A thoughtful Manila Times editorial on the kick-off for the centennial year of the {“hard workig,” Ricky Carandang calls it) House, wondered what the Speaker would say at the banquet marking the adjournment of the House of the 13th Congress. The Speaker, taking a cue from the President who lavished praise on the House and gave every sign of wanting to continue their partnership, obliged by saying it will be Charter Change, Part 2.
I was at the Batasan to listen to the President’s speech (our book on the 100 year history of the House was launched there). I was hoping, against hope, to hear clear indications she was preparing to bow out from office in 2010. The signs that she’s thinking of doing that were ambiguous, at best. She did try to sound conciliatory -even to the point of irony- by praising civic and church groups that conducted quick counts and foiled fraud, by praising the armed forces whose rank and file disobeyed orders to vote 12-0, by calling for magnanimity when it isn’t hers to give, and by saying the booming stock market and the good 1st quarter are signs of God’s will.
Besides pleasure in seeing our book launched, it was worth it to be at the Batasan to be able to shake the hand of Rep. Crispin Beltran, finally released from detention and able to do his work. A relevant reflection is in the blog of The Philippine Experience.
My column yesterday was A way forward. I wrote it in an optimistic frame of mind; I’m less optimistic after hearing the President’s speech and reading the Speaker’s banquet remarks.
Two relevant Inquirer editorials: Mandate for change, on the implications of the massive administration senatorial defeat, and The decider, on the absurdity of proclaiming a failure of elections in Maguindanao.
In the PCIJ, my analysis of the 2007 elections was published yesterday, too: An Abnormal Return to Normality, I titled it. This is because the 2007 midterms marks, in a sense, a return to where we last were in 1995, when the last mid-terms were held. The 2001 elections should have been mid-terms but became, instead, a referendum not on the incumbent, but on his ouster. In that sense 1995-2005 became a decade of political turbulence: the strong showing of FVR’s candidates in 1995 gave him the confidence to propose the extension of his term, contributing in turn to the public backlash that Estrada’s election represented and the middle- and upper-class backlash against his mandate culminating in impeachment and Edsa Dos, which triggered Edsa Tres, which resulted in the President breaking her promise not to run, and who sought a victory at all costs, etc.
The 2007 elections were in many ways, a validation of our past political history (administrations never lose the House; but an administration’s popular acceptability is best measured by the Senate results); and a repudiation of the President’s past achievements: recall she contested, and won, two senatorial races under her administration, in 2001 and 2004; her defeat in this year’s senate race must be compared to her past victories.
Thanks to Tingog.com for the capsule review of my article in his blog.
Incidentally I ran into defeated senatorial candidate John Osmena, and asked him what he intended to do. He says he is going to take up political blogging. Should make for interesting reading.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, Charter Change, constitution, philippines, politics, president, Senate, society
“I was at the Batasan to listen to the President’s speech (our book on the 100 year history of the House was launched there). I was hoping, against hope, to hear clear indications she was preparing to bow out from office in 2010. The signs that she’s thinking of doing that were ambiguous, at best. She did try to sound conciliatory -even to the point of irony- by praising civic and church groups that conducted quick counts and foiled fraud, by praising the armed forces whose rank and file disobeyed orders to vote 12-0, by calling for magnanimity when it isn’t hers to give, and by saying the booming stock market and the good 1st quarter are signs of God’s will.”
Geez, Manolo, reading this paragraph give me an impression that you seem to be a loser too! I thought you are in a celebration mood like what you wrote in the other thread….To me you, you are making Gloria look like a winner over you.
You should be writing positively about your book instead. That way peopel will be more ineterested on it…
Or update us on the positive developement in the senate now that the opposition has the majority. Can the people look forward to some progressive bills. Now that Ping Lacson is set to become the chair of teh Blue Ribbon comitte, can people look foward to the pinning down at least Mike Aroyo…. things like that….
You know Manolo, I have a feeling that even if Gloria is already out of Malacanang before or after 2010. I dont believe you can have the “fresh start” that you saying. You will keep going back to Gloria and blaming her everytime the nation encounter any trouble.
If you really want a fresh start, you can start now that the people you believ and thrust are all in the senate. why wait for three years to do that? What are going to do in the remaining three years of Gloria. Put your life on hold by wallowing in your negative emotions? Dont tell me that what you want also for your millions of fans here in your blog.
You are just giving so much of your life to Gloria. And you are making her win over you!
Bencard,
Cool man! You are such a good man and I admire you so much! These people can only try to destroy you even a dirty way. But the only way to fight back is to just continue doing good. Heck they can be Beancurd or beencured but the damage is on them not on you.
“abalos is not the comelec and the comelec is not beholden to malacanang. it is an independent constitutional body. even assuming that abalos is a “stooge†of GMA, would all the other commissioners, officers and employees of comelec necessarily be? is it so bereft of decent and honest personnel? who’s afraid of special election? only those who are afraid of their own shadows, and possessed of instantaneous sense of entitlement.”
-from a dual citizen residing in the U.S. but keeping himself abreast of what is happening in the land of his birth.
Endorsing Senator Pangilinan’s earstwhile proposal for a law to establish an autonomous Special Independent Prosecutor to be tasked by Congress to conduct the preliminary investigation for impeachable offenses, with subpoena powers and an independent budget, Manolo has, among other things, shown the following optimism as “A way forwardâ€Â:
Firstly, this is a helluva secondment for Justice Cruz. But hasn’t the machismo of this one citizen stupefied many of us once? How could the public be so assured now the chip on the justice’s shoulder does not extend to presidents who are women, for instance?
Next, here are some questions re the proposal itself: Can the spring really rise above its source? (I certainly do imagine some well-meaning soul-searchers emerging in the future, like Justice Antonio Carpio in the SC, I hope). But remember now that the Office of the Ombudsman is even mandated by some elaborately crafted constitutional provisions yet, has the officeholder been doing her job the way a special independent prosecutor should?
So, if the officeholders in the House are doing their jobs as they should (both as representatives of the people and as a critical part of the checks and balances mechanism in a tripartite system), do we really need a Special Independent Prosecutor as a check on the checkers?
In my view the COMELEC has proven itself to be a failed institution. Filipinos will therefore need to rethink about finding an alternative mechanism that will allow the counting of votes correctly and, given the state of existing technology, within a reasonable time. Once this process is approximated, it may be then be worthwhile to find another mechanism of simplified recall process involving officials at the national level, short of adopting the parliamentary form, as an alternative to impeachment.
Again, first and foremost, let’s learn how to count our votes and count them quickly.
“Parang di galing sa isang observer lang. Parang galing sa isang taong may ganansya ang dating.â€Â
I think it’s the other way around. It’s 1 or 2 persons against the mob majority.
This place is becoming another devious Ellenville.
“i think the single reason the hate- Gloria club cannot muster enough support for its cause (to get PGMA by means fair or foul)is that it cannot try to make a point without being obnoxious. it has the annoying habit of shooting the messenger for the message he bears, obviously unsure of its capacity to challenge the message.
no wonder the GMA haters always had to resort to name calling, insults, derision (sheepish laughter as from someone who slipped on a banana peel), mockery, gloating, attempted satire that doesn’t and cannot work, fighting words, and, sometimes, obscenities that could only result from ill-breeding.”
-again, look who’s talking. this dual citizen sounds as if he is the aggrieved party, yet he was the first one to resort to insult anti-gma commenters as puny bloggers. look at the old man in the mirror.
and as to his conceited claim that those who contradict his views “are unsure of their capacity to challenge his message”, the comment threads speak for themselves. take that from someone who merely parrots what abalos et. al have in mind with respect to the “failure of elections” in maguindanao. motherhood statements are not enough to defend the indefensible.
rego, i was more optimistic while i thought the palace might show signs of recognizing the message of this election and that it would try to salvage something for itself prior to bowing out in 2010.
but now, it’s too soon to tell. the soonest we’ll know, one way or another, is with the sona in july. the speech the president delivered the other day, though, was a troubling sign that she hasn’t read the signs.
the next three years could be years to help set the stage for a constitutional succession in 2010; but there are so many new crooked deals, so little signs of improvements on the human rights front, so very many signs the president will preside over a charter change effort where lakas and kampi will try to set up new rules to rule forever, and there are troubling indications that the country is going through a fortunate economic period, on one hand, and a lot of smoke and mirrors on government’s part to to falsely magnify what economic news there is, that it makes me worried about the coming years.
precisely because there’s unwarranted optimism in some quarters, even more sobriety and skepticism is called for in the coming months.
a note on bencard: we should give him his due as a faithful reader and participant in this blog, no matter the odds. the same way i asked for consideration for cat, bencard deserves ours. i’m sure he’s a man of personal integrity.
“I think it’s the other way around. It’s 1 or 2 persons against the mob majority.
This place is becoming another devious Ellenville.”
-can you point me to another forum where the mob majority are rabid GMA defenders? i’d like to visit the site. reality is, you cannot find one. the 1 or 2 persons you are talking about better accept the fact that public opinion belongs to the “mob majority” you are so pissed about.
@”The Magnificent”, Maguindanao was so scrutinized and covered by election watchdogs and citizen groups, and if you try to do a little homework, more than the little article that you suggest, then you will realize that many people in Maguindanao voted for opposition candidates.
The political spin that you suggest has only occurred, because the administration chose to be so brazen as to offer P1 million reward to each provincial leader in order to deliver a 12-0 sweep, but you still don’t make no mention that even Lintang Bedol can’t provide the necessary proof of such a “Maguindanao Miracle”.
And to generalize Maguindanao as living in the stone age is almost laughable. And yet, a similar situation took place in Lanao del Sur, and even then, 5 opposition senators were able to win. So to reiterate, despite the culture in Mindanao, similar cases comparable to Maguindanao, has not yielded the improbable result of 19 candidates with zero votes.
So, “enlightened”, in your view, would be to junk reality itself?
@Bencard, once again your defense is crying foul, and trying to bring pity on yourself, because of the anti-Gloria crowd, and yet, you make no attempt to clarify your stand on Maguindanao. Just more vague commentary.
@Rego,
Are you trying to argue with future Manolo, instead of debating the current Manuel? Are we supposed to be debating in future tense now? Can’t you find a way to argue your own stance on the current issues?
I’ll be signing off on this forum now, since none of you seem to be actually using your brains, just resorting to pure rhetoric to save face.
Again, nothing personal, it’s good that there are opposing ideas. This is the beauty of democracy. Something that everyone seems to be taking away from Maguindanao…
I apprecaite Bencard, Rego, and Magnificent’s point of view.
It’s a passionate crowd indeed, I wouldn’t like it any other way. 🙂
“a note on bencard: we should give him his due as a faithful reader and participant in this blog, no matter the odds. the same way i asked for consideration for cat, bencard deserves ours. i’m sure he’s a man of personal integrity.”
-Tit for tat lang manolo. No one ever deprived him of his due as a participant in your blog. We were merely reacting to what we think are fallacious statements in his rabid defense of GMA. The use of sarcasm is one. Your “note on bencard” is quite unfair to begin with. You’re trying to imply that we are the ones bullying him.
don’t worry manolo, you blog will not become another devious “ellenville”.
i happen to think ellenville’s a great place. i visit ellenville and i personally admire ellen.
bystander, no, just reminding everyone i’m glad bencard visits this blog.
Punniest blog comment award goes to: “Singson (a self confessed criminal on the lose)”
that’s jonphil’s statement not mine (about ellenville). i admire ellen too for her “open-mindedness”. she doesn’t think anti-GMA commenters are bullying the pro-GMA fanatics.
One of the most sensible ideas I have read here. But I think she already gets the drift. She MUST know that she is despised by the majority of the people. I mean, her net satisfaction ratings have been negative for over 2 years now. Makapal lang talaga ang mukha.
“the speech the president delivered the other day, though, was a troubling sign that she hasn’t read the signs.”
Manolo,
If Gloria has’t read the signs. Its should be her loss. Dont make it yours….
I know there is still so much work to do. But, hey you need a break and even your fans too. Take more time in celebrating your victory and set aside your worries for a while. A week or two woudl be good enough. Even better if you wait until the sona in July. Don’t let Gloria spoil you celebration.
Meanwhile the euphoria of your fans need to be sustained. So there is a need for them to be feed with positive developments in the senate. Already I read one or two who is getting frustrated. I think thats too early and baseless. The new senators has’nt even started working yet.
Honestly, Im excited about the new senate. Im setting aside my pessimism on some people that i despise but manage to get elected. And if they ‘ll really perform well then I will vote one of them.
Its a good idea to make the next three years a preparations stage for the consitutional sucession in 2010. Thats why I believe it would be good if you would write more about the front runners, like Loren, Lacson, Villar, Roxas and even De Castro. It doesn’t really need to be negative like the way you always write about Gloria. Just keep updating your fans on positive achievements of these people.
I dont think you should worry too much about the crooked deals. You already have so many trusted men in the senate that can block Gloria anytime, right?
“-can you point me to another forum where the mob majority are rabid GMA defenders?â€Â
Let me clarify this to you: I’m not pro-GMA or any politician.
I just don’t subscribe to those who spend so much time of their life singling out GMA for the miseries of their existence. As I said in another thread: if you want to be OBJECTIVE, let’s castigate ALL the wrongdoers in our society.
As to whether there is forum that is composed of rabid GMA defender, it is irrelevant. I won’t visit it anyway, same as I don’t visit Ell anymore. It’s like being in a cult where its members chant all the lies of their master or what they think are truths.
Is this one sour graping person not being given a juicy govt post or a KSP?
“…the 1 or 2 persons you are talking about better accept the fact that public opinion belongs to the “mob majority†you are so pissed about.â€Â
I don’t mind being a single voice in the wilderness of biasness.
If 90% of Filipinos voted for 90% of wrongdoers, it reflects the kind of electorate our country has.
It’s nothing to be proud of.
“@â€ÂThe Magnificentâ€Â, Maguindanao was so scrutinized and covered by election watchdogs and citizen groups, and if you try to do a little homework, more than the little article that you suggest, then you will realize that many people in Maguindanao voted for opposition candidates.
The political spin that you suggest has only occurred, because the administration chose to be so brazen as to offer P1 million reward to each provincial leader in order to deliver a 12-0 sweep, but you still don’t make no mention that even Lintang Bedol can’t provide the necessary proof of such a “Maguindanao Miracleâ€Â.
And to generalize Maguindanao as living in the stone age is almost laughable. And yet, a similar situation took place in Lanao del Sur, and even then, 5 opposition senators were able to win. So to reiterate, despite the culture in Mindanao, similar cases comparable to Maguindanao, has not yielded the improbable result of 19 candidates with zero votes.
So, “enlightenedâ€Â, in your view, would be to junk reality itself?”
Well apparently my friend, you have a better view on reality than I do. Like I said, I’m just basing my points on something I heard from other people and admittedly, I’m just as ignorant of the real situation as most people who’ve never been to Mindanao.
You have a valid point and I concede that you’re probably right. I’m just here to offer an alternate viewpoint.
But please… let’s deviate from ad hominem attacks, shall we?
@the magnificent, I’m sorry if I came out that way. I’m just debating my point, and your point is noted. Nothing personal. Passionate, as I am about Philippine concerns, it’s never personal when I disagree with individuals. The article that you pointed out, is the basic thesis from which the administration is working on, but it fails because even similar provinces haven’t experienced the absurd 19 zero votes.
The state of Maguindanao, at present, because of the failed Comelec, has left many Filipinos disheartened. The fact that the same officials have retained their positions, or have even been promoted, is almost too maddening to put into words.
But in response to jonphil, it is natural to point to the president, because she wields so much power, being able to appoint who heads the different departments of government, it’s hard not to involve her with the issues of the day. Be it economy, politics, and military. Every decision she makes, the Filipino will feel it. Even the Comelec are political appointees, and at the end of the day, we must hold her accountable, and at the end of the day, the buck must stop somewhere.
Of course. But he should be able to take as much as he gives. He calls people here puny and idiots and tells them to shut up all the time, especially when he’s losing an argument. The man from the US of A is not above name-calling himself; in fact a lot of times he starts it.
Oops, wrong cut-and-paste. Again again again.
Of course. But he should be able to take as much as he gives. He calls people here puny and idiots and tells them to shut up all the time, especially when he’s losing an argument. The man from the US of A is not above name-calling himself; in fact a lot of times he starts it.
I’ve been to Ellen’s Blog. Well it has a taste all its own and Manolo’s blog is so so far away from hers.
For those who want to see another kind of forum, try to view MUKAMO forum.
And with regards to the “puny” comment; please do consider that he included himself as one.
Of course. But he should be able to take as much as he gives. He calls people here puny and idiots and tells them to shut up all the time, especially when he’s losing an argument. The man from the US of A is not above name-calling himself; in fact a lot of times he starts it.
that was precisely my point, ay naku. unfortunately, mlq3 missed it.
I think Ellen’s blog represents the leading edge of the masses’ viewpoint and is also less tolerant of nonsense (especially those coming from elitists). Except for the case of Joker Arroyo (who has been Justice League’s pet advocacy), the Senate Election results for example, more closely reflects the preferences of Ellen’s readers rather than mlq3’s. They also heralded Trillanes’ victory when such a prospect was still considered quixotic. Manolo’s blog is more reflective of middle class sensibilities (whether pro- or anti-Gloria) and hence is more diverse (and has to be). Both are to a certain extent incommensurate and have its advantages and disadvantages, but i like the style of both. (Of course, since both groups of readers have access to computers and can afford to blog, i would consider both to belong to the middle class and upwards.)
I don’t mind being called puny since it is an accurate characterization. However, someone should remind Bencard that on TV and in movies, the usage of the word ‘puny’ is normally associated with villains so his use hardly advances his cause.
Dwelling on injustice can hamper your efforts to achieve great things.
The state, it cannot be too often repeated, does nothing and can give nothing which it has not taken from somebody.
A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.
The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic State itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism – ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or any controlling private power.
Power is a means to an end.
Power must never be trusted without a check.
Power corrupts the few, but weakness corrupts the many.
If power corrupts, weakness in the seat of power, with its constant necessity of deals and bribes and compromising arrangements, corrupts even more.
In every age the vilest specimens of human nature are to be found among demagogues.
Do keep that statement in mind when someone’s boot is planted on your face.
“If 90% of Filipinos voted for 90% of wrongdoers, it reflects the kind of electorate our country has.”
Exactly, johnphil. Pero andyan na yan eh. Hindi naman ibig sabihin nyan walang na tayong mapipigang mabuti na kahit katiting sa mga wrong doers na yan. Kung nagkamli man ang mga tao. Sigurado akong matuto rin sila sa pagkakamaling yan. Ganyan lang talga ang learning process. Minsan may kabagalan talaga ang prosessong yan pero naman natin pwedeng madaliin eh..
I believe its really to early to judge these wrong doers who manage to get elected in the senate. Lets give them the change to work and to show us what they really got for the country. If they turned ou to be good then good, we can choose from among them the next president in 2010. If they turn out to be poor performers, then its their loss! Dont vote for them next time they run for office again.
“As soon as she grows up and respects the Constitution and the rule pf lawâ€Â
Step back and ask this simple question:
Does the average Pinoy respect the rule of law?
Depending on what you think the answer is, it puts into perspective the pompous but quaint verdicts we presume to apply to our government officials.
Is it really about waging a “war against corruption”. If there is indeed a war to be waged, who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? You? Me? Them? Us?
If we look around us a general disregard for laws, rules, and even simple things like signage prevails in the way Pinoys conduct themselves. You even have to be vigilant when lining up at McDonalds, lest some moron nonchalantly step in front of you. The only time Pinoys truly behave themselves is when they are queued up to apply for a visa to work in Japan or Saudi Arabia or to visit some North American or Western European country.
Corruption is just a reflection of the way our society is constituted. Pinoy society everything is closed and opaque, complicated and convoluted, and an immense void exists where social collective trust should have been.
Without openness, simplicity, and trust, corruption thrives. In such a society calls for “wars against corruption” sound disturbingly like a certain president’s call for a “war against terror”.
cvj: It’s a tough read, isn’t it… the quote — Dwelling on injustice can hamper your efforts to achieve great things. I’ve read the entire book where the quote came from — the book (7 Principles of Rational Living) is a tough read, too. The author’s focus on self-responsibility is so much of Ayn Rand that Abe Margallo will probably trash the book (but BenignO probably won’t).
Now, very few will have problems with the phrase “…your efforts to achieve great things” nor the word “injustice”. The stumbling-block lies in the word “dwelling”. Note, though, that if a person who spends 12-hours-a-day 5-days a week to the detriment of his personal grooming to dwell on the injustice-of-the-Garci-tape or on the injustice-of-butchered-Filipinas from-medically-unregulated-abortions, more than half the readers of this blogsite will probably agree that the person is being excessive.
cvj: the quote came from Robert Ringer, who also said “all lawyers are not bad. Just 97% of them”. Ringer is no Mother Teresa. Just look at books he authored –“ACTION! Nothing Happens Until Something Moves”, “Winning Through Intimidation” and “Looking Out for Number 1”.
Hmm….reminds me of an old saying….Resentment & Hate are poison pills that you take hoping that the other person dies.
Cvj,
Oh man.
Are you sure that Ellen is less tolerant of nonsense?
She has an article titled “Matuto na si Pacquiao” or something like that. She used statements of “Xanadu” for her piece which “Xanadu” later (in Ellen’s own blog) admitted to be a joke.
But Ellen never retracted or recanted that part.
Ellen’s blog has a taste and audience (majority anyway) of its own. But statements like yours will only put her in a spot which she might find hard to defend.
Cvj,
I re-read your post and Ellen’s.
“Xanadu” doesn’t seem to be an elitist so Ellen would be more tolerant.
I take back my previous post.
“As soon as she grows up and respects the Constitution and the rule pf lawâ€Â
Step back and ask this simple question:
Does the average Pinoy respect the rule of law?”
Must a “president” wait for the average Pinoy to respect the rule of law before she does?
“Without openness, simplicity, and trust, corruption thrives. In such a society calls for “wars against corruption†sound disturbingly like a certain president’s call for a “war against terrorâ€Â.”
Very true. It is, indeed, disturbing to hear a president, generally perceived to be corrupt, calling for “war against corruption”- probably as disturbing as another president, generally perceived as a terrorist, calling for “war against terror”.
Does the average Pinoy respect the rule of law?
How will the average Pinoy respect the rule of law when they see most of their leaders don’t.
I believed that the average Pinoy are more law abiding because they fear that justice would be impossible to get if they messed up with the law compared to the moneyed & powerful.
bystander, ay naku, bingo.
The Magnificent.
Just to make things clear – The opposition was not complaining about 12-0. That can happen in many places ither than Mindanao.
The opposition was complaining about individual candidates, all from GO, getting ZERO votes in Maguindanao. Even Abalos thought that to be incredible and he called it a statistical improbability.
Ping Lacson got ZERO votes. He said thise was his third national election – twice for senator, once for president – and he was not ZEROED in Maguindanao until this election. In short, he has a voter base there, no matter how small. So the only way he can explain why he got ZERO was either all his supporters died or left town.
To repeat, the issue is not 12-0. The issue is ZERO VOTES for GO candidates.
And all your cultural, sociological explanations about Maguindanao socio-politco-religious system may explain 12-0 but they don’t explain ZERO VOTES.
That’s all.
Bencard,
“if everyone is convinced that there was a “failure of election†in Maguindanao, and the votes should be nullified, the logical and legal course of action is to have a special election.”
Just to make things clear.
A failure of election means no voting took place. That means there are no votes to be nullified.
“Abalos is within his right to demand credible evidence of failure of election. remember the difference between fact and perception or speculation? just because the “evidence†being offered is shocking does not necessarily mean its true.”
Just to make one other thing clear.
Abalos is not demanding credible evidence of failure of election. He is demanding credible evidence that there was NO failure of election. Read his statements carefully.
Your take on Maguindanao is very much appreciated. However, I was asking you what your legal opinion was on a declaring a failed election in Maguindanao.
Here’s the situation once again –
Abalos wants to declare that no election- no voting to be precise- took place in Maguindanao.
GO claims voting took place and cheating occurred during the counting of votes. They want to compare election returns with certificates of canvass and they want all tallies that don’t match to be set-aside or not counted.
So not everyone agrees there is a failure of election becsause that is precisely the bone of contention.
So if it’s not too much to ask again – was there a failure of elections in Maguindanao or not?
Justice League, read Ellen’s column again so you can see that she was fully aware that Xanadu’s reference to Oscar de la Hoya was a joke.
UPn Student, Robert Ringer a follower of Ayn Rand? It figures. I was once attracted to her philosophy during my teens when i was still in awe of Milton Friedman. I’ve since moved on.
Hay….this site is full of GMA-hating, bashing people. Na “mukhang magagaling lahat” kuno. Ano ba nakukuha nyo sa paninira all the time? GO won….simply because they had too much media exposure during the impeachent for the past 2 years. But I think not majority of the Pinoy’s want GMA impeach. It is a very shallow victory of anti GMA groups – the election was only tangently about GMA.
Why cant we wait until 2010. And why dont we discuss how we can help positively the government para umunlad ang Pilipinas? Diba, if we bash her, and bash her every minute, what do you guys hope to achieve – for her to resign?
Do you think by bashing GMA everyday, and minute would create jobs?
Hay….this site is full of GMA-hating, bashing people. Na “mukhang magagaling lahat” kuno. Ano ba nakukuha nyo sa paninira all the time? GO won….simply because they had too much media exposure during the impeachent for the past 2 years. But I think not majority of the Pinoy’s want GMA impeached. It is a very shallow victory for anti GMA groups – the election was only tangently about GMA.
Why cant we wait until 2010. And why dont we discuss how we can help positively the government para umunlad ang Pilipinas? Diba? if we bash her, and bash her every day and minute, what do you guys hope to achieve – for her to resign? Do you think by bashing GMA everyday, and minute would create jobs?
At tsaka, parang mga sarado na utak karamihan dito – and they are obssessed, na obssessed and neurotic ( may sira) already against GMA. Parang GMA is everything! hahahaha.
moks,
Every leader has her/his share of Bashers and there must be some good reasons why some have more than the others.
Even George W. has enough that he has mastered the art of ignoring most of them. Our PM Stephen Harper just told the Russian President President Putin that in a Democracy (which Russia is supposed to be) dissent should not only be tolerated but its exercise should be protected by the State. And the Russian’s Government seems sliding back. Of course it is not our business to tell anyone, especially, the nationals of other countries, but we also do business with these countries and thereby by extension to their nationals.
Don’t you worry though, PGMA has her own loyal supporters and followers and there are always two sides in a coin. So it is a bashing game, and the winner will remain standing and the loser can always cry “I was cheated”. Typical, ain’t that true?
Moks,
Your theory of how the GO won is unfounded. The fact that the “genuine” opposition won majority of the senate seats shows that public opinion is strongly against GMA. That was precisely their battlecry — “isang boto lang po, laban sa nakaupo” — that a vote for GO means a vote against GMA and her policies. TU on the other hand tried to avoid making the elections a proxy war between the pro and the anti-gloria, but they dismally failed to divert the issue and wound up outside the magic 12 as a result.
Better luck next time.
“I think Ellen’s blog represents the leading edge of the masses’ viewpoint and is also less tolerant of nonsense (especially those coming from elitists). Except for the case of Joker Arroyo (who has been Justice League’s pet advocacy), the Senate Election results for example, more closely reflects the preferences of Ellen’s readers rather than mlq3’s. They also heralded Trillanes’ victory when such a prospect was still considered quixotic. Manolo’s blog is more reflective of middle class sensibilities (whether pro- or anti-Gloria) and hence is more diverse (and has to be). Both are to a certain extent incommensurate and have its advantages and disadvantages, but i like the style of both. -CVJ”
-Ellen’s blog is more reflective of the kind of sentiment majority of the Filipinos have against Mrs. Arroyo and her policies. You could really feel the angst, disgust and hatred the commenters feel for the bogus president and her allies. It does not attempt to present itself as a moralist, a practice common to elitists and hypocrites.
Cvj,
Yes, it seems she did.
I have since however recanted that post on related matters but still it won’t absolve Ellen of the kind of sense she allows or even employs in her blog.
Back in the fight against ChaCha sometime in December of last year; several groups unfurled and raised their banners and flags AFTER the conclusion of the Thanksgiving Prayer Rally.
During the duration of the celebration however, the participants were asked to respect the “Prayer” by not waving them.
Ellen concludes however that many of those who stand for truth and justice have lost passion on the Church because of such incident.
“Why cant we wait until 2010. And why dont we discuss how we can help positively the government para umunlad ang Pilipinas? Diba, if we bash her, and bash her every minute, what do you guys hope to achieve – for her to resign?”
Nobody needs to wait for 2010- it’s definitely coming. But will Aling Gloria “abdicate”? She promised to go in 2004, and she stayed. If she, once again, promises to go by 2010, what guarantee do we have that she’d keep her word this time? Unfortunately, her lieutenants are reviving ChaCha once again- telltale signs that rules may yet change in the middle of the ballgame. Talk about extending the “last two minutes” till kingdom come…
I guess, everybody is demanding for good governance, and if there is anything that can help government achieve that, everybody will contribute. But how can people help a government that has alienated itself from the people? Teka, isn’t it the main accountability of governments to help their people and not the other way around? Kaya nga “government” e.
Last time I checked, it is not merely a right to question the government you “elected”, it is a responsibility. Government apologists may call it “bashing”. Others simply call it “responsible citizenship”.
June 2007 : MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Supreme Court has ruled that Filipino military veterans who have renounced their Philippine citizenships have also forfeited their pensions.
The high tribunal upheld the constitutionality of Section 27 of Presidential Decree 1638, which states that retired members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines would stop receiving retirement benefits and would be removed from the list of retired AFP personnel once they change their nationalities.
UPn,
Don’t you think that ruling is moot since most countries now including the good old U.S.A. allow dual citizenships and most also do not require renouncement of other citizenships before acquiring a new one.
Don’t you also think that our Citizenship rule is fairer, since it only classified Canadian as one class, whichever one acquired his/her citizenship and never loss it except by renouncement and material misrepresentations in the process of acquiring?
That’s why during the last Lebanon Crisis, the Government was obligated to evacuate Lebanese of Canadian Citizenship, some of them never been in the country for 20 years or more and no longer have any roots in the country and 2/3 of them are now back to Lebanon to take residence and never to be heard again until they need the services of Canada. I think we are fair to a fault.
To me that SC decision stinks….
It stinks because my relative here said so, he was a retired AFP (air force) personnel and now a Canadian and his son is now in the Canadian Forces and served his turn in Afghanistan. And he only retired less than 10 years ago. And I also believe that the retired AFP personnel had contributed to their retirement funds that may or may not been been invested by the Government agencies while they were putting their lives on the line for pittance.
I still believe that decision stinks…