You may wish to read Christian Monsod’s speech on the importance of the 2007 elections, which also defines the organizational position and advocacy of One Voice in the coming polls (as distinguished from whatever advocacy individual members are free to adopt). He enumerates how many groups are coming together to try to keep the coming elections fair, relatively honest, and credible.
Personally, I support Halalang Marangal and I hope you’ll take the time to look at its website, read its primer, and lend it your support as a volunteer. The organization has been in the news with the decision of a former Comelec commissioner to join its ranks.
Whether pro or anti administration, or simply neutral, I think we can all agree that the country cannot afford another controversial election.
That being said, the recent Comelec fire, with its slew of stories, insinuations, allegations, demands, and so on, combined with other recent events as pointed out by Tony Abaya, augurs ill for the coming polls:
My sense is that the burning of the Comelec building and the hanky-panky in the premises of the printing office are tied together in ways that are not yet clear at present. And it shows to me that the Evil Genius who masterminded the cheating in the 1992 and 2004 presidential elections is hard at work in 2007.
I don’t know if his advocacy, to postpone the elections, is possible.
In the news, the Philippine Star finally breaks the news of a blog that’s gained notoriety; Newsbreak carries details on the allegations the blog published about the President’s husband, and how far it got in pursuing the story. Uniffors concludes the administration is reaping what it sowed. Jove Francisco provides a newsman’s perspective on the probable Palace response -duck and cover.
Much scuttlebutt on whether or not Cesar Montano will withdraw from the senate race. Debate between administration and opposition senatorial bets may take place under the auspices of businessmen tomorrow. The opposition announces 100 candidates to contest local races.
The President’s favorite Jesuit hits her own secretary of Agrarian Reform.
Businessmen rate corruption in the Asean region (the Philippines continues to sink in the estimation of such people); most interesting is how Singapore is coming to realize that emerging as a haven for the bank accounts of thieving regional officials, may be counterproductive.
In the punditocracy, a powerful and thought-provoking Business Mirror editorial on OFW’s and how their contributions are being downplayed officially. The editorial also heaps scorn on those who wish there wasn’t massive emigration or opportunities for overseas work, so that a revolution would take place. See The Filipino Mind also (a point of view criticized by the editorial).
The Inquirer editorial focuses on the administration’s plan to wipe out the party list parties of the Left. See the entry of Achieving Happiness on Rep. Crispin Beltran finally getting a court pass to file his candidacy.
Billy Esposo has advice for the opposition. David Gorman and Michael Vatikiotis focus on the prospects for peace in Mindanao.
In the blogosphere, don’t miss Ilolio City Boy’s account, see part 1 and part 2, of his wife’s incarceration at the behest of the President’s husband. On a sort of related note, A Nagueño in the Blogosphere on the slowness of government.
The Bystander and Point of Information are concerned over developments concerning the coming elections. An OFW in Hong Kong quotes Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. You absolutely must check out the hilarious animation on the Comelec fire in My Pinoy Humor Blog (click the “view hidden message” link).
Other Ambiguities is puzzled by the manner in which the police barged into Rep. Satur Ocampo’s residence.
another hundred years hence considers the present ballot insane (the insanity begins with synchronized elections?). I am still skeptical about atomizing the electorate too much, though.
Technorati Tags: elections, media, military, One Voice, philippines, politics, president, Senate, society
Isn’t the 125 million dollar Figaro property as disclosed in the disbarmikearroyo blog and reported in the Philippine Star evidence of plunder?
cvj,
if you can connect the dummy to the real owner…unfortunately we have to wait until they are out of power before anybody can do any digging up…unless the senate launches an investigation…
Madami evidence no kaya umiiwas talaga sila sa impeachment.
Its is just natural for someone to defend himslf against any accusations being thrown to his person. However it is the job of accuser to gather solid evidence to support his allegations. It is also the responsibility of the accuser to file the complaint in the proper forum and even to gather enough people to support him in his action to go after the wrong doers.
And prays that the entity you filed your complaints actually listens and acts on it…
Re Rego’s “Its is just natural for someone to defend himslf against any accusations being thrown to his person, etc, etc, etc…. It is also the responsibility of the accuser to file the complaint in the proper forum and even to gather enough people to support him in his action to go after the wrong doers.”
Right!
That’s exactly how Zimbabwe’s Robert Mugabe sees and does things.
Quite extraordinary that Mugabe and Gloria, the immoral pygmy have so many things in common including the height! And wonder of wonders, both cleverly manipulate the law – they turn and twist it so conveniently and will do everything and anything so that the rule of law will be and can be used only by them.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they are two unbeatable pygmy phenomena in that area.
The move to disbar Mr Arroyo is a very good move! However the accuser should just “walk the talk. Gather all the evidence that she have and file a formal complaint. Pero kung hanggang website lang yan , media exposure at hanggang eleksyon lang yan. She shoudl stop wasting our time.
Right now I just have so much reservation about the accuser. Bakit nagyon lang sya lumabas at nag reklamo? Do you really need a website for that? Why not just file the complaint directly to the proper forum and update the media on the developemnt of the case. Please dont tell me that she wanted to gather enough symphaty for people power. Ther are just so many lawyers who hated Mr Arroyo and they can just file the disbarment proceeding in the Supreme court.
Francis,
First thing first…. Gather all the evidence and file the complaint. Then we can we talk on how the entity handle the case. If its already file in the supreme court then give us the case so we can refer to it. Alrighty?
Pwede ba andami ng sinabi at ni release sa media na kabalbalan ni Mike Aroyo. Geez that has been going for about 5 years now. At awa ni satanas wala pa talagang nagyayari…..
Kasi kung nasa evidence gathering ka pa lang. Wag munang magdadadakdak eh….file mo na muna ang complaint and then hala ipangalandakan mo na.
People should just stop dangling the head of Mike Arroyo to the public. Its been a looooooonnnngggg time already. Just deliver the head of Mike Aroyo in a “bilao” and thats it! Nakakasawa na ang pagpapalaway sa taumbayan, no? At nakakawalang credibility na rin!
Rego, these people must be told that disseminating falshehood (bareface allegations without an iota of proof)is a crime in itself. Those who like to pontificate about morals should know that calumny could earn them eternal residence in Hell, regardless of how proficient they are at masquerading as innocent archangels.
FMG should file more libel suits, and he should include publishers of malicious lies who are doing it for some other malevolent agenda than that which impels the original culprit. Freedom of the press, my foot!
In defense of Mike Arroyo. This guy is taking the flak mostly for what his wife has done since she had entered government service. From her days at the GTEB with Donald and Serge till today she is the Godfather. She is not her mothers child for nothing.
GMA is a micro manager since the days of quotas and bonded warehouse days at the GTEB.
While everyone is looking at the procurement under the Philippine budget people forget that the biggest procurement process ongoing is the privatization program which are all off budget transactions.
She has graduated into the big leagues of plunder on the scale of old robber barons of old.
It bothered me that the Newsbreak article relied on so many unnamed sources. I checked Newsbreak’s Code of Ethics and this is what I found:
http://www.newsbreak.com.ph/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2341&Itemid=88889039
Rego,
“Bakit nagyon lang sya lumabas at nag reklamo?”
Kasi tulad ng sabi nung babae sa kanyang website… yun pangako na bibigyan siya ng pera para tumahimik ay mawala sa eksena ay hindi natupad. Pero bakit kaya, after everything, hindi natuloy ang demanda niya?
Tulad yan ng kaso ni Cesar Montano yan. Pinangakuan din siya na bibigyan siya ng pera pang kampanya tapos hindi naman siya binigyan. So hindi sumipot si Cesar sa ilang rally at nilabas niya ang sama ng loob niya sa media at naghint siya na nauurong na siya. Anong ang nagbago at kanina sa press conference eh patuloy na din ang pagtakbo niya?
Ang angal nung dalawa ay pera. Ngayon hindi na sila umaangal.
” Do you really need a website for that?”
Eh bakit hindi? At lalung-lalo na kung makakataas ng kabig.
Rego, the questions you should ask are:
1. “Do you really need to offer a pay-off kung wala ka naman ginawang gustong itago?”
2. “Do you really need to offer to finance the campaign of a candidate so he will run on your ticket? “
Juice ko naman! Masyado ba talaga tayong mapaniwalain? A 125 million dollar property at the Marina district in San Francisco?? Mind-boggling for sure because i don’t think it exists!! Although the Marina is known as an affluent neighborhood, I don’t think the homes there approach that kind of price range. You see, my co-workers and I had made it a habit to periodically check via the internet the value of our homes here in the San Francisco Bay area and we’ve frequently included the Marina in our searches because that is where our boss lives & homes there simply do not approach that kinda price range kahit na sabihin nating hot na hot ang market noon or kahit na sabihin natin na apartment building ang binil! There’s just no way!
Rego, the questions you should ask are:
1. “Do you really need to offer a pay-off kung wala ka naman ginawang gustong itago?â€Â
2. “Do you really need to offer to finance the campaign of a candidate so he will run on your ticket? “
========================================================
Manuel,
Instead of asking the above questions, Id rather ask you to produce solid proof of your ennuendoes. File the complaint in the proper court and get a conviction Mr. Arroyo based on whatever evidence that you have gathered.
Pag nagawa mo yan, bibilib na ako sayo.
Tagal ka na rin nanggagalaiti kay Mike Arroyo ah, pero talak ka lang nang talak wala naman nangyayari……
Rego,
anong walang nangyayari? Hindi ba nahahaighbllod ka?
At saka hindi ako nanggagalaiti kay Mike Arroyo. From a selfish economic point of view natutuwa nga ako na nandyan silang mag-asawa kasi hindi ako mauubusan ng maisusulat sa column ko.
At natutuwa din ako na nandyan ka para magtanggol sa kanila.
Pero nalulungkot ako na hindi mo man pinagbigyan yun mga tanong ko.
Ni hindi ba sumagi sa isipan mp kung bakit nangyayari yun mga bagay na yun?
jepo, so what are the price ranges of the Marina properties?
Manuel,
Ah ha ha ha…Finally, you confirm it yourself, my long time suspicion that some opinion writers are just criticizing Gloria just to make money out of it. Kinarir ba talaga? Luckily, these kind of writers are the ones relegated to obscure publications….
buencamino, you are a poster boy for bad journalism. The pendulum might yet swing the other way, and you will soon find out that the “freedom” you are using as shield is no longer there to protect you and your kind.
That kind of woman scorned should not be given the time of day…
Even if I’m a woman, I have no sympathy for women who knowingly enter into a relationship with a married man with kids then cry foul for all the world to hear. First of all, hindi naman sya menor de edad or mentally incapacitated at hindi naman sya ni-rape! So anti-women’s rights to MAKE yourself a victim…for such a long time too..
besides, of what value is her story to the rest of the population?? nde naman elected official si Mike Arroyo…and she DIDN’T formally file the disbarment – hanggang blog lang. Makakasira pa sa mga ibang blog owner na pinangangalagaan ang kanilang content…
Price range of Marina (zip code: 94123) property values can be checked at http://www.realtor.com
Rego amd bencard,
hahahahaha. I knew you would blow your blood vessels on that one! hahahahaha
Mita, thanks for the pointer. 125 million dollars does seem to be out of the range for the San Francisco Marina area where the average luxury home is around 3 million US dollars. Also, based on Forbes, the most expensive home currently on the market today (in New York) is 75 million US dollars.
It’s probably in peso and changed the currency to dollars to exaggerate it a bit 🙂
Francis, that crossed my mind as well. Nevertheless, it’s never good to exaggerate especially if the sums look incredulous at first glance. In any case, even in pesos, it’s still within plunder range.
buencamino, you can laugh now, but he who laughs last laughs the best. The responsible press, I’m sure, is taking notes of what you write. If the law doesn’t get you, they (the real journalists) will, eventually. They wouldn’t want you to go on giving them a bad name, lest they become a non sequitor as a professional group.
On the other hand I feel that Manuel , for lack of nothing good to write for his rebuttal, was just diverting the issue. He wanted to agravate us then deluded himself that he succeeded in making us “pikon”. Well, it just a sign for me move on to the other. With one thing in my mind, this particular allegation toward Mike Aroyo will again be archived as unsubstantiated…
Cheap shots. The photos insult people who are knowledgeable of photoshop software.
Haba ng kamay ni FG na nakaakbay sa babae. Parang kina Piolo-Erik pic.