippines?
Haydee Yorac will be missed. She has left this world and she left her mark. maybe that is what we need more hard working people of true character & personality.she never compramised. Did not have to identify w/ others to be the person she is.
just a suggestion people,
i think that something that will help in the healing of our much divided nations is to come up w/ a “park of the people”
the primary purpose is that it be a showcase of great Filippinos. The purpose is that of highlighting selfless acts of Filipinos from all walks of life. The honest policeman,taxi driver,security guard,people in goverment who have left their mark in society.A place where children and families may spend the day and may be made aware that everybody can do something for this nation. A place where we can have some self pride and help us and show to the world honesty and bravery of the Filipinos. We have to think of positive actions of we honestly want to move on.The countries that we admire are not what they are today because everything happened overnight.It has all been a series of positive actions or correct policies.People where involved.Everything is in our hands.If we think we are not being lead properly then let us lead them.maybe widen our views more by thinking that people power is not a mob in the street to bring down a goverment.I think that is being so naive & just plain stupid.All that is “mob power”.I would like to beleave we are much better than that.
Ronnel Lim’s Malaysian politics is right on.
Adding to that is my economic take on it
UMNO/malay party owns the building hence rent seekers
MCA/chinese party owns the disco hence enterpreneurs
MCI/Indian party works in disco hence economic underclass
and socio/politically:
PAS/ fundamentalist hence religious fringe
Keadilan/Democracy and reform hence political fringe
God speed, Haydee. I will miss you, especially at this time when the Philippines needs people like you.
I campaigned for her when she ran for Senate and was heartbroken she lost, although I suppose it was a quixotic quest. The Philippines lost a golden opportunity there, and now what do we have? People like Tito Sotto and Ramon Revilla in the Senate.
I will miss her, bad hair days and all.
corny talaga ng channel 2 kahit kelan.lagi nlng ginagaya ang kapuso ko…..mamatay sila sa inggit sa ch.7!haha