After Edsa Dos, I expressed the opinion, mainly in private, that having stepped down, and having avoided bloodshed, Joseph Estrada should be left alone in Greenhills and left to wallow in his riches. Ouster, under the circumstances, was enough. When Edsa Dos forces insisted he should be thrown in jail, again, I expressed reservations on the basis of the country remaining deeply divided, and on the principle that you do not kick a man when he is down. When the pressure to charge him and try him proved irresistible, I cautioned that pending the trial, he should still be allowed to stay in Greenhills, as humiliating him would not serve the interest of justice.
What happened of course was that he was clumsily arrested, and treated in such a manner as to provoke the Edsa Tres revolt. A revolt the forces salivating over his humiliation proved powerless to prevent or even counter. The reformist instincts of the President were swiftly abandoned at that point, when it proved her Civil Society allies couldn’t protect her; instead, the military and the operators shielded her and the inevitable slide to 2003 (her decision to run again), 2004 (the manner in which the campaign was conducted), 2005 (the divorce between the President and what remained of the reformists within her government) and 2006 began.
After having gone against her instincts and ordering the arrest of Estrada, the President always proved ambiguous about the trial and a conviction: from day one, she’d preferred exile as a solution. If that proved impossible, she would be persistent in offering a pardon. Meanwhile, she expressed no dissatisfaction with the trial being dragged out, since a quick resolution of the case wouldn’t do her any good (in the absence of a willingness, on Estrada’s part, to recognize her legitimacy by accepting a pardon from her), and while a drawn-out trial also served Estrada’s purposes (either postponing an inevitable conviction or keeping him in the limelight as some sort of self-styled prisoner of conscience), neither side seemed capable of figuring out what a possible compromise could be.
And so, earlier this year I proposed that Estrada cut the Gordian knot and run for office. It offered up a possibility for the public to resolve something the court was proving unable to do. Estrada preferred to continue posturing from his Tanay rest house. After the election, when it became clear Estrada’s endorsement was not as powerful as people had expected, and when the President for her part, saw the public mood (nationally-speaking) was completely against her, the trial began to move toward a resolution. On the day the verdict was handed down, both Estrada and Arroyo loyalists discovered they stood larger in their own minds than in the eyes of a public that shrugged off Estrada’s conviction. Both saw themselves in the mirror, and didn’t like what they saw: they saw themselves as sliding, inexorably, too, into the has-been column of the political divide.
With neither side having shown themselves as particularly devoted to the law, I felt that the whole thing should be done with, and Estrada pardoned. I did end up qualifying that opinion with a further opinion that a pardon shouldn’t include his taking home the loot. The opinion of Prof. Popoy de Vera struck me, which was, that the Filipino concept of justice is restitution and not retribution -as he later told me, besides that was the public view that Estrada shouldn’t keep his loot, and having been disgraced, he should bow out of politics.
The pardon, as it’s emerged, involves exactly that, and suggests at whom the pardon is aimed, in p.r. terms: the Estrada constituency among the masses. The pardon contains a pledge (whether meaningless or not) that Estrada will not seek elective office, and that he forfeits the properties and monies ordered confiscated by the court.
Estrada, for his part, had angled for nothing less than a full, sweeping pardon. the President, on the other hand, anxious as she was to grant that pardon, had to be able to throw some sort of bone to her constituents and so, made a counter-proposal: Estrada should accept a conditional pardon, the only condition being his being unable to keep the loot (which Estrada, after all, had unblinkingly claimed was never his). What seems to have finally clinched the deal was something personal and not political -the widely-held assumption that Estrada’s mother doesn’t have very much longer left to live.
Add to that the unappetizing prospects, for the Estrada, of continued detention (however pleasant it is, but from his perspective still an intolerable situation), his being unsure of whether he would secure the overturning of the verdict on appeal, and the chance that a future government might not be anxious to pander to him the way the President has, and you can well imagine why Estrada would want to settle things now, and forget any chance to achieve a proper vindication. Add to this, finally, the pending transfer of Estrada to New Bilibid prisons: being fingerprinted in an orange jumpsuit, shaved of his Elvis-style pompadour, having to endure a jail cell.
You can imagine, too, that the President, beset on all sides by problems of her own making, and who never wanted things to reach this point, anyway, would want to settle matters, too, and her willingness to take one more gamble by saying she’d allow his being sent to Bilibid.
And so, they sealed the deal.
I am not surprised by the pardon, and I’m generally inclined to look at it the way Torn & Frayed does (he opposed amnesty, though I think amnesty would have been more politically acceptable all around), but I think it does leave a little room for further interpretation.
It tells us that the President has more to gain in terms of good will from the Estrada constituency than she has to lose from Edsa Dos forces who will be angry, upset, and shocked, but who in the end lack what matters most to the President: numbers, in terms of votes, and a willingness to make those numbers count, whether in terms of public protests or going to the polls.That political math has been clear since May, 2001: and the losers here are the Edsa Dos veterans who are shocked and appalled, only now, not least because the folly of their support for the President has been exposed, not to the President but to themselves. As far as Estrada’s supporters are concerned he made the best out of a raw deal.
But it also tells us that Estrada is permanently incapable of saving anything beyond his own hide. In the end he had to kneel and beg for mercy from a President he’d never recognized as legitimate; he would not risk vindicating himself in the courts, the ultimate demonstration of his disbelieving his own rhetoric. He can always say what does it profit a man, if he is unable to bury his mother as a free man? As far as that goes, he’s right; but he would have been allowed to bury her anyway, but he could not allow himself to endure the prospects of the Supreme Court upholding his conviction, or worse, his being hauled off to Muntinlupa to endure the kind of imprisonment regularly endured by his constituents.
In the strange, because almost mystical, way our society manages to see rays of sunshine, public opinion had finally welcomed Estrada’s conviction as closure to the great divisions of 2001. His supporters could proclaim him a willing martyr; his critics could view it as vindication. Estrada and Arroyo both managed to deny that closure to both, and that’s the reason there’s public dissatisfaction. at least withing Edsa Dos and some Edsa Tres circles, with the deal.
One comment I heard, from some Edsa Dos veterans, was, “and he didn’t even spend a single day in jail.” I understand some Estrada supporters were upset, too, because their idol caved in and left them twisting in the wind, proclaiming the illegitimacy of an administration from which Estrada himself decided to seek a pardon only a legitimate president can grant.
What this has achieved is that it has simply reshuffled the deck chairs on the Titanic. The President removed the chains keeping steerage from joining the First Class passengers on the deck of the sinking ship. Those astute enough to realize the ship’s doomed long ago fired the distress rockets and clambered into lifeboats.
In a nation where symbolism trumps substance, Estrada never had to suffer for his rhetoric, the President never gave the legal process to reach its final conclusion; there wasn’t even a token effort at proving justice could be tempered with mercy; instead, mercenary calculations were passed off as executive mercy. But, as Amang Rodriguez so famously said, “in the long of time, we shall success.”
Much as everyone saw the pardon coming, what I don’t think anyone outside of official circles expected was for it to be used so crudely, so patently politically: a historic verdict required a historic demonstration of presidential statesmanship; instead, it was a tool used to blunt the effects of embarrassing headlines resulting from the Senate hearing; and it was a brusque dismissal of those who, all these eventful years, stubbornly insisted on giving the President the benefit of the doubt because she had to be, somehow, better than her predecessor.
What happens next? It remains to be seen whether Estrada will be grateful to Arroyo, and whether a new Arroyo-Estrada alliance is in the making. I can only hope so. It relieves the opposition of the burden of having to maintain an uneasy peace with the Estrada forces, and finally offers up the prospects for the veterans of Edsa 1 and 2 to reunite.
Then again, it may also give Estrada a new lease on political life. But the damage has been done; a free man, Estrada is free to return to engaging in his vices in full public view, and to prove himself ungrateful and incapable of doing anything for those who loyally stood by his side since his fall from power.
If Estrada were to run for the presidency again, he would lose. But he can begin investing, quite heavily, in the political futures of his sons. What that future is, remains to be seen. now he is just another ex-president. He has achieved his aims, and how minimal they turned out to be. There is nothing left for him to do, not least because who, now, will follow him after his kneeling before the President?
And as for the President, it’s back to the War Room because so many other fights still need to be fought, and any relief she obtains always proves increasingly temporary. Tuesday and Wednesday night, apparently, neophyte congressmen were brought to the Palace for their egos to be stroked. Last night, a larger meeting of all non-opposition congressmen was held at the Palace, ostensibly to survey the political situation, but possibly to consider the party line concerning the President’s cash gifts, since the governors already came up with their own excuse.
Jove Francisco chronicles how reporters found out about the pardon, which wasn’t expected to be announced until Friday. Reporters apparently take their cue from how the President color-codes her dresses: if she’s in blue, you know she’s in crisis mode. Also, Jove mentions a gathering of the Cabalens in the Palace, which made for a surreal scene:
I heard some people who witnessed the event comment that the event was a bad idea. That it won’t help their cabalen-PGMA any bit. Imagine, here’s a President who has been distancing herself from the payola issue, and then here are Mayors saying stuff like “they need the controversial cash gifts” … inside the palace mismo. In bad taste, at sino man daw nag isip, – malamang di nag iisip. Ill advised, ika nga.
As for the goings on in the Palace bunker, word is that Sec. Bunye’s assumption of the role of Acting Executive Secretary is in preparation for his assuming the role in a more permanent capacity, which is why two deputy presidential spokesmen have been appointed; Sec. Ermita, according to scuttlebutt has been given a one-way ticket to America, and before he left, he told his people to start packing their things.
The reason the announcement of the pardon was moved to Thursday, instead of Friday, when the Palace prefers to make big announcements so it has the weekend to survey the scene and gage public reaction, is chronicled in turn by Uniffors. It’s a great read. And explains why the Palace dispensed with its only make breaking news as the weekend starts rule of thumb.
For a roundup of blogger’s reactions to the pardon, see tonyocruz.com.
Technorati Tags: Edsa, philippines, politics, president
BrianB,
I her objective is to extend her term in office she must start thinking in terms of strategy and not rely on hit and run tactics. (Even if the latter have been good strategy for the NPAs…)
“I’d be so afraid if she is thinking strategically right now. That means extension of her office. Most definitely, otherwise ad hoc crisis management principles should be enough to fend off the fat two-legged dogs of Philippine justice.” – brianB
This is where sustained pressure from cause-oriented groups come in, to make keep her on the defensive, keep her minions busy putting out fires.
Ramrod,
When I refer to the Clauswitz’ strategy and tactics for peace time application, I actually refer to his philosophy that he advanced as war principles that one finds in in cases when companies compete or fight it out with others for control of a selected market. There are other areas of business where his philosophy can be applied even at the business operational level.
I agree however in the ultimate, war is a win-lose proposition but we find that today too in global business (and believe me in my line of business, the principles of Clauswitz On War is very helpful) although must agree with you entirely that ‘parameters for war’ should and must not apply in the seller-buyer area.
devils,
Unfortunately, thats all I’m good for right now, but I was thinking more on the lines of at least keeping one kid off the streets and in school. I’ll have to trust Vic in this, for now.
The jargon some businessmen use when competing against another to land a market are basic war terms: Kill, maim, eliminate, annhilate, etc etc etc.
this is not the PDI “daing wrap” article I read, but something I read much recently. Also worth mentioning.
http://www.inquirer.net/specialfeatures/thegoodnews/view.php?db=1&article=20070921-89822
as you can see, I’m attracted supporting education. bec that’s where we can really help in alleviating poverty.
Ramrod,
Re Myanmar: Fabulous! Hope you get it! Your being a former military men will be an advantage rather than a disadvantage. (One of my holiday dreams is to be able to visit Myanmar.)
mbw,
I agree, I keep hearing “make the enemy bleed”, “crush the competition” during meetings, sometimes I think these people are kidding. The global market is so big, too big even for one suppier to satisfy, there is actually room for everybody without resorting to price cuts and sacrificing margins for market dominance, because in the end all business suffers.
ramrod, as i said, we have our own ways and beliefs re helping others. don’t waver jz bec of what i said.
one less kid off the streets is one less mugger who may kill your son.
so yeah, don’t mind me.
Devil,
There are a lot of concepts for a successful operations of Charities. We must also remember that Charitable Orgs, being non- government organization are also Jobs providers. The ideal charities will devout 60% to 70% of its funds to its charitable works, be they are in donation of cash, government grants or volunteer time by some of their workers.
Another good concept is the establishment of an Umbrella Head Organization whose job is to Campaign for funds, awareness and works of all charities that depends on its funding. One of these is the United Way. The United Way is an Umbrella NGO who is responsible for substantial part of funding of hundreds of smaller organizations.
I was privileged to work in one of its agencies( as a volunteer for so many years) whose works involve in providing transportation to Seniors to their doctors’ appointment,hospitals, shopping or wherever they wish to go or a ride to the centre where they can socialize with others and keep them pre-occupied and also save the government in lot of care expenses if they choose to live in nursing homes instead of staying in their houses and apartments and get the mobility they needed..Any charitable orgs that serves its intended goals and purposes is a worthwhile undertakings… but there are so many who also use them for an easy money and for sinister purpose, like raising funds for terrorism and terrorist organizations and some just for their milking cows. And there are many.. So be very careful and always remember..â€Âbuyers bewareâ€Â..
Yes. I remember Estrada had this foundation for the Muslims thing, but it was bogus.
“There are a lot of concepts for a successful operations of Charities”
Is there a Charity concept that go hand in hand with social welfare?
devils,
I will never “not mind you,” you drive a good point, only fools act on something without looking at all the angles.
“Is there a Charity concept that go hand in hand with social welfare?” – brianB
I believe if the charity focuses on education it is related to social welfare though in the long term. I remember in grade school I had classmates who lived in the squatter areas but were “CCF” scholars, and this was a private school. One classmate became a chemical engineer and now works for a big company, and the other is a lawyer in Cebu (of course this is not good news, another lawyer?).
I have to say goodnight guys, I have to be a role model tomorrow and bring everybody to church. Lets try to monitor cause-oriented groups (B&W movement, etc) and how they are exerting pressure on the administration, or how the administration is imploding or weakening because of dropped balls/mistakes, I hope this is not just wishful thinking…
Don’t know if this Philstar news is the first scene of the remake of “Lintik lang ang walang gantiâ€Â….
“Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim said he plans to invite Estrada to the Manila City Hall and set an official welcome ceremony for the former president.
“He said Estrada’s visit will delight Manila residents who have supported the ex-president while he was detained.â€Â
Heh! Lights, camera, action!!!!
coopetition. in other words, cartels.
Another good concept is the establishment of an Umbrella Head Organization whose job is to Campaign for funds, awareness and works of all charities that depends on its funding.
ramrod, tnx for your belief in me.
indeed a very good idea. it frees up the actual NGOs to do the work without worrying about funding. may i also add that we can have an umbrella organization that screens all purported charities and NGOs so that we can unmask which are fronts and which are veritable charities. kind of like VeriSign or ISO. a seal or being a member means your are trustworthy.
“Is there a Charity concept that go hand in hand with social welfare?†– brianB
I would say quite a few..one is the Food Bank, which is mostly operated by volunteer workers and accept donations in non-perishable foods for distribution to working poors and families whose income would mostly go to foods if not for the food banks, thereby enabling them to spend some of their incomes on other essentials. This also targets social assistance recipients whose monthly stip-ends from social services just barely enough for essentials.
Fire Departments and most Groceries Stores are the partners of the Food Bank who collect and delivers food to the Banks..
Speaking of charitable institutions and social welfare:
unicef.org/philippines/support
childrenshour.org.ph
ayalafoundation.org
I believe they have good reputations as well. For those who don’t have the time/inclination/capacity for hands-on volunteerism but would like a hassle-free way to help financially, in the unicef page, one can give monthly donations through credit card (you can specify the number of months, and your specified amount will just be automatical billed to your card for the duration period.)
jdv iii, the supposed squealer, said in no uncertain terms tha gma was not involved in any way in the zte deal except giving the o.k. to approve it. this was corroborated by his father. neither did neri, who just invoked the executive privilege when, in his own view, the question being propounded to him impinged on confidential executive matters. if you think there’s something incriminatory to the president behind such invocation, speculate to your heart’s content – that’s your right. but that will not make the president “guilty” or impeachable, much less indictable.
but then again, maybe you have something else that could “nail” the president in your possession. if so, do your duty as a good citizen and volunteer to testify under oath.
i’m sure the likes of lacson, cayetano, et al., are eagerly awaiting for you like a lost traveler in sahara waiting for a drink of water.
btw, your excuse doesn’t hold water. if mlq3 can tackle multi topics at a time, why can’t you? if your capacity to handle issue is limited to one at a time, i would understand. just say so.
my last post was addressed to manuel buencamino in response to his 12:45 a.m. comment
” Devils,
my thought was and continues to be that it’s will be difficult to do anything constructive if we continue to be suspicious of everything. I do realize the wise thing to do is to inspect, see for yourself, etc, etc. but not always easy to do so in the end, you make your choices and hope to God the choice you make are right. But thanks for the reminder. ”
Its the same way with me.
Our scholarship project was questioned so many times by other members of the group and the rival group. There wwere even some smear campaign against it from within the group. Some are really vicous that led to the resignation of the first scholar manager. But he remained a supporter until now.
But all those questions and smear campaigns were just answered soberly and we just move on with the project. And it just stopped.
80% of us actually havent meet all the people that are involved in our project. Ive met those that came to visit NYC.We also dont know the names of the scholars. They are simply referred as “Isko” in all communications.
But any donors who wanted to meet the scholars are accompany teh scholar manager during the monthly meeting with the scholar.
Our project just operates based on THRUST. And we dont require all the members to give donations. Yung gusto lang magbigay.
rego, may i know the name of your org?
By the way, I myself is a product of an scholarship project by Atlas Mining Corporation.
But I like the way our scholarship is being conducted. We just dont dole out allowances to the benficiaries. We make sure that the scholar can finish college with a very decent academic record at that. This is also the reason why we require the scholars not to join fraternities and they can not work too. we want them to just focus on their studies.
The European School in Manila have also offered scholarships in the past; believe they have set a number of places for poor but deserving students yearly.
devils, email me
Another school that’s totally funded through scholarship programmes (and license fees from merchant marine officers and seamen) is the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP)in Bataan. Tuition fees would run in millions (like in the PMA) but students who make it throught the tough screening and entrance exams don’t pay a cent for the 4 year course. When graduates pass the board exams, they are assured of employment right away with companies that fund the institution.
MAAP is the most successful fully scholarship-run non-government para-military academy in the Philippines and is run by a former FOIC; academy rules are pattered after the PMA.
rego, it’s a conundrum for me. how? you didn’t post your address nor any way of how i can contact you. 😀
oh sorry. its alden40@ gmail.com.
Kumusta po kayo Mga Pinoy,
Sa akin pong palagay ay dapat nang bigyan ng tuldok ang isyu tungkol kay Erap. Matapos siyang matanggal sa pagka Pangulo, kasuhan, makulong, mahatulan at bigyan ng kapatawaran ng ating Pangulo, wala na sigurong dapat pag-usapan pa tungkol sa kanya.
Ako man ay hindi pabor na patawarin si Erap nang ganun kabilis, pero wala po tayong magagawa kundi ang sundin ang isinasaad ng ating Saligang Batas, na pinagtibay ng higit na nakakaraming Filipino noong 1987. Ang tinutukoy ko po ay ang kapangyarihan ng Pangulo na magbigay ng kapatawaran sa sinumang nagkasala at nahatulan ng ating hukuman. Sinunod naman ng pangulo ang 3 limitasyon ng kanyang kapangyarihan na magpatawad. Kaya tayong Filipino ay dapat na suportahan at sundin ang legal na mga kautusan ng taong binigyan natin ng kapangyarihan – ang ating Pangulo.
Tungkol sa madaming akusasyon sa ting Pangulo, ito ang masasabi ko – Hangga’t walang nakakapagpatunay na ang ating pangulo ay nagkasala, walang sinuman, kahit na ang ating mga obispo, ang dapat na humatol sa ating Pangulo. Ang pagpapatalsik sa Pangulo ay malinaw na nasasaad sa ating Saligang Batas. Bakit hindi natin hayaan na maipatupad ang nasasaad sa ating mga batas – sa halip na ilagay natin sa ating mga kamay? Kung hindi magawa ng Kongreso, sino ba ang dapat sisihin? Di ba tayo na nagluklok ng ating mga congressman sa kanilang mga puwesto?
Ang ating pong bayan ay mananatiling magulo at mabagal ang pag-unlad kung hindi tayo matututong (1)tumanggap ng ating mga pagkakamali, (2)magdusa sa ating mga pagkakamali, at (3) magtuwid ng mga yaong pagkakamali sa susunod na halalan.
Wakin
“Much as everyone saw the pardon coming, what I don’t think anyone outside of official circles expected was for it to be used so crudely, so patently politically: a historic verdict required a historic demonstration of presidential statesmanship; instead, it was a tool used to blunt the effects of embarrassing headlines resulting from the Senate hearing; and it was a brusque dismissal of those who, all these eventful years, stubbornly insisted on giving the President the benefit of the doubt because she had to be, somehow, better than her predecessor.†– mlq3
I share many of Manolo’s sentiments.
In the run-up to People Power 11, my wish had been for Erap to be held accountable to the impeachable offenses he was accused of and that if the impeachment process would be trifled with in the Senate the people should exercise the sovereign prerogative of the “last say†and remove him from office via People Power. Following People Power, I hoped Arroyo would then declare a revolutionary government; and to put a quick political closure on the matter, with her revolutionary powers brought to bear upon Erap, consider executive clemency after a bargained plea of guilty and force an ousted president into exile.
Had the above scenario been consummated, Arroyo would then have as much opportunity as Cory Aquino of (the still undying) People Power 1 fame, to start afresh. But the forces of conservatism had in fact an easier time prevailing upon Arroyo to revert quickly to the status quo ante, a course subsequently legitimated by the Supreme Court by declaring that People Power II revolution was inchoate, hence the Court’s rationale for intra-constitutional change of “constructive resignation†instead of regime change.
Instead of far-reaching transformation following a people’s upheaval, the unfortunate choices thus made set the stage for just another gradualist or business-as-usual mode of governance, calcified by Arroyo’s pronouncement: “I have no grandiose ambition of being great, I just want to do my work well. I don’t want magic. I just want to be 100 percent right – morally right.â€Â
GMA’s EXPLICIT promise was to restore moral authority in governance. She has shown her great resolve to fulfill that promise by swiftly paving the way for Erap’s arrest, an opportunity that somehow had eluded Cory as to Ninoy’s tormentors.
The ball at the plunder trial was actually on Erap’s court given the scope and weight of the evidence adduced during the impeachment hearings; that whether Erap would then be placed on house arrest, detained with special privileges appropriate to a former head of state, or allowed to exit via exile, the nation could have not gone wrong according GMA abundant discretion to exercise her presidential prerogative especially if weighed as a necessary precondition to the fulfillment of her IMPLICIT promise for social and economic reforms.
After People Power II and EDSA Tres the logical path for GMA would have been toward radical rather than gradualist reforms. True to her class interest, GMA has instead opted for incremental solution having thus eschewed any “grandiose ambition of being great.â€Â
During the early phase of GMA’s administration and certainly before the July 27 (2003) mutiny, there was the sense that one of GMA’s route to achieve fundamental restructuring was in terms of reforming the wretched state of the electoral process; that if a “failure†of an honest and peaceful election would be perceived again as too likely to occur in 2004 owing to the same official neglect to reform the process, it could trigger to test anew the breaking threshold of the silent middle, which already evinced its agitated state in People Power II; and that a gradualist approach to this acute malady might end up inadequate to fulfill the explicit promise of moral uprightness, the contention being: Should a conciliatory approach to Erap’s case (a plea of guilty, presidential pardon and then exile) be pursued thereby saving the government precious resources, a redirected or rather intense effort towards electoral reforms could prove in the long term to be more salutary than the clamor for retributive justice.
In my tally sheet, I have placed essential electoral reforms ahead of poverty alleviation as a precondition for transformation.
The “Garci tapes†debacle alone totally dashed the expectation. For, not only did Arroyo fail to deliver on both her explicit and implicit promises, she in point of fact callously prostituted the first; and thus exposed and rendered a lame duck, realistically Arroyo could not be expected to deliver on the second except by extending her reign beyond 2010, the present constitutional limit.
The pardon option I had advocated before is philosophically grounded upon the following conclusion in a piece I have already excerpted in the last thread here:
Justice like sovereignty is an abstraction. In reality, however, the scale is not always perfect either in weighing, for example, the legal equality of sovereign states or in balancing the precedent wrong with the present response in the pursuit of a just society.
What seems to matter most is that when we put into play certain abstract principles we hold dear, we take into account the common good of the present as much as the future. Juggling the Erap ball out is a safe and wise way to comply with that goal.
In Manolo’s plainer terms, I was then looking for “a historic verdict (requiring) a historic demonstration of presidential statesmanship†not used as a “tool†for personal political survival.
By now, Erap’s diehards should realize that Asiong Salonga is a myth. On the other hand, Arroyo and her handlers, instead of prophesying her lot by setting up a rather impalpable Erap precedent, would do well waking up too to the reality of an inevitable, maybe harsher, Marcosian finale.
Bencard,
Priorities, priorities. First things first.
Stopping ongoing plunder is more important than raising hell about plunder that cannot be committed by a person who is no position to do what he did all over again.
Joey De Venecia did not clear Gloria. He said he had no personal knowledge of her involvement. He testified only on those things he knew about and experienced personally like Back Off!
To repeat. First person account, no hearsay. That’s why he said he had no knowledge of gloria’s involvement.
However upon further questioning by senators and after being informed by the ZTE technical working group that he should also reveal his conversations with other personalities involved in the ZTE deal, Joey related what he heard from Ricky Razon and from the Speaker who recounted his shouting match with Gloria. Joey reiterated that he didn’t talk about these things when he first testified because they were hearsay.
He didn’t talk about Ricky Razon exclaiming ““Putangina kasi yung Abalos na yan. Sinabi pa niya kay Mike meron siyang 70 million dollars dito, hindi na nakalimutan ni Mike†because he knew lawyers like you would pounce on him immediately. Joey is not stupid. He is intelligent and, more importantly, he is credible. That’s why your Gloria is climbing walls. The public believes Joey over Mike Arroyo, Abalos, Mendoza, and Ricky Razon.
I have talked to Joey personally. He has no doubt in his mind about the involvement of the Arroyo couple in the deal but he can’t say so publicly because he was never saw or heard Gloria say do or say anything to incriminate herself. However, he says Romy Neri did and the NEDA minutes will show Gloria’s hand in the deal.
So I ask you again – if there’s nothing to hide, why hide anything?
Executive privilege is a claim being made by Gloria. She is under no obligation to invoke it. Why the secrecy?
Finally, Joey spoke about a murder plot against him. He said he was warned by retired Gen. Jaime Santos. The Speaker, his wife and their lawyer corroborate Joey’s story. The general denie it.
At the Senate Joey also mentioned an assassination plot against his father. The Speaker’s wife and the Speaker confirmed this plot on Korina Sanchez’ TV show.
Now why the cover-up, why the assassination ploys of Joey was only a drug crazed delusional sour graping accuser?
Erap cannot steal anymore. Let’s deal with active thieves.
Bencard,
Pardon the typos. I can’t find my reading glasses.
Wakin (Office of Toting “two tapes” Bunye)
“Erap cannot steal anymore. Let’s deal with active thieves.”
Manuel Buencamino:They say there can be no honor among thieves. They say that human greed is stronger than human loyalty, and that no promise is safe from the corruption of gold and power.
But even within the shadows, some order must be held. Here, knowledge is more powerful than the sharpest blade, and alliances are kept through a careful balance of lies. And though indeed there may be no honor among the thieves, there is respect amid distrust…
Devils, I couldnt agree more with your ideas. Just to add, on your “umbrella organization”: I believe we have a similar model applied in Naga City, it’s the internationally recognized Naga City People’s Council (NCPC) which is in turn a concrete manifestation of the multi-awarded People Empowerment law/ordinance of the Jesse Robredo-led LGU of Naga. I consulted with them (‘pro bono’, on Development Communication) when my cousin, Dave Bercasio, was the executive director in 2005.
In the private sector, as far as corporate foundations or corporate social responsibility arms are concerned, one emerging credible group is the League of Corporate Foundation (LCF) that has been synergizing all efforts of all its member-foundations to be able to deliver a deeper impact on society and also to promote best practices and principles. Annually, they stage the CSR EXPO. I had been privileged to interface with them when I headed a small corporate foundation in Naga. I also had the chance to do my internship under the Ayala foundation prior to that. Great groups! ALthough I think there’s still a lot of room for improvement.
There’s another one that I know of, the Philippine Council for NGO Certification,whose main function is “to certify non-profit organizations that meet established minimum criteria for financial management and accountability in the service to underprivileged Filipinos.”
Its objectives are the following, to wit:
1.To provide a mechanism of certification for NGOs which meet established minimum criteria for greater transparency and accountability.
2.To encourage private sector participation in social development through availment of incentives under the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program.
3.To simulate and integrate the efforts of the non-profit sector to elevate its standards of service delivery.
4.To provide a system for greater GO-NGO collaboration and complementation.
Presently, it is composed of 6 umbrella organizations of NGOs, namely:
1. The Association of Foundations (AF), membership: 135 foundations operating in cities and provinces nationwide;
2. the Caucus of Development NGO networks (CODE-NGO, a network of 14 national and regional NGO networks numbering among its membership about 3000 NGOs in all the regions of the country;
3. the LCF
4. the National Council of Social Development Foundations (NCSD), said to be one of the country’s oldest NGO networks, composed of about 100 NGOs engaged in development and basic services project, mostly benefiting children and youth.
5. the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) a social development foundation set up in 1970 and funded by 180 business corporations in the Philippines.
6. the Bishop Businessmen’s Conference for Human Dev’t, led by the bishops of the Catholic Church as well as business leaders in the country
Now what does a certification do for an NGO? Its website says:
1. Encourages local donations to NGOs, made more important by the present trend of dwindling resources for social development projects
2. Recognizes NGOs of “good standing” that funding donors may consider in their choice of organization to support
3. Provides opportunities for self-assessment and improvement
4. Provides valuable assistance for organizational strengthening
5. Promotes professionalism, transparency and accountability of the NGO community
These groups can provide a lot of help/assistance as to the funding concerns of NGOs, especially the start-ups.
There, mabalos!
While it is true that granting pardon is a prerogative of a president under the constitution, what is irregular is that a compromise or a prior agreement might have been done to grant pardon. There is no way that the lawyers of erap will withdraw their MR without confirming this agreement.
Equalizer,
sorry hindi ko magets ang comment mo to me.
There is respect amid distrust now between the camps of the two great thieves.
ducks, that was a great list! very informative! btw, how do you “intern” for such organizations? o kelangan ba me kakilala ka sa loob? they’re not exactly advertising for it, you know.
devilAdv8:Oragon!write in Helium
equalizer, i cannot get into Helium. their site’s currently in construction the last time i visited
Mabalos Devils. Well, I am not really sure with the other groups. Although I am pretty sure most of them welcome “interns” , especially students. Baka endi nag-aadvertise kasi they know its not that popular with students. In my batch, iilan lang kaming nag-intern sa mga NGOs. Karamihan sa mga media outfits, when in fact, development communication graduates are groomed and expected to use their know-how and skills for developmental endeavors.
But you are correct in my case because I was able to do my internship with Ayala Foundation due to my being an alumnus of the Ayala Young Leaders Congress, the cornerstone of the Ayala Corporation’s “Shaping Tomorrow’s Leaders” – a youth development program designed to contribute to the long-term solution of the leadership crisis that we have been facing here in our country.
And, if I may add Devils, AYLC, as the Ayala Group puts it, is “anchored on the company’s belief that quality education and value-based leadership formation go hand in hand to equip the Filipino youth for their present and future role in nation-building. Over time, AYLC hopes to contribute in the development of a powerful group of change agents and servant leaders from among these young Filipinos”.
So it’s something that will sit well with you Irmano I believe ’cause it’s definitely not a simple and pure doleout/handout-type of engagement which, in my humble opinion, has all the potentials to build a dependency or a “patron-beneficiary” relationship and mentality, which, in turn, can further decelerate the development of the target beneficiary/beneficiary groups. It’s more of a “social investment”, to be sustained by the commitment of the entire Group, from top management down, towards sustainable development and community involvement as opposed to pure and simply philanthropy which, in the long run, can not really strengthen the society. Here, the ubiquitous parable of giving fish and patiently teaching people how to fish comes into mind. But that’s another tale!
Speaking of tale, allow me to share a short story written by no less than “the” Neil Gaiman himself, in celebration of Halloween.
“It’s lonely where I live, an old house a long way from anywhere. That’s why I got a dog. He keeps me company.
Last night the moon was full, and it cast shadows. We took a short-cut through the woods, into the meadow beyond. I let him off-leash to run. He came back holding something.
“Drop it,” I ordered, and he did. I felt sick.
Somebody behind me said, “That’s mine. Don’t turn around.”
Then the shadow beside mine was gone, and my dog whimpered in the moonlight.”
Booo!:)
Have a happy one everyone! Goodnight! And be well… 🙂
And another tale, by John Langan —
“I’d just switched off the bedside light when I heard feet shuffling down the hall. My son had been doing this every night since we moved here; leaving his bed for ours. We thought it was a phase he’d grow out of.
He was early tonight. The bed shifted as he crawled over Ann, wriggled under the sheets. His breathing was heavy, hoarse. I wondered if he were coming down with something. He snuggled against me.
I woke hours later.
“Come in with Mommy and Daddy,” Ann said.
My son scrambled into the empty space between us.”
Happy Halloween again!:)
“I took the big plunge (with my wife) and sponsored a child just this afternoon, imagine for only 5,000Php or so you can send a child to school for one year. We chose a 6 year old girl living in Misamis.” – ram
ram,
I’m glad you have decided to sponsor a 6 year old girl and send her to school for one year. Barring unseen circumstances, I’ll be in Manila 2nd week of November and thanks for offering me a ride but I’ve already made arrangements with my brother.
buencamino, as i said, ipagpatuloy mo ang paghahabi ng mga sarli mong kuro-kuro dahil karapatan mo yan. kung inaakala mong sapat na kung anong sinasabi ni joey, ikaw and bahala. but to draw a factual conclusion from them is something else.
btw, i thought we were debating your silence regarding erap’s pardon before it was granted, an issue which i raised when you commented about your “outrage” over it. im not saying na nagpapalusot ka. just give me something more plausible reason for your lack of zeal in opposing it at the right time.
Just want to clarify something to avoid maligning the school — MAAP is not a ‘para-military’ institution (mali kasi very antok na ako talaga); what I meant was it is run like a ‘semi-military’ school.
“Another school that’s totally funded through scholarship programmes (and license fees from merchant marine officers and seamen) is the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP)in Bataan. Tuition fees would run in millions (like in the PMA) but students who make it throught the tough screening and entrance exams don’t pay a cent for the 4 year course. When graduates pass the board exams, they are assured of employment right away with companies that fund the institution.” – mbw
mbw, my cousin just graduated from that school this year.