Yesterday, news outfits and bloggers went into high gear; INQ7.net, as often happens in times of high public interest, shifted to a spartan version. Everyone’s topic: the Amazing Barnacle.
A cacophony of voices to start the day. First of all, gleeful use of the term, “tipping point,” which I think I can safely say, you saw used here first, folks. Rina Jimenez-David and Dong Puno both use it in their columns today.
Carmen Pedrosa sees a silver lining; Alex Magno sees a transition; Anding Roces insists the status quo will prevail. Max Soliven also says the President will prevail.
The Inquirer editorial thinks the President is on the ropes, while Solita Monsod doesn’t look kindly at the cabinet members who “irrevocably resigned,” and Bel Cunanan wonders why everyone seems in such a hurry.
Lito Banayo focuses on cabinet transitions during crisis situations (and takes a good potshot at the senate president); JB Baylon discusses whether big business fears the Vice-President; Jess Sison trumpets the Ramos solution to life, the universe, and everything (including an embittering retirement).
Here’s a truly remarkable development. PCIJ launched this week it’s i-Report Special Issue, which even includes a story on bloggers during the past few week’s crisis. Now what’s remarkable is that they’re making the magazine available as a PDF download for a fee. I believe this is the first Philippine news magazine to try this. It could, potentially, be a breakthrough event (circulation and income-wise).
Sometimes blogs overlook events or make mistakes (some boo-boos on my part in reporting names of new cabinet appointments) so it’s helpful to make the following your reference points over the coming days: The Sun-Star’s Arroyo Presidency blog keeps tracks of statements and other news, while iGMA.tv: Exclusive coverage of Arroyo crisis includes both video and text updates, as well as a timeline of events, and the statements of various groups and political figures. Want the definitive statement of such-and-such? Look there (congratulations to ultramagneticblog for putting this together).
And of course, once more, you can’t go wrong checking out the blogs of Tina Panganiban-Perez and Jove Francisco, who continue to make history (and report it).
You can keep track of my blog entries, since these days there tend to be so many, by referring to all entries under the Crisis Mode category.
Hmmm..it appears that Alex Magno is now officially out of the loop of the GMA outer circle. It reminds me of Francisco Tatad in the last years of the Marcos dictatorship, when this local Joseph Goebbels declared his opposition and pompously announced the formation of his social democratic party (nice twist trying to expropriate labels from the left opposition). One wonders what will happen to his DBP board seat now, a gift from GMA for being such an avid attack dog in the past. One wonders further if he and Bobi Tiglao had a falling out too, the way Bobi and his ertswhile journalist comrades did last year.
I’m surprised, I’d thought he’d stick it out to the bitter end, like Bobi.
GMA never trusted Alex completely, identifying him with Ramos and De Venecia. But like a lot of people after People Power 2, he had to be rewarded. He in turn preferred a DBP seat rather than a deputy secretary position (I heard Public Information was offered to hims), because the latter would not yield good money. His appearance in ANC yesterday presenting an “objective analysis” of the situation suggests that he is signalling others that his services to GMA are about to end. I guess the fellow is shopping around for new patrons. One wonders if Bobi will also have him removed from DBP…Perhaps after things settle down.
Wow. The thing I felt worst about turning my back on the President (besides her being personally fond of me), was the trust and confidence Bobi gave me. But I guess I can at least hope he knows it was out of a stubborn belief and not because I found a new patron. I was giving analysis also on ANC yesterday, but over the phone.
I think Bobi respected your views and spoke highly of what you did while you were in Malacanang. With Alex, it was part friendship but also part money (or as they aptly put it at UP – “magandang racket”). Cheers. J.
Solita Monsod also used the term “tipping point” in her column today….mlq3, you’re famous! 😉
not me, the book! it’s a sort of trendy phrase these days lol
“Max Soliven also says the President will prevail.”
i dont know, of all filipino journalist, i dont like soliven…
s
status quo is still an option.
Alex Magno is a super sipsip mF. even if all the people are turning agaisnt his patron he sucks like a real linta. I dont know but thats what I feel about him.
Macx soliven doesnt want somebody that he chose the wrong horse when he betted on gloria. look at his articles they are all biased in favor of arroyo ( i cant seem to type President on arroyo’s name).
My point is. I want to see people who devoted their time and dedication to that lady (who happens to cling to power like crazy) tell people that are wrong.
ewan ko ba kung bakit nagiging brusko ako masyado sa aking mga views.
Status quo?! Like, forgive and forget? Let’s go back with our lives with smiles on our faces as if nothing happened? IMHO, status quo is not an option it is the casus beli why we wanted to change our state of affairs. The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing…and let the status quo prevail.
Well, bloggers, there was a point in time when i subscribed to the Philstar newspaper to follow the colums of the late mr. teddy benigno. Now that he’s gone, the paper has certainky lost its appeal, significantly. Para naman hindi ako malugi sa binayad ko noon sa newspaper, i obligingly read the columns of alex magno, pamintuan, andeng roces…I share your impressions on these columnists of the Philstar that you mentioned. I do belive that Alex Magno is true to what Lacson was accusing him for. And reading the column of mR soliven one cannot help to suspect the shallowness of his character.
My kind of writers are the likes of Mr. Conrado de Quiroz, who so eloquently express in prose the fundamental ideas of every issues. Ms Rina Jimenez david – who carries women issues, even politics, in simple but clear and crisp langauge. i am a new fan of mlq3 – the long view, specially your most recent article on calling the president to resign. I think that the Phil. Daily Inquirer has a stable of good writers which makes belinda cunanan seem a little bit misplaced.
I think the PDI has been soft to GMA.I like your columns, including randy david, and conrado de quiros, not because I agree with you, but bcoz you’re consistent and you speak form the heart that speaks a lot of your character. I’m a bit disappointed with rina david in her ealier column on the current political crisis, bcoz though critisize GMA, she attacks more those anti-gma forces outside the code-ngo network, questioning our motives almost to a point of branding us as destabilizers. But at least now she has change her tune now that her friends in malacañang have turned their back on GMA.
I do not like max soliven, but he is consistent, he hates those who threatens the status quo. It’s a pity that the THE PhilStar and us lost teddy benigno. They should get someone who could balanced the ultra conservative views of the papaer. As for alex magno, buti nga sa kanya, it’s better if he sticked with Gloria.
GMA is a goner.
The crisis is building up, butI don’t think the political crisis has reached the tipping point, otherwise all efforts of the GMA resign and oust movement from now on will be on the downhill.