Went to the Bastusang Pambansa to see the action but most of it took place not on the floor, where Romulo Neri was sitting in a panel defending the CHED budget as members of congressmen took turns asking pointed questions to beef up the budgets for their districts. It was a very nerve-wracking three hours for all concerned.
Had a chance to prowl the galleries and the floor and get scuttlebutt from members of the House.
One account of this morning’s meeting at the Palace was that the main bone of contention was the upcoming baranggay elections. Congressmen were very anxious that the polls not be postponed, as it was an opportunity for them to spread goodies around. Demands were supposed to be 50,000 per kagawad or a total of 5 million for each congressman to dole out. The President had given assurances but had even been pursued with calls while she was in China, to assure that the written assurances that the polls would push through, were genuine. The badgering continued this morning, with congressmen supposedly in a foul mood and threatening mischief if the President didn’t do the doling out right there and then.
Another account was simpler, which was a Palace guarantee of 45 35 million per congressman, 25 million in “soft” pork and 10 milion in “hard” pork, whatever that means in congressional terms. In exchange, the congressmen pledged cooperation with the President in terms of pursuing her agenda.
But the figures discussed are impossible to verify (and every congressman could have been lying). The main topic of interest was, what was the Speaker going to do, and what were his options? Opinions among members of the House varied. They ranged from the Speaker had the numbers, to the President had the numbers, to the problem that Friday, it turns out, is a holiday which is why the President wanted matters settled by tonight.
The problem was that the Speaker was not inclined to refer the impeachment complaint prior to the recess. The question then was whether this would precipitate a showdown in the House, and who, exactly, had the numbers; also, there was the very real problem that if the complaint wasn’t referred prior to the break, the October 25 Senate hearing would take place, and if anything ended up revealed in that hearing, the revelations could lead to the complaint being amended and possibly fortified.
The Speaker’s options, as discussed by various sources, ranged from his having pulled a fast one last night by checking himself into the hospital for whatever reason (gastritis, LBM, etc.) and told the House to go on recess early, to his suddenly fainting in his office this afternoon and being rushed from the House in an ambulance, thus causing pandemonium, to the Mace either disappearing or being grabbed by his loyalists, thereby disrupting the session, to someone questioning the quorum, suddenly ending the session. But then the entire budget would have been imperiled.
Or the Speaker could publicly state he would not refer the complaint until the maximum period allowed, November 11.
Or the Speaker could decide that he faced an ethical dilemma, and announce he was inhibiting himself from the whole matter. This was the solution, apparently, put forward by the Palace as a face-saving gesture but involved its own risks. The Speaker’s lawyer, Raul Lambino of Sigaw ng Bayan fame, gave the Speaker similar advice, couched in terms of his right not to participate in forwarding a document obviously aimed more at the Speaker and his son than the President. The Speaker, by taking himself out of the game, would then pass the ball to Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar.
Del Mar could then easily say that it being his call, he would hold the ball until after the recess. Or, del Mar could then send the complaint immediately to the Committee on Rules, which could then sit on it; or the Committee on Rules could instantly send it to the Committee on Justice…
For an hour, from around 3:30 to 4:30 talk centered on whether the Speaker would take himself out of the game or force a showdown. Then at around that time came word there would be a press conference at the Speaker’s office. Up to that time there were still members of the House proposing that the Speaker should pass the ball to del Mar but that del Mar shouldn’t do the Palace any favors.
Like war, members of the press spend a lot of time just waiting then suddenly heaving into action. By 5 pm the media was huddled outside the door of the Speaker’s office as various congressmen trickled out and basically refused to say anything. Finally the doors opened. Mad stampede as everyone rushed in.
The Speaker looked remarkably calm and relaxed. Arrayed around him were various House members and the Speaker’s people, including Atty. Lambino.
At one point, the Speaker got up and disappeared; call of nature, I asked a reporter? Probably a phone call from the Palace, someone else said.
The Speaker reemerged, the press conference formally began. It played out pretty much as everyone had expected:
De Venecia inhibits self from Arroyo impeach rap; Arroyo impeach case referred to panel; JDV inhibits himself; JDV inhibits self from impeach rap.
I asked a couple of questions, because the Speaker said he was withdrawing from participating in the process, even though he had misgivings because of bribery allegations, etc., etc., but he urged del Mar to attend to his ministerial duty. Del Mar smoothly said he would transmit the complaint to the Committee on Rules. Art Defensor chimed in and said as chairman he was going to calendar the referral before the plenary that very night, for referral, in turn, to the Committee on Justice.
The sending of the paper from Deputy Speaker to Rules Chairman to Justice Committee of course constituting the start of the one-year countdown of the ban on further impeachment complaints.
So my questions focused on asking del Mar why he was rushing to refer the complaint, his answer was, it’s ministerial, and then I asked Defensor if he, as Chairman, could act on behalf of a committee he only chaired but which had more than himself as members; Defensor was offended and said the whole procedure is normally concluded as he said it would be, that he was confident in speaking for the committee, etc.
Questions from the reporters present concentrated on this rush to start the Constitutional countdown while others focused on relations between the Speaker and the President.
But I had to keep asking myself, why is the Speaker, who, depending on whom you asked earlier that afternoon, had been browbeaten by the President, or threatened with being deposed, or otherwise facing a momentous event in his political life, so relaxed, so calm -and what did he have to gain from surrendering to the Palace?
Fine, he actually did the ethical thing, but I have to wonder if his inhibiting himself was the best legal advice. Fine, he gets to keep the Speakership, if the President did have the numbers. He may even think he did the country a favor by heading off the possibility of an impeachment, and the President maybe, owes him another favor.
But what does he have to gain, politically, from caving in like this?
He has to have something up his sleeve, I kept telling myself as I left the press conference.
But I have to figure out what that could be.
Update 7:58 pm and 9:08 pm Got a report that on radio it was pointed out that there’s a problem with what the Speaker did. The Constitution, according to some lawyers (and Rep. Rufus Rodriguez is apparently already raising hell about it on the floor of the House as I write this), does not give the Speaker any discretion.
The Speaker, and only the Speaker, must do the referral. He cannot delegate it, he cannot inhibit himself, it can only be the Speaker and no one else. So goes the argument.
I asked some lawyers and they concur: when the Constitution is clear and specific, and cites no exceptions, then it must be done in the manner and by whom the Constitution says. One lawyer gave a Solomonic answer: is the Speaker the only person who can refer the complaint, and if the Speaker didn’t, is there a justiciable case?
Here are their various answers:
Yes, based on the constitution [article XI. section 3.[2] and the rules of the house on impeachment [section 3. Rule 3.]. But note section 14 [h.] of the Rules of the House. authorizing the speaker to designate a member as tempo presiding officer. after informing the deputy speakers in case he/she temporarily unable to do so.
Yes the supreme court can resolve it. Note Francisco vs. House of Rep case in 2003, supreme court ruled that the power of judicial review includes power of review over justiciable issues in impeachment proceedings.
Yes. Its really a subject of justiciable review, based on Francisco decision. In this case any person may initiate it as a taxpayer suit or have a congressman question it in SC…
I think it is a jusiticable controversy but i doubt referral can be described as defective [cuz] SC will look at the House Rules in addition to the constitution. SC will try to harmonize house rules and charter and i think if they do so, they will rule this referral valid.
Because the constitution does not envision situations where speaker is unable to perform and so SC will take a look at house rules and see if speaker did the right thing. if under house rules, speaker did the right procedure, then SC will rule referral valid.Nature abhors a vacuum, the house rules filled up that vacuum.
Better question is: Can a constitutional duty be delegated? Its like the prez asking somebody to deliver SONA.
But you know justice committee can also order amendment of complaint but that’s a stretch.
So those are the contending views. But if it’s true that a legal wrinkle exists….
It’s a possibility too delicious for words.
JDV: “But Madam President, I did what you told me…”
del Mar: “But Madam, I did what you and the Speaker told me…”
Defensor: “But Madam, I did what you and the Speaker and del Mar told me….”
Everyone’s ass is covered except the one who was supposed to benefit from the inoculation!
More from Uniffors and from Ellen Tordesillas.
Technorati Tags: constitution, House of Representatives, impeachment, philippines, politics, president
“i think there’s such a thing as learning from other countries, at least those whose civilizations preceded out for centuries and they were able to develop certain general models we can emulate then modify for our own purposes.â€Â
Well, it can be argued that “democracy†was a learning from a different country (the West) which at the time seemed like a dandy idea until, that is, it was applied in a society that didn’t have the faintest clue what it means to be a “good leader† much less select one. 😀
Given the above track record and the abundance of tesed models for progress out there sitting under Pinoys’ noses (also considering that there are 8-10 million of our compatriots actually living and breathing such models), I wonder whether there is any point to even discussing said “models†that are candidates for emulation in Pinoy society.
Here’s my contribution by the way:
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/
benign0 looking in from outside,
me looking up from inside
binogn0 you no katutubo no more, think, speak language not from the land no more, you master-like mindset, getreal getdown
benign0 looking down from down under
me looking up from jungle
benign0 you katribu no more
think, speak not from the land no more
you master-like mindset you think you know more
than all the tribu now and before
getreal, getdown from down under
the masters’ spell no more
You and me know who are the real evils in this country today. Between FPJ, who advocated for “debt moratorium”, and Glueria’s trade liberalization policy, i think the distinction is in black and white.
Of course, i don’t have to elaborate what crimes this bogus maniac have perpetuated after the 2004 elections.
LOL! Bastusang Pambansa? Oh Manolo…you’re so creative…! =P
I agree, the solution has to be customized because there is no such thing as a context-free solution. However, i also believe that principles and patterns derived from the experience of others is relevant. A system-wide solution requires the application of systems thinking which means considering both matters of structure and matters of context.
I agree with your main distinction between Gloria and FPJ but i don’t think trade liberalization is necessarily evil.
Benign0, i clicked on your link. In your chart (with the red and blue lines), what unit of measure does your y-axis represent and can you provide the underlying numerical data? Also, can you put dates (not necessariy exact but could be the general time period) for your x-axis?
“Now I see the vigorous exchange of conflicting ideas and opinions here as a good sign at least – let them enjoy the freedom to blog, its the beauty of living in the Philippines. Opinions formed now may change tomorrow (or not), whats more important for me is the existence of people like all of you who refuse to live in the dark…”- ramrod
ramrod,
I completely agree with what you said. It is also my wish that blogging would one day be one of the favorite pastime of many Filipinos, imagine millions of our countrymen engaged in blogging and “come up with a framework of action that would lead to the productivity” and action our country badly needs. I know this is wishful thinking but for this to happen we need to encourage a lot of people not just by word of mouth but by our decorum. As good soldiers, we can share our ideas with gusto, learn from each other in the process, be humbled by smarter and better concepts and ideas, debate as if there is no more tomorrow. This is the reason why it pains me to see good soldiers shooting at its other,wasting their intelligence and talent . Well, enough of my wishful thinking. Again thanks a lot!
GPS:agree with you!
I think the basic essence of political blogging is captured in this ancient quote:
“There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots. What is it? Distrust.” Demosthenes
“Catch us if you can â€Â
(Anthem of the
Palace Gang 5)
Here we come again, mmmm-mm-mm
Catch us if you can, mmmm-mm-mm
Time to move on, mmmm-mm-mm
We will yell with all of our might
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Now we gotta run, mmmm-mm-mm
No more time for fun, mmmm-mm-mm
When we’re getting angry, mmmm-mm-mm
We will yell with all of our might
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Yeahhhhh
—— Harmonica ——
Here we come again, mmmm-mm-mm
Catch us if you can, mmmm-mm-mm
Time to move on, mmmm-mm-mm
We will yell with all of our might
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
Catch us if you can
“Well, it can be argued that “democracy†was a learning from a different country (the West) which at the time seemed like a dandy idea until, that is, it was applied in a society that didn’t have the faintest clue what it means to be a “good leader† much less select one. 😀
Given the above track record and the abundance of tesed models for progress out there sitting under Pinoys’ noses (also considering that there are 8-10 million of our compatriots actually living and breathing such models), I wonder whether there is any point to even discussing said “models†that are candidates for emulation in Pinoy society.
Here’s my contribution by the way:
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/solution/” benigno
i have read your getrealphilippines thesis. though at first instance it might give a simplistic solution to all the problems that beset the philippines, it’s quite very nice in words but very hard in terms of application.
how do you suggest that you propositions be approached – should it be top-down or down-top? with the present economic and financial set up of the country, how do you integrate your theories?
“How To Master Political Spinâ€Â(Part 2)
Steps:
Step One
Understand what it is that a spin doctor does. Spin is cynically perceived as a form of propaganda: biased, manipulative and deceptive. Sociologists see the rise of spin as a real problem for democracy because it masks transparency and provides the public with distorted information.
Step Two
Become ambiguous, one of the major techniques of spin. Incorporating unclear phrasing can make your exact meaning hard to pin down, which is useful when answering questions about a subject that you don’t want to address.
Example:
“But Puno said that “no such one-on-one meeting ever took place†since there were 190 congressmen at the Palace breakfast meeting called by Ms Arroyo herself.
He added that “no such message (was) delivered (by the Speaker). The President was never told anything like that. This is gospel truth,†Puno stressed.â€Â
Step Three
Selectively present facts and quotes that support your position.
Example:
But Puno said that “no such one-on-one meeting ever took place†since there were 190 congressmen at the Palace breakfast meeting called by Ms Arroyo herself..Even that I don’t know. Is that a threat? I don’t know that the Speaker is into threatening the President. But I can tell you 100 percent, there is no such one-on-one meeting.â€Â
Step Four
Learn to use the non-denial denial.
Example:
“Nobody can threaten the President, and I will not stand for it. That’s why I need to let you know that definitely no such meeting happened. If such meeting happened, I would definitely be changing my assessment of the situation,†Puno added.â€Â
Step Five
Create confusion in the situation .Speak in euphemisms to sound less offensive, disturbing or troubling.
Example:
“Puno said he would not countenance any kind of threat on the President, and on the Speaker. “I am a supporter, he knows that. Napapaaway ako sa sariling party dahil sa kanya (I have quarrels with my own party mates because of my support for him).â€Â
Puno admitted that both Ms Arroyo and De Venecia, whom he supported during the hotly contested speakership race in July, were “the largest stakeholders in the administration.â€Â
But Puno confirmed De Venecia’s statement that there were “dark forces†that were out to divide the majority coalition in the House.
Step Six
Use the right words with a touch of humor.
Example:
“Either he was misquoted or something…but definitely, there was no such one-on-one meeting.â€Â
“Puno said the Inquirer story could be a case of “kuryente (bum steer).â€Â
Step Seven
Play up weaknesses and make them look charming.
Example:
Saying he was speaking on behalf of the President, Puno said he also doubted whether De Venecia, who has been the subject of persistent ouster rumors, had told Ms Arroyo that his downfall was sure to lead to her downfall as well.
“Puno, who had yet to talk to the Speaker when he called up the Inquirer, said the Speaker’s words were surprising because “if he made that statement, it’s not like him.â€Â
“He said it was normal for politicians with the same political affiliation to differ, and even to quarrel, over several issues, “but the fundamental political interests remain.â€Â
kind of missed a lot of the skirmishes (time-zone difference), but i’m glad tililing was there to ably articulate the same views and sentiments i hold. thumbs up to you, t. your handling of cvj’s clever wordplay and faux ‘profundities’ is masterful. are you sure you’re not karah, or bibeth? these guys here surely miss them too, i think.
shaman, if cuenco has, as you said, received cash in an envelope as bribe (and foolishly admitted it over the radio)then he should be prosecuted. i believe you know that both the giver and the taker in bribery are liable. by your account, cuenco has supplied the “smoking gun” against himself, but not necessarily against the alleged bribe-giver. voluntary confession and admission against own interest are two formidable evidence against an accused. why would anyone, apparently sane, accept a bribe (unless in a legitimate sting operation by law enforcers) and squeal about it for no apparent reason is beyond me.
hello everyone
“your handling of cvj’s clever wordplay and faux ‘profundities’ is masterful.” bencard
i hit the nail where it’s at. i think i hit the nail quite hard and accurate a couple of instances. i know (and you know as well) that these are games people play.
Hmmm….its good I have a close relative in here…Tililing
Hello tililing…. hope you’re not making anybody nuts here today
Hello and good evening Mr. Bencard
Tililing, if you don’t mind me asking….
What size of nail did you use? Hope you did not use a railroad tie
engeng, just planting some cockroaches in some people’s minds. shake them a little bit.
“What size of nail did you use? Hope you did not use a railroad tie” engeng
concrete sleepers 😀
Speaking of cockroaches, congress is sure housing lots of them.
They are starting to do their dirty work again..the impeachment thing. Cockroaches are known to survive a nuclear blast.
If there was a nuclear blast right now, the only survivors would be the opposition in the congress and the senate… hahahahahahahaha
“I completely agree with what you said. It is also my wish that blogging would one day be one of the favorite pastime of many Filipinos, imagine millions of our countrymen engaged in blogging and “come up with a framework of action that would lead to the productivity†and action our country badly needs. I know this is wishful thinking but for this to happen we need to encourage a lot of people not just by word of mouth but by our decorum. As good soldiers, we can share our ideas with gusto, learn from each other in the process, be humbled by smarter and better concepts and ideas, debate as if there is no more tomorrow. This is the reason why it pains me to see good soldiers shooting at its other,wasting their intelligence and talent . Well, enough of my wishful thinking.” – ramrod
Hey, its alright to have some wishful thinking.
By the way, did you know that Erap has forgiven GMA? Jinggoy is not running for president. And Loren Legarda is now concentrating more on her job as a senator. My wishful thinking… hahahahahahahaha
“edsa 1 touched the hearts of many but maybe not enough, at edsa 2 there was anger in the hearts of many, righteous anger or self-righteous rage maybe, at edsa 3 there was hurt in the hearts af the masa,
now, what’s the state of the hearts of many?
many say apathy, do you agree?” – pete
I agree with you especially on this. I see “apathy” in my brothers’ faces and language. In psychology we call it “learned helplessness” its when every action you initiate is met with negative reinforcement/response to the point that you believe its pointless to even think about the action and this even manifests itself physiologically.
On the other hand I see a form of “disassociation” from those who are from the outside looking in. “Insulated” perhaps by callousness and proximity, seem to regard us as idiotic Filipinos and for the meantime forgetting who they are.
Yes. Its a matter of heart. All the rest are “achievable.” But if we don’t have the heart for it…
“By the way, did you know that Erap has forgiven GMA? Jinggoy is not running for president. And Loren Legarda is now concentrating more on her job as a senator. My wishful thinking… hahahahahahahaha”
Engeng, eng-eng ka talaga, I almost believed you, good thing you added the hahahaha.
Did I say ramrod… my mistake…
“I completely agree with what you said. It is also my wish that blogging would one day be one of the favorite pastime of many Filipinos, imagine millions of our countrymen engaged in blogging and “come up with a framework of action that would lead to the productivity†and action our country badly needs. I know this is wishful thinking but for this to happen we need to encourage a lot of people not just by word of mouth but by our decorum. As good soldiers, we can share our ideas with gusto, learn from each other in the process, be humbled by smarter and better concepts and ideas, debate as if there is no more tomorrow. This is the reason why it pains me to see good soldiers shooting at its other,wasting their intelligence and talent . Well, enough of my wishful thinking.†– GPS
Hey, its alright to have some wishful thinking.
By the way, did you know that Erap has forgiven GMA? Jinggoy is not running for president. And Loren Legarda is now concentrating more on her job as a senator. My wishful thinking… hahahahahahahaha
That’s what I get from too much daydreaming… hahahahahaha
“Speaking of cockroaches, congress is sure housing lots of them.
They are starting to do their dirty work again..the impeachment thing. Cockroaches are known to survive a nuclear blast.
If there was a nuclear blast right now, the only survivors would be the opposition in the congress and the senate… hahahahahahahaha”
lurking in the corners of batasan pambansa and the gsis building. scavenging for some left-overs but can’t find any. they’ll not only survive a nuclear blast, they’ll survive a meteor shower that wiped out even the dinosaurs.
i’ll bring a can of baygon sometime when i go to the house and senate. i might be cited in contempt. direct contempt is 5k pesos and 30 days in prison and i’ll have the pleasure of praying baygon at these tongressman and moneytors. i’ll single out typus rodriguez in the house and jingle bells in the senate wow.
Tililing… did you say Baygon?
Gives me an idea.
But where would we get millions of barrels of Baygon? That’s waht it takes to get rid of those species of cockroaches…….. hahahahahaha
“Gives me an idea.
But where would we get millions of barrels of Baygon? That’s waht it takes to get rid of those species of cockroaches…….. hahahahahaha” engeng
come to think of it. anthrax would be a good alternative. anthrax mounted near the aircon vents. at least a gallon of anthrax could go a long long way. the pleasure.
There are actually 2 species of super cockroaches.
The one in the congress are the mutated kind, more voracious and are carnivorous, they feed on pork.
The senate specie on the other hand is the bloodsucking kind. Plus they have adapted the termite lifestyle.. they now have a queen in the colony…it was named by entomologists Lorenus Legardasis or Loisus Estadasis
Get your baygons and lets go to the congress and senate… hahahahahahaha
Anthrax? To kill the super cockroaches
I thought they were the SOURCE of anthrax?
hahahahahahaha
“So what are we to do?
Manage our resources properly.
Save and invest.
Work with one another to create robust organisational frameworks.
Owe allegiance to the community and the system, not its leaders.” – Benigno
This is actually a brilliant if not a practical approach, no its “proactive” thinking. These are actually doables, we can do these right now, some perhaps have started already…
“Anthrax? To kill the super cockroaches
I thought they were the SOURCE of anthrax?
hahahahahahaha” engeng
i’ve lab-grown a new strain. 😀 more potent than anyone can imagine. incubation period of 0.00001 nanosecs
That’s good tililing. A potent anti cockroah strain.
But the congress and senate roaches are known to be resistant. Their faces are as thick as a battleship armor.
hahahahahahah
“That’s good tililing. A potent anti cockroah strain.
But the congress and senate roaches are known to be resistant. Their faces are as thick as a battleship armor.
hahahahahahah” engeng
my strain could melt titanium like butter. what more mere metal alloys.
I LOVE GMA.
Make no mistake about it. Many would not agree with me, but so what.
If you don’t agree, better convince me.
Note: I don’t like tabloid quality justifications, and please no gossip materials.
Hi and good morning, engeng. welcome to mlq3’s blog.
shaman, i overlooked the second paragraph of your post that i was responding to. what made you so sure that pgma would ‘perpetuate” herself in power through the proposed amendments. i think you were afraid of being afraid. and what makes you think that after her, no scoundrel (worst than her) could diabolically engineer a way to perpetuate him/herself in power? at least with pgma, you have the freedom to hate her, condemn her, gossip about her and her family, make fun of her speech and stature, and get away with all of it. could you have done all that with marcos, or with a marcos-like despot after gma, and live to tell about it, let alone elected as senator or whatever?
Tililing,
just a note that could help you with your research on the extermination of the super cockroaches.
The congress species are also known for their immense stregnth.
They could carry tons of money at one time. Several times heavier than thier own body weight. They also stash their loot even thier offsprings can’t find them.
beat that … hhahahahahahaha
phrase for the day: tabloid quality
shaman, you got too much ahead of yourself. assumptions border on mere speculations. is this the result of paranoia? gma might be a lot of things for some people but i don’t think she’s the devil that most of media portray her to be. there are more evil people in the philippines than her.
Benigno,
You have extremely interesting work, I particularly liked the “Blueprint for the Future” it was quite lengthy but you summed it up in three questions. Its not illegal to copy it right? Just for personal consumption.
shaman, i overlooked the second paragraph of your post that i was responding to. what made you so sure that pgma would ‘perpetuate†herself in power through the proposed amendments. i think you were afraid of being afraid. and what makes you think that after her, no scoundrel (worst than her) could diabolically engineer a way to perpetuate him/herself in power? at least with pgma, you have the freedom to hate her, condemn her, gossip about her and her family, make fun of her speech and stature, and get away with all of it. could you have done all that with marcos, or with a marcos-like despot after gma, and live to tell about it, let alone elected as senator or whatever? – bencard
That’s right bencard, the idea of perpetuating oneself in power is not a new concept. Marcos cooked up various ways to do that. But nobody dared oppose or even make the slightest comment.
The idea of perpetually in power is not in power by the same person alone, it could also be perpetuating by having a wife, son or close friend elected as successor. Its also a “tuloy ang ligaya” concept.
bencard,
I’m just surprised by the calims of various goups and personalities that GMA is curtailing democracy.
In fact, its on GMA’s administration where we see the gravest abuse of democracy.
How many times have we seen unfounded accusations being thrown at the administration, with bogus “witnesses”, with equally bogus names like “mawanay” and “mahusay”.
How many impeachment complaints have been cooked up.
The first family is also the subject of ridicules.
Do that on Marcos time and you’re dead.
What more can they ask for.
tililing,
do you still have the Plasma Converter?
I’m thinking of putting some congressmen in it and turn them into compost.
hahahahahahaha
Tililing,
I think turning the congressmen into compost would be the least I can do.
After all, we all need congressmen we can use in GROWTH and development.
hahahahahaha
the hello garci issue
there was the house investigations. there was the senate investigations. taxpayer’s money was spent to know the truth but did the truth really surface? did both the house and senate were able to gather evidence? where is the impeachment they kept on promising? even doble’s statements is being contradicted by no less his wife. where are the other alleged corroborating witnesses as always being told by lacson. do they really exist or just mere media hype?
the zte-nbn deal issue
again, lacson said he has some witnesses. where are they now. is there a direct link between the president and this deal? where’s the evidence? where are the people who the opposition said would implicate gma? even relying on romulo neri is mere speculation.
yes, people will say that gma buys out congress and all that. the thing is why until now, the supposed black and white or the mr. hamburglar-colored movement, the rez cortez gang, other self-proclaimed civil society groups have not even gathered say 1% of the population. they number only by the thousands compared to 85 million filipinos. how many times they attempted to state rallies , some even at the behest of former president cory but it was futile. why?
There have lots of accusations. Made by cabinet secretaries, journalists, and even senators.
The question: CAN THOSE ACCUSATIONS BE BACKED UP BY SOLID AND IRREPUTABLE EVIDENCE?
Lets face it, none of the allegations have ever been substanciated by a single shred of evidence. Even Lacson’s, with his fancy (but confusing) Powerpoint presentations are basically unfounded accusations.
IRREPUTABLE – should be IRREFUTABLE
GMA, in the context of command responsibility is a disgraced leader. The 2010 elections will put her in her place (if she decides to run) – outside the country. The time honored tradition of disgraced leaders is to resign for the good of the organization and allow a smooth transition, not scorched earth policy. The Philippines, contrary to what some people may believe or would like us to believe does not have a shortage of leaders, its just that we as responsible and enlightened citizens, as well as QUALIFIED VOTERS must have a clear picture of who we need to choose, what this leader’s vision for the country is, and how he/she intends to accomplish this, and what the time lines are.
Debate on GMA’s credibility or innocence is unproductive and diversionary, the electorate will decide her fate which I believe is best. Let the people speak and for sure you’ll get a deafening “back off Gloria!” Of course given the current administration’s savy for political maneuvering, it is not at all baseless to anticipate a move to perpetuate power. The opposition has learned bitter lessons in not preparing and not anticipating the opponents’ moves in the past.
I am speaking as a tax payer and a leader who is concerned about the future of my company, it employees and their dependents. I have my bouts of wishful thinking, but mostly I’m much too engrossed with the bottomline.
Titillating, Engeng
Being in sales and marketing for the whole part of my professional life and dealing with both government and private clientele, I believe I’ve seen a lot and I’m too old not to notice the stench. I posted this earlier this afternoon, I hope it gives you an insight into government biddings and how no one is ever caught, but you know its there, you just can’t prove it.
Bribery in private and especially government biddings is almost impossible to prove. Shamefully, I dabbled a little bit in the past, you don’t leave a trail, no signed vouchers for bribe money and commissions, purely cash, you deliver the goods to the house of the official, no transactions in the office. If you really need to use ATM, deposit in the wife’s or relatives bank account, no checks. Of course as smoke can never be hidden, there’s a trail of stink, but thats about it, good luck building a case based on “talk.†It only becomes a problem once one of the parties involved, the briber and the bribee testifies and comes up with a paper trail, other than that its just dismissed easily as heresay. My favorite quotation at that time †The Devil’s greatest accomplishment was convincing the world he didn’t exist.†– JIM CAROLL
I was young and foolish and I thought being a “devil†was cool and the “good guys†the ones who play fair are PUSHOVERS, dorks, and yes, nerds, who remain virgins because they lacked the guts to cross the line every now and then to live the good life.
I grew up… In my old age I realized the folly of materialism, you can’t take it with you. Unfortunately for us, there’s a new generation of “devils†now and an old generation that refused to grow up.
ramrod,
GMA is not a disgraced leader.
Disgraced are those who throws accusations but do not have a single shred of evidence to prove them.
Disgraced are those who use constitutionally mandated measures, such as impeachment, as an instrument to inflict political damage and vendetta.
Disgraced are those who capitalize on issues to boost their bid for 2010.
Disgraced are those who oppose but can offer no alternative but have themselves put in power.
Disgraced are those who fool other people in thinking they can eliminate our problems by having the current leader removed.
ramrod, if were talking about command responsibility, then gma might be held accountable. another aspect is to pinpoint those under her who are accountable themselves.
in the legal context though, i don’t think that the opposition much more anybody has enough to convict her. unlike erap where in insider like chavit spilled the beans, unless this happens in gma’s camp then she might be tried in court after her term. that is, if the next president it not a gma ally.
there isn’t a shortage of leaders, true. the questions are: where are they? are they willing to serve the public? most of those who have credibility and integrity are in the private sector but convincing them to serve the public might just be suicide for them.
the issue on responsible voting and enlightened voting might be farfetched if we look at the demographics of the voters. a good number of voters still rely on media mileage, on tit-for-tat voting, for patronage voting, and for money.
i will say this again, quite easy to allege, quite hard to prove. this is that usual case of the opposition and those anti-gma. gma has her good points and not-so-good points. yet the opposition is committing blunder after blunder. nobody at this point has the rallying charisma to rally the people (for those who want gma out). it’s just not there no matter how some people wants to force the issue. it simply isn’t there, either yet or let’s wait for 2010.
even yourself have your own concerns more than the concern on all these political noise. at the end of the day, what are the priorities of the filipino people? at the end of the day, what matters most to most filipinos? have you tried to ask your subordinates, what do they think about the present political situation in the philippines?