The organ grinder is away in Spain, but Jose Abueva has something to say anyway about One Voice. Nothing original, though.
Conrado de Quiros has a bone to pick with the Black & White Movement (I don’t know what got his goat about the impeachment, but his criticisms of Dinky Soliman and the CODE-NGO deal are valid and I myself have raised them with fellow members of BnW).
The administration is peeved over criticisms concerning its pronouncements on the pope. The Inquirer editorial adds its voice to the critics. The Palace also denounces a Catholic bishop filing an impeachment complaint. In Philippine Commentary, Dean Bocobo explains that appealing to the separation of Church & State is only valid if the interpretation of the principle is a proper one; Uniffors has more to say; Vincula explains things from a personal, religious point of view. My column today is on the subject.
Administration wants Jose Ma. Sison deported by the Dutch; and Tony Abaya and Juan Mercado weigh in with their views on National Democrats.
Connie Veneracion scrutinizes the impeachment complaint and finds its sufficient in form and substance.
Two interesting articles about political developments in Thailand: A devil’s bargain for democracy? and A perfect mess, and all from one man’s design.
Dean Bocobo will like this: ‘WiFi ng Bayan’ to offer free broadband, VoIP in RP.
Mindanews gets defaced. (Apparently not)
RG Cruz will become a full-time reporter for Channel 2.
Amusing reads: Sam hotdog, courtesy of McVie Show. On a related note, Manila Journal nominates this story for headline of the year.
From the Dwight D. Eisenhower presidential papers, a letter to President Elpidio Quirino concerning negotiations concerning US bases.An interesting confidential memorandum by Eisenhower concerning President Ramon Magsaysay. See also, another document with interesting footnotes. A letter to President Carlos P. Garcia concerning the Philippine sugar quota (see also this memorandum to John Foster Dulles regarding CPG’s finagling an invitation to address the US Congress).
Technorati Tags: CBCP, Philippines, politics
MindaNews defaced? Hmmmm …. this is what Carolyn Arguillas had to say a few days ago.
Ahh … nevermind. That post from Carolyn was from back in May! Maybe it was defaced.
Free Wifi? The company invested millions of Pesos, they’re going to get it back! First they have to survive…
Forked Tongue
Woe to who ‘speaks with forked tongue’,
Who lies, deceives, misleads
With impunity,
No Fear,
For Hell’s Eternity,
‘Til Peter speaks with finality:
Who has “done wellâ€Â, goes up.
Who’s to be “well doneâ€Â, goes down.
Those historical notes, specially the one on Magsaysay, shows a dramatic change in the behavior of Philippine politicians towards the US. In those days, the US would give Filipino leaders incentives for them to visit. These days, our leaders fall all over themselves just to finagle an invitation from the US. What a turn-around in fortunes.
MLQ3,
Re: Joma Sison’s “expulsion from the Netherlands” I don’t know if Gloria’s government is being dumb, reeks of bad faith, playing to media hype or all of the three.
Even if the Dutch want nothing more than to expel Sison out of the country, they can’t do so if there’s no country they can expel him to. No other country in Europe will accept him (perhaps, Norway?).
Granted, Sison is Philippine born but his expulsion to the Philippines is a difficult task for the Dutch. I’ve said time and again that there is no way the Dutch can expel Sison to the Philippines. There is a very, very, extremely slight possibility if:
1) There’s a formal EXTRADITION TREATY between The Netherlands and the Philippines; without such treaty, the Dutch won’t even look at the charge sheet presented by Gloria’s government to the Dutch justice ministry.
But even if there was one … the Dutch cannot just expel Sison to Manila unless…
2) Sison loses out with finality in his European HR Courts battle to remain a refugee. Sison challenged the Dutch in the European Human Courts after Holland decided to reverse an earlier decision that he was officially recognized a political refugee in Holland following the US State Dept tag that Sison was classified official terrorist. The Luxembourg courts granted Sison a reprieve by declaring him a refugee (which the Dutch govt can appeal) and by virtue of the May 30, 2006 HR courts decision, Sison cannot be expelled from Holland.
3) Sison commits a crime in Holland. Sison has children who are Dutch citizens, is grandfather to Dutch children and it is unlikely that Holland will want to “dismantle” his family unless Sison commits a crime on Dutch or European soil (even if he did, he would have to serve in Dutch prison before the expulsion).
I don’t know if an extradition treaty is in the works between the two governments but it’s still a long haul before Gloria’s government can realistically “punish” Sison for “crimes against Philippine humanity”.
I’m also sceptical about Joma’s expulsion to the Philippines. Realistically, I doubt his Dutch lawyers will cave in so easily. They certainly will drum up support for their client’s cause in Strasbourg and in The Hague if the situation becomes difficult for their client. They could also easily bring out Joma’s American document penned no less by an American judge recognizing that he’s been a human rights victim in the Philippines and the fact that Gloria’s government has not a clean record in terms of human rights (extra-judicial killings of journalists and activists), Gloria will be hard put – no matter how hard she tries to twist the Dutch Ambassador’s words – to lay her hands on Joma.
Conrado de Quiros is right about the Hyatt 10. They are heroes who are not willing to risk themselves. They were part of Arroyo’s inner circle. They know where the bodies are buried. Yet they refuse to say anything. Put up or shut. Or as the saying goes “shit or get off the potty”
has anybody ever considered the possibility that if these people (who are supposed to know the truth about where the bodies are buried) aren’t saying anything, it is because they have nothing to say? The hyatt 10’s departure from the Palace was obviously an act of political survival – as people are wont to say nowadays. They thought they sensed a shift in political winds and moved accordingly, only to find out too late that they had miscalculated. But by then, they were committed and have had to keep up the attack if only to gloss over their own mistake of jumping ship too soon. That isn’t entirely impossible, is it?
MLQ3, Thanks for publishing Deus Caritas Est yesterday. It’s one of the best explanations of the Principle of Separation of Church and State written from the point of view of a Church that has evolved with Democracy and not against it. Benedict obviously understands the Principle (far better than Gloria and perhaps the CBCP) and even restates quite succinctly:
“The State may not impose religion, yet it must guarantee religious freedom and harmony between the followers of different religions. “
Then he puts the lie to the notion that he doesn’t want the church meddling in politics:
The Church cannot and must not take upon herself the political battle to bring about the most just society possible. She cannot and must not replace the State. Yet at the same time she cannot and must not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.
Au contraire, he commands them out of the sidelines and unto center stage “in the fight for justice!”
Anna, Damn the Dutch and let Europe choke on Joma. U r right only Father Time can get to him now since he already mercilessly murdered his rivals here, but purrs like the cat after it ate the canary. I think he IS a Dutch citizen right now. And that’s why he claims not EVEN the Dutch can expel him.
Dean,
He’s not a Dutch citizen! Nope!
Frankly, if you could get the US to make an airlift to get him just like what they did when they abducted terror suspects from Britain via Ireland and Turkey, to bring to Guantanamo Bay, then that’s a solution.
Actually, no one here gives a shit about Joma Sison but the Philippines – not even the US gives a shit about him today otherwise, they would have moved heaven and earth to get him.
You can very well understand why we should all subscribe at one point or another to the rule of law, you being a strong proponent of the Rule of Law, you should remember that Joma Sison has not committed a crime on European soil. Moreover, because there’s no extradition treaty between RP & Holland, how do you expect the Dutch justice system to “validate” Philippine charges against Joma? Rule of law in Holland is still rule of law by any standard.
It’s not because Americans declared that one is a criminal that we should all take their word for it as biblical truth. Europe has its own legal system just as the Philippines has. Americans can go hang but Europe is not a colony of the US. If ever, the Philippines is…
Also, don’t forget that Cory Aquino’s government pardoned Sison and cases against him were dismissed very officially in the Manila Courts sometime in the early 90s.
Gloria’s geniuses in the DOJ should come up with something valid today to make your wish come true.
If the Philippine govt. ever have a slightest chance of winning the expulsion of Joma Sison, what he can do is bundled up his family and fly over to Canada and apply for Refugee Status and the Phil. although has an extradition treaty with canada can never succeed, because Canada will not turn over any refugee claimant to any country where his/her security maybe in danger. There was already a precedent> The case of Mr. Pacificador, that the judge concluded that the charges against him have merits, but he won’t send him back, because he believed he would not get a fair trial. And also canada would not send anyone back to any country where torture is known to be still in practice. That after the case of Mr.Arar who canada was complicit with the US in sending him back to Syria where he was tortured. We can not afford to do the same serious mistake again.
EU also will not sign any extradition treaty with the Philippines unless the Anti-Torture Bill is passed by Congress. I suppose JOMA will be safe for now.
MLQ3 + OneVoice
GMA and Joma are actually on the same boat, their time is up. Joma’s long overdue, GMA’s intensely overdue. Joma’s ideology and GMA’s morality are rejected by the people. It is not improbable if GMA one day joins Joma in exile some quiet place in Europe. Or maybe why GMA wants Joma out of there because GMA feels it’s her turn. Erap is on exile in Tanay. Marcos died in Hawaii.
An exile for GMA must be an alternative scenario. GMA’s health issue might break the political impasse. Somebody, One Voice, we should consider and note that the family was so concerned about GMA’s health that they decided to extend her hospital confinement. Somebody should start talking to the First Gentleman to consider an ‘ounce of prevention’ and ‘pre-emptive vacation’ to secure the health of his beloved. The Laws of Nature might catch up on his over-stressed wife sooner than anybody expected. It would be ironic if GMA had applied pre-emitive calibrated response on other people but not on her health. Anyway if she goes on exile, and if the opposition takes over and bungles the running of gov’t, people will clamor for her return, her turn to be a heroine of the people. Isn’t it First Gentleman. BTW, Happy Bithday!!! May you have plenty more birthdays to come with your loved ones, on a long, long vacation.
Schumey,
Just a bit of correction. EU does not sign extradition treaties with nations. It is the individual member nation in the EU that signs an extradition treaty.
If you like, the EU is a political structure that administers the day to day affairs in the European Union but has no legal bearing on the internal laws of its member nations. As it is, the EU does not have a formal Constitution yet under which all nations in the EU subscribe.
Foreign policies are left to each individual nations to administer.
I believe that the main issue why many members of the EU won’t sign an extradition treaty with the Philippines is because of the latter’s human rights record – absolutely poor. But don’t take my word for it because I’m not sure about this either. Could be that the Philippines has not broght it up with individual members of the EU.
If ever, it’s like the RP-US VFA; the Americans wouldn’t want to surrender custody of erring members of their visiting forces to Philippine judiciary even if the guys are found guilty in the future because they have no confidence overall in the Philippine judiciary and penal systems.