That title’s from a 1909 Free Press editorial. How apt it is. Saying it was in the interest of fair play, the Secretary of the Interior backed down in the latest attempt to unseat Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay. Damage control, of course. The act raised too many questions (I’m not sure if it was simply a diversion, though).
When it comes to different (and differing) views on the Mayor of Makati, the disagreements boil down to three assumptions:
a. The administration is interested in dispensing justice.
b. The administration is capable of dispensing justice.
c. The administration upholds institutions of justice.
If you assume all three, then the whole thing is a non-issue. If not, then the whole thing becomes a very big issue, or at least, a disquieting sign. Your answer to the three questions will determine your vote, in some cases.
You cannot divorce the Binay (whom many love to hate) case from another (someone almost universally admired): that of Jesse Robredo, outstanding mayor of Naga City, and now suspended on a question of citizenship: colleague John Nery in Inquirer Current says the Comelec division decision is “the essential document of the 2007 vote”. In their columns, Winnie Monsod and Conrado de Quiros (who is Bicolano) took up the cudgels for Robredo.
A Nagueño in the Blogosphere (who is affiliated with the mayor) says the case is energizing Naga City folk:
The message that most roused the hundreds who massed for their weekly flag rite came when Robredo pointed out that the issues involved is no longer just about him. Rather, it is about teaching powerful politicos here and in Malacañang that the people of Naga will not back down from fighting for what is right and true and just.
He also emphasized the importance of sending that message now to prevent evil-minded politicians from doing the same to the next generation of Nagueños.
See the Inquirer editorial on the issue.
OhMyNews International, though, focuses on how many Filipinos are hoping against hope to keep the elections clean.
In the punditocracy my column for today is Vote of confidence. The column has the reasons why, so straight on to my final decision on 12 senatoriables:
1. Aquino, Benigno III
2. Bautista, Martin
3. Cayetano, Alan
4. Escudero, Francis
5. Lacson, Panfilo
6. Legarda, Loren
7. Pangilinan, Francis
8. Paredes, Zosimo II
9. Pimentel, Aquilino III
10. Roco, Sonia
11. Sison, Adrian
12. Trillanes, Antonio IV
For party-list, I hope you’ll consider Akapin, which is a party-list for the disabled (watch their video, or listen to their jingle in Bisaya by Yoyoy Villame). There are only two other party-lists I’d propose, and of course those are Kabataan party-list which has Mong Palatino as one of its nominees, and Akbayan (my own personal politics are perhaps closer to Akbayan’s than to Kabataan’s).
It’s the time when columnists propose lists of candidates to their readers. For example, Sylvia Mayuga has done so, as has Bong Austero.
Billy Esposo (who predicts a Lacuna victory in Manila, and a Benjie Lim victory in Pangasinan) says an emerging story is military interference in the elections: and he claims there remains a real possibility of a failure of elections:
The political actions against Robredo and Binay reek of desperate measures that result from desperate situations. To avoid impending defeat, the Arroyo regime may be attempting to provoke reactions from an enraged citizenry that will justify canceling the elections. Thus, the political objective goes beyond the cities of Naga and Makati and has everything to do with Madame Arroyo’s obsession to retain power at all costs.
What we may be seeing is the graduation of the Arroyo regime’s climate of impunity to a climate of insanity.
Amando Doronila on the other hand, thinks both sides have been unable to directly address the opposing side:
This is not the way the Arroyo administration and the opposition are looking at the elections. Both sides have avoided a head-on collision on issues concerning policy alternatives. Both have been derelict in their responsibilities to the sovereign people — that is, to present and clarify options. In this campaign, the issues have not been joined.
In her attempt to deflect the focus from the human rights issues that elicited international condemnation, Ms Arroyo has shifted the agenda of debate to the economy.
The opposition has refused to take up this gauntlet. Instead, it has focused its campaign on corruption and poverty, and evaded the human rights issue. This is not to say these two issues are not important. Thus, both sides have been talking past each other. Both have avoided the human rights and political liberties issue as though they were a plague on both houses.
Party-list nominee brouhaha: Fr. Joaquin Bernas on the problems involving party-list representation. the issue, says Ricky Carandang, involves “pretzel logic”:
If a cursory look at the partlists and their nominees can immediately raise questions like these, imagine what a more detailed examination could unearth. And yet the Comelec wanted the voter to simply trust their judgement and vote blindly for their partylist reps. By keeping the names under lock and key, Comelec facilitated the sale of partylist seats and exposed voters to the danger that they may actually be sending someone to Congress that did not represent them or their interests.
While Susan Ople points out the controversy is just one of many that are hounding this election.
In the blogosphere, my entry last Friday for Inquirer Current was on democracy’s design: whether or not improvements in terms of improved representation and responsible governance, can be gained from changing the system of voting.
What’s at stake in Mindanao? If you accept the figure of 10 million votes in Mindanao, then a significant chunk may be up for grabs. Then the belief of The Philippine Experience, who has grim expectations of what’s to come, has a basis. Evolution has a funny entry on politicians and makeup. blackshama has an entry on an anti-opposition campaign jingle.
The Filipino Blog explains why the legitimacy issue remains a non-starter for some people. big mango on apathy and leadership. The Construct by Alex Maximo wants outside-the-box ideas on lowering government’s costs.
Two contending views on my opinions on language: from Ilocano language, culture, literature and from the words of the left handed are sometimes right.
A charming graduation speech by the artist BenCab, courtesy of Pinoycentric.com.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, elections, journalism, media, military, philippines, politics, president, Senate
Bencard said, mlq3… True, the NY Times and many other media institutions in the U.S., endorse candidates and/or political parties. But I have yet to see or hear individual publishers, editors, columnists or producers of these
same institutions “advertise†how or who they vote for and why. I suppose they can, if they really want to, but the point is (especially for a columnist whose views are already well-known) who really cares?
Well, obviously YOU care about MLQ’s opinions, Bencard. Otherwise you wouldn’t be a regular visitor of this blog.
Why are so many willing to risk fortune, life and limb for the privelege of ‘serving’ the people. The drought of issues in almost all elections in the Philippines should remind one of the infant stage of the whole process.
The blog entry of MLQ3 on elections is an interesting piece but one critical perspective is missing. “Political Economy”
The power to tax (fiscal) and the fact that taxes and the monetary system (monetary policy)are actually two sides of one coin. The entire basis for a fiat currency system is government debt paper (future taxes) which serves as the basis for the fractional reserve system in the banking system. The fight for that power amongst the different levels of governance within the state will determine the election system in the country. Owners of capital actually place their capital in the form of loans to the government as the basis of the banking reserve system and this later serves as the basis for creating credit. All backed up by the absolute right of the state to confiscate property rights for the common good.
That power of the purse of a chief executive becomes the basis for the centralization of power and the propensity of leaders to not want to give up that awesome power to create assets. Fiscal and monetary policy are the circulatory system of the political economy. The central government is the heart.
Take a look at the success of the mayor of Makati. The huge tax revenues are what sustains his power. Free education, socialized health care and benefits for the elderly. Is he any different from the President? Mayors of Paris, Tokyo and New York (all centers of the power structure)all operate as if they were their own republics.
Looking at the level of discourse in the country the Philippines is still along way off in establishing valid political parties when we see the strengthening of family based control of public office on all levels of governance.
Taxes – representation and the consciousness of the existence of the social contract in the Philippine electoral struggles is almost totally absent. That is how backward this country is. We can thank Big Mike and GMA for this huge regression in evolutionary development. It is their watch and their turn at the bridge.
pinoy-gising, i respect MLQ3’s opinion, whether or not I disagree with it. But I don’t care who he votes for, especially since they are absolutely unacceptable to me.
For your information, I’m hanging around this blog to help present a contrary point of view from its largely one-sided anti-PGMA advocacy. If the owner doesn’t want me around, he could just censor me.
I hate the fundamentalism of the Kapatiran… but since I share the same school with Martin Bautista, I’ll vote for him. hahaha :p
I somehow find it hard to stomach that people are voting for Sonia Roco despite her political incorrectness (calling Team Unity autistic?! JEEZ) and brazen use of her late husband’s images in her commercials.
I too will vote for Kabataan. Because they need my vote. But more importantly, because they deserve it.
for the record, i welcome bencard’s presence here, and his invaluable perspective as a lawyer, senior, and overseas filipino.
i happen to think that much as bencard and myself and others might disagree, there will come a day when we will find ways to agree and work together.
Trillanes is charged as a coup plotter/leader because the Oakwood mutiny fizzled out. But surely if it had succeeded, it would have been called ‘withdrawal of support’ and Trillanes a hero. Di ba bayani nga ang turing ni Gloria Arroyo kay Angelo Reyes?
Naiwanan lang ni Trillanes ang isang bayag nya, otherwise Oakwood would have been reduced to rubble, then a civil war would have erupted and a regime-change would have taken place. Coulda-woulda na lang ngayon.
Bottomline is, Trillanes is still a hero, mainly for having the courage to stand up for the junior officers and exposing the senior officers’ corruption. He just needs his other bayag back in its proper place para ituloy ang laban.
i happen to think that much as bencard and myself and others might disagree, there will come a day when we will find ways to agree and work together. – mlq3
of course, that will happen. it’s only a question of when.
I believe the fact that Trillanes is running assures me that he has found his bayag. This is a much more difficult fight.
(I was overseas when the Oakwood mutiny broke out and I remember thinking, Why Oakwood? What symbolic value could it possibly have for our people? I thought had the Magdalo seized control of something with more symbolic value–like the Batasan building, for instance–they would have galvanized the people. The House of Reps was mostly reviled even then.)
My guess would be when EDSA3 reconstitutes itself.
if it happens it happens. someone, please shake me out of this pessimistic apathy i have for what’s going on here.
i don’t like binay myself, simply because he’s running what supposedly is the country’s most progressive municipality like some backwater town wherein one family runs the place forever. it’s that kind of politics we don’t need.
however, this move, taken strategically, is just proof that the current administration simply does not care for any of the institutions we have in this country and will simply do whatever it wants, making a mockery out of the laws and common decency.
eh, but what the heck. i’ll vote and hope for the best.
cvj, i don’t know if any reconstitution is possible, or would be effective: recall the reasons that effort failed, and why things have been a war of attrition since 2005.
and consider a strong possibility for after the elections: estrada is convicted, followed swiftly by a pardon or an amnesty proclamation.
i am personally not in favor for another EDSA.
mlq3, as long as inequality is there, i would not discount the possibility. i don’t think the EDSA3 crowd is necessarily tied to Estrada.
a lot of people assumed (and some admitted) that they were paid to join EDSA 3.
CaT, in practical terms, power grabbing is also a sign of a HUGE ego, AND a lack of imagination, intelligence, patience…all required of a good leader.
MLQ, are you serious? This is a very important time in our history and you vote a man into the Senate on “encourage” his party…I don’t get it. I’ve met Mr. Sison and was not impressed after about the 2nd meeting…all I saw was the potential that WAS. But even so…there’s something too…too…no polite term for it. ..loose about the guy.
Thanks to the link to Trillanes’s interview but no thanks…I have very little regard for men who have very little regard for his fellow man….and dare to present themselves as leaders.
CVJ, I’d really like to believe Filipinos have learned that taking the shortcut to make certain selfish individuals in society happy is NOT good for the country. No more coups, we have to make our system of government work or overhaul it. Why? Because it’s the mature thing to do…because it takes more brains, imagination and patience to do it, because it’s going to be better for future generations of Filipinos and because…we shoulda learned by now.
mita,
i agree. 🙂
if we are to impeach someone, take it to the proper authorities and make way for due process. 🙂
Mita, i can understand why you would like to believe that. As you said, Filipinos have learned their lesson so the next time they relaunch EDSA3, it will not be for the benefit of ‘selfish individuals‘.
Anyway, speaking of selfish individuals, it is clear that Gloria Arroyo and those who continue to condone her cheating (among the middle class/middle forces) have not learned their lesson about taking shortcuts. I agree that there should be no more coups and the best way to ensure that this does not happen is to ensure that a legitimate government is in place. You cannot fight against a power grab if you yourself are the product of an earlier power grab.
Trillanes has learned the Gringo-lesson — launch a coup (“for the greater good”, of course)… then get elected.
Trillanes will NOT get elected because Filipinos have learned, too.
EDSA 3 was a joke. A paid mob of Erap in his desperate attempt to cling to power.
EDSA 2 was a copycat of EDSA 1.
EDSA 1 could not have happened, if Enrile did not fear for his life and his loyal knight, Honasan. Who said it is because they were fed up with Marcos?
Trillanes is not fighting corruption for the Filipino people. He’s fighting for the person who financed the well-oiled mutiny in Oakwood.
CVJ, you need to check in the rehab. This is a sign of compulsion. The nation is moving on with this election. The goal of the opposition senators is to impeach Gloria. Why are you still whining?
If they win, go ahead with the impeachment.
No one is stopping it.
It’s hard to impeach GMA because the opposing parties will never get enough congressmen to sign the bill.
EDSA 2 and EDSA 3 were sectoral movements – Dos being middle class revolt while Tres being an urban poor uprising. It doesn’t reflect the sentiment of the nation.
Ca T, i don’t know where you were, but i was in country during EDSA 3. Maybe there were people who were paid, but i believe that the sentiments were genuine. I was glad it happened because (compared to EDSA and EDSA Dos where i was a participant) it was only then that i appreciated and respected People’s power true strength. It’s different when you’re at the receiving end.
I see that you’re already starting with the ‘move on’ mantra.
You are the biggest joke here in this blog because you keep on generalizing and spewing ignorance all around.
The mob that stormed Malacañang might have included people who were paid by the Erap camp, but certainly not all of them, especially those genuine members of the urban poor who risked life and limb to send their message.
Dont insult the masses! Kasi kahit binayaran ang iba sa kanila, hindi naman ganun katanga ang tao para isubo sa kapahamakan ang sarili nila for what — 300 pesos?
Palibhasa hindi mo naranasan siguro ang makasalamuha ang masa at ang mga squatter sa Maynila!
This takes the Big Ignoramus award! You would do well to shut up, gather your facts, verify and most important of all– THINK! – before posting. Hindi mo alam ang pinagsasasabi mo manang… iniinsulto mo rin ang alaala at legacy ng mga bayaning namatay even before Ninoy was shot dead in the tarmac. Did you really think everything happened all at once on Feb 25 1986?
Come on manang, matagal ka na kasi nawala dito…you seem to be living in another dimension.
cvj, i was in the country at edsa 3, it was no EDSA like the one and two. honestly now…i don’t even acknowledge edsa 3 cause wala eh…
ano na naman na-understand mo? nde ba naka ilan attempted power grab na sa administration na to? nde ba andyan pa din sya? i hate to bring it up but this is reality, the reality you have to understand. if the opposition were any smarter, we’d be rid of this administration. gloria is not all that strong, the opposition is weak and cannot recognize or seize opportunities they face.
as it is, they’ve already spoken, they cannot bring the numbers in the lower house where another impeachment can be addressed. i’ve said it more than once here – the lower house race is more important than the senate race. still, nothing happened. even if the opposition wins all the senate seats, wala pa din.
read my lips, nothing happened.
mita,
i have no problem with your criticisms of the opposition. i disagree though, that the house race is more important than the senate. they’re equally important.
for example, the commission on appointments is composed of representatives from both houses. the budgetary process has to go through both houses. and only the senate can ratify treaties.
so for these and other reasons, a massive administration victory in the house (which it won’t; it will be a big win but remember, kampi is poised to try to gobble up lakas, which will be a problem in itself) can only take it so far, just as an opposition victory can only take it so far. which means -stalemate, as we have now. which affects the president’s prospects for 2010.
Mlq3, begging your indulgence…
Mita, denying the significance and reality of EDSA Tres is common among the upper and middle class. It’s a natural reaction to fear.
As far as the GMA administration’s staying power is concerned, what matters more to me is not the fact that it is still there but the manner in which it has secured its survival. In your comment above, you waxed lyrical:
Do you think that the actions that Gloria took to survive will make things better for future generations of Filipinos? Do you believe that corrupting our institutions and damaging the social contract just to stay in power is the mature thing to do?
True enough, barely seven hours later, you make a comment that extols Gloria’s survival predicated on her relative strength and the opposition’s weakness. If you really believed the lofty aspirations that you wrote down, you would not be satisfied with victory for its own sake.
Bencard,
Yes, that’s what I said: that secrecy of the ballot pertains to just the secrecy of the ballot and has no meaning except when the contents of the ballots are disclosed. (But I didn’t say that it ONLY has relation to vote-buying activity. What I said was vote-buying per se does not violate the of secrecy of ballot, UNLESS the content of the ballot itself is disclosed by whatever means, or by whatever scheme that creates an association between the voter and his vote.)
I believe that the concept of secrecy of ballots is distinct from the concept of INTEGRITY OR SANCTITY OF “BALLOTSâ€Â. These two, although apparently interrelated, such that one loses its meaning without the other, should, nevertheless, not be confused with each other.
To me, secrecy of ballots is the guaranty of secrecy. It is the guaranty that whatever the voter writes in his ballot is only between him and his conscience. It assures that the voter can vote whomever he wants to free from any external pressures whatsoever.
On the other hand, the integrity or sanctity of “ballots†is the guaranty of the supremacy of the sovereign will of the majority. It is broader in that it encompasses everything that is aimed to achieve honest, fair and reliable election. The concept embraces the right of suffrage, secrecy of ballot, fair election measures, etc.
Thus, the publishing of one’s “list†of preferred candidate does not violate secrecy of ballot, for whatever disclosure there is in such case has nothing to do with ballots. It would be different if what is published is a copy or duplicate of one’s own (or of another’s) actual ballot. In the same way vote buying, cheating, manipulation, or employment of other fraudulent election schemes, even liquidating one’s opposing candidate, does not violate secrecy, UNLESS the same is coupled with the disclosure of the content of the ballot. 🙂
the senate, with ping lacson still there, is still going to be a very weak institution because it will get very little work done. that’s the thing you see…that’s the reason why so many are disillusioned with that institution. everything you mentioned sounds merely administrative to me. treaties? with everything else going on in the country that needs fixing, why even bring up treaties? never mind new treaties or new laws. how about fixing bills that were hastily done on the eleventh hour in the past when the senate tried to keep up with the rest of the country?
the president has no prospects in 2010. she’s done and over with because she knows if she tries to hang on, she’s deader than a doornail.
cvj, read the comment again – gloria is not that strong. she was virtually abandoned by most of her cabinet at one point. that was a very low spot in the administration and i thought she was a goner then. but no, it didn’t happen.
also, no one has ever called me lyrical. i’m a plain speaker and that seems not to sit well with you. i also see reality, and work from that point. idealism is fine, it’s taught in school. but at some point, you face reality and do a morality check on YOURSELF and not on others. that’s the height of hypocrisy.
oh and then when you drive on metro manila streets without breaking any traffic laws, then still say you have ideals…that’s BS.
mita, why would she be deader than a doornail? objectively speaking, what’s there to stop her?
the people who support her now…the working middle class who did not go out in the streets to call for her ouster. that’s what will stop her.
Mita, what does Gloria’s survival after FVR’s intervention prove other than the fact that she can survive? When you say that you also see reality, and work from that point, are you referring to the reality that Gloria cheated? And are you equating that offense with breaking traffic laws?
It only looks like idealism if we have a short time horizon (i.e. less than 3 years). If we consider a longer time frame, bringing Gloria to justice is a matter of enlightened self-interest. We are a long way from a culture that takes traffic laws seriously, but our generation has to take a step in that direction in order for our society to progress.
As for your statement:
This is consistent with what you said a few months back:
As i said then, it reflects typical middle class arrogance and an elitist mindset, not to mention hubris.
For as long as there are power grabbers in our midst whose only chance of succeeding in their nefarious aim is to foment chaos so they can insert themselves into the power vacuum that they have helped create, there will be a “reconstitution” of mob protests. These are the viruses of democratic society that undermine every institution and every effort to achieve economic sufficiency. These are the people who celebrate failure and mourn success. They are the ones who cajole ofws not to remit money to their loved ones so the government could not benefit from the resulting improvement in the economy. These are the people who love inflaming the masses into rising up against the legally-constituted government under their leadership, using them as expendable pawns in their quest for personal power and privilege.
These are the people who spread discontent, mistrust, despair, and most of all hatred of those who stand in their way. They exploit poverty, misery and want to serve their own thirst for domination of the state.
mita, i see you’re doing just fine but be wary of people taking your words out of context, mischaracterize it and then try to nail you on it (e.g., “reality of Edsa Tres”, which you said you also see, but was cunningly changed to “reality that Gloria cheated”).
Obviously, the guy has made a decision as to GMA’s guilt, and he’s not backing down. With a “judge” like that, who needs a dictator?
“if we are to impeach someone, take it to the proper authorities and make way for due process.”
darn, i wish this was what happened before edsa dos street party.
“For as long as there are power grabbers in our midst whose only chance of succeeding in their nefarious aim is to foment chaos so they can insert themselves into the power vacuum that they have helped create, there will be a “reconstitution†of mob protests.”
well said, bencard. well said. look back to edsa2, and let’s summarize your view into one person: mike arroyo.
cvj, if you can’t get over the labels in your head and just read the words…well, sucks to be you….
not quite, inidoro, not quite. it was the hate-mongering communists and leftists who pretended they were in the forefront of the mass action, with their giant red flags of hate and ugly slogans, who thought they could hijack the “revolution”. thwarted, they tried all the tricks to destabilize the lawful government and set themselves for a never-ending quest to grab power, with the help of some repudiated old trapos and senile academics, and, of course, some grandstanding juvenile politicians in the lower house and the do-nothing senate. you want to give the bum rap to mike arroyo (who just happened to be the husband of the constitutional successor to the presidency)but what else can be expected from the likes of you? Rid yourself of some shit, its overflowing.
Mayor Binay should be suspended outright, Remember it’s witholding tax not subject to compromise….. Plunder is next… If They can jail Erap, Binay is a much smaller fry
“you want to give the bum rap to mike arroyo (who just happened to be the husband of the constitutional successor to the presidency)but what else can be expected from the likes of you?”
do i need to regurgitate the proud admission by mike to nick joaquin on the unconstitutional edsa2 street globe-smart text party?
“Rid yourself of some shit, its overflowing.”
no prob. you take some anti-diarrhea pills then. i’m only a toilet bowl–catcher of your garbage.
inodoro, is that the best you can say against mike arroyo concerning edsa2 – that he participated or led in the exchange of info through texting? Of course, he was a supporter of GMA, afterall he was, and still is, only her husband.
As to my “diarrhea”, don’t worry about it, I have my own bowl and its clean. I don’t know where you are but where I am now, we have plenty of water and disinfectants are cheap. Besides, you obviously already have more than you can handle.I would’nt use you if my life depended on it.
who says he was exchanging info through texting (although he could have; or would you have known better?). i was referring to the street text partymates who couldn’t wait for the wheels of due process to grind to a halt, and all for a senseless, insubstantial second envelope. no need to rehash in here the interview on the devious ploys hatched by the leader of the animal farm. you already know that.
too bad, am missing the orginal proprietor of my seat– emilie (where art thou?). but in case you have a case of massive diarrhea, by all means, feel free to drop your crap in here. garbage in, garbage out. we can always make a few amount of fertilizers out of them.
Hi Sir. Thank you for supporting Kabataan Partylist. This is a surprise, since I read your column (forget what day), and you were endorsing Akapin only. This is a pleasant surprise though.
I hold the same sentiments with Bencard, Benj, Mita, Cat, and other names I missed out.
Just because escudero, cayetano,et al are blabbers/grandstanders doesn’t make them qualified to be a senator. Marcos, we heard, was an eloquent speaker with a brilliant mind. He used these exceptional traits for his selfish end. Where did he bring da pilipins during his over 20-yr rule? Let’s learn from our past mistakes lest we sink deeper and lag behind globally.
If trillanes can convince some that he is a principle man and the only savior of a corrupt country. It’s only SOME pipol op da pilipins he can fool SOME of the time. Let him dream while he spends time in jail. He learned from his idol/financer – Rambo Gringo.