In today’s Inquirer editorial, the paper thinks the government’s trying to politicize the price of gas; this reflects the attitude of people like Norwegian Would who think we’ve moved forward since the days of subsidized oil:
It is now close to a decade since we finally smashed the old illusion that oil price subsidies were pro-poor, perpetuated for a long time by the middle and upper class leaders of so-called ‘people’s organizations.’ Note that at that time nominal prices were below 20 dollars per barrel. Now the high is about five times. But we don’t hear of any outrageous manifestos that the increase is caused by the local ruling class in conspiracy with foreign capitalists, do we?
Despite its moderate optimism, the Inquirer’s Sunday editorial proved prophetic, in a sense, as it warned of the consequences if politicking intruded into the Batasan bombing investigation too early. The news reported Ermita clears Salapuddin on Batasan blast which led to backpedaling on his part, today: Palace executive says he did not clear Salapuddin. But the damage has been done: as Senator Genaro Magsaysay famously said, “less talk, less mistake.” The dangers of higher-ups saying something were obvious to begin with.
Last Thursday I had a chance to run into Rep. Roilo Golez whose observations, however, made sense to me. He said that if assassination was the aim, then the opportunity presents itself in two places: where the target lives, and where the target works (incidentally, on Wahab Akbar, see Torn and Frayed and Sidetrip with Howie Severino).
Add to this, he said, the fact that we don’t have a suicide bomber culture, and that includes killers intent on killing themselves, too. So an assassin would make saving his own hide a high priority. This limits the opportunities, Golez said. Between home and work, the target’s convoy would make assassination difficult. You’d expect home to be well secured. But work -well, in the case of Akbar, the opportunity was there, particularly as he seemed to have suffered from a false sense of security while at the House, leaving by the same entrance like clockwork. An assassin, Golez observed, would run the risk of being gunned down after shooting his target, unless he was capable of making the 300 meter dash to the main entrance before anyone noticed what had happened. This means, if a getaway is important to the assassin, a bomb would be best. The other possibility, that the bombing was undertaken by a rogue element within the military, is a possibility Golez’s very uncomfortable with. No such inhibitions from Inner Sanctum.
Still, Amando Doronila says Blaming Abus was convenient for probers while Uniffors remains puzzled by the use of a bomb to do something small arms fire could have accomplished.
Scriptorium says the bombing raises three questions (read the whole entry, particularly his belief our society isn’t about to fall apart, just yet):
First, how could they think to do it? For while the legislators are not deemed epitomes of integrity–and in recent years, in fact, the Lower House has seemed lower still, a very expensive rubber stamp fit for a Queen–, they are legislators nonetheless, anointed with the ill-used but still real dignity of representing the nation in its districts and sectors; and an attack on them remains, by constitutional fiction, an attack on us. The bombing was therefore not only an attempt at mass murder–or perhaps at simple murder with multiple collateral casualties–but a national lese majeste, an brazen act of political sacrilege that makes us shudder for its confidence and contempt.
This takes us to the 2nd concern: Who then is safe? If our legislators with their security force and phalanxes of bodyguards can be attacked at the very center of their power, then what of us–who, when we ride the trains and enter the malls, have only private guards to keep us unharmed, searching our bags for bombs they would hardly recognize, shielding us more from comfort than from danger? The Glorietta “gas explosion” was bad enough; and even as we continue our daily routines, we know that we’ve gone back to the second lowest step of Maslow’s hierarchy (if, that is, we ever left it, or ever ascended from the first). One can hardly blame the tourists and investors for staying away, for they have a choice. We have none, and must go as before, though perhaps adding a prayer for safety to our morning rituals.
The 3rd concern proceeds from the foregoing: What next? Was this but the first ledge of a descending cascade of violence, unleashed by maybe Maoists, Islamists, Arroyoists, or random thugs? Will our government seize on it as an excuse to formally impose martial law, which it has proven all-too-willing to do for the most intangible reasons? In this light, though the intentions behind the attack are still uncertain, and its economic and social results remain to be seen, the needed policy response is already clear: For the sake of the nation and its people, the violence must be halted now, and its real perpetrators must be identified and prosecuted as soon as possible–but the means used must not, through excess, threaten to destroy the very ideals they seek to protect. More anon, perhaps, when more facts come to light.
More questions are raised by Postcard Headlines. But Mon Casiple asks the real question on everyone’s mind: are they Coincidences or real political moves? He’s a bit ambiguous on this score:
At the moment, the political situation points to the imperative on the president to make a decisive decision soon on which path she will take to ensure her own survival beyond 2010. The name of the game right now is called “transition management.”
She does not have much time left for her to decide (and make this public) since all the options require long and difficult preparations. All the interested political actors–within and outside her ruling coalition, local as well as foreign–know this. All are exerting pressure to push their own agenda and–the jackpot–to be the one to manage the transition.
Of course, GMA may not really leave the scene–witness her pronouncements on a charter change initiative. There are some in her coalition who wants to use the charter change to extend her term in power (and their own) and they are moving heaven and civil society to make this happen.
However, the chances for this are slim, unless her administration scatters the opposition and unleashes white terror on civil society. The desperate temptation to declare martial law or a state of emergency stem from the reality of a people’s resistance to charter change under GMA’s tutelage.
It is a coincidence that dramatic events such as the Batasan bombing, the Dalaig assassination, or the Glorietta incident occur one after the other in this moment of political conjuncture. Still-unfolding events will show whether these are real coincidences or planned moves in a game of political strategy.
Meanwhile, bureaucratic intramurals: Battle looms over control of Justice.
Overseas, see Malaysia Demos: Sound and Fury, Signifying Little in Asia Sentinel.
My column for today is The future’s bright (and thanks to the San Jose-Recoletos student publications editor-in-chief, who blogs at ~~peAceOuS viCioUs~~ for her kind words). On a Visayas-related note, see Boljoon Dig part 1 and Boljoon Dig part 2, in CAFFiend, on some remarkable archeological diggings there. Interesting entries, on provincial history, in Kanlaon and A Nagueño in the Blogosphere. Interesting notes, too, in The Magnificent Atty. Perez, referring to the Iloilo-Cebu connection.
Elsewhere in the blogosphere, I failed to read Blackshama’s Blog’s reaction to my columns on Marcos. But now that I have, you know, I’m working on a theory. Marcos established a New Society as the dominant discourse: it justified the scrapping of the liberal-democratic order created in 1935; and it was,actually, the justification for Edsa 1 and even Edsa Dos -and explains the refusal of what was once Marcos’ strongest constituency, the middle and upper classes frightened by Communism, to be politically engaged since 2005. Neither Edsa created a New Society, so why bother?
Think of it. Sift through all the reasons people give for not being politically active since 2005 (never mind examples of extreme social alienation, as shown in , or of guilt, as expressed by Hello Tiger Kitty), sift through the things people enumerate as everything wrong with this country (oligarchy, etc.) and then sift through what they want -basically, a Year Zero- and where it might be headed (a swing to the Right, suggests Ren’s Public Notebook) what do you have?
Ang Bagong Lipunan!
Another idea to explore is described in History Unfolding’s entry on Politics and Fourth Turnings:
William Strauss and Neil Howe, who wrote Generations and The Fourth Turning, divided American history into periods of approximately 80 years, called saeculums (Latin for a long human life.) In turn they divided each such period into four “turnings,” a High, an Awakening, an Unraveling and a Crisis. After the civil war crisis, the High lasted approximately from 1867 to 1885, the Awakening from about 1885 to 1905, the Unraveling until 1929 or so, and the crisis through 1945. In our own time the High ran from 1945 to 1965, the Awakening from then until the mid-1980s, the Unraveling from about 1985 until. . .sometime in the last 8 years.
This is a concept that resonates with me, because I approached recent events along similar (though not as intricate) lines in.
The Marocharim Experiment on the sociology of dance moves. It’s sad to note Patsada Karajaw has vanished from the blogosphere.
Technorati Tags: Blogging, books, constitution, economy, Edsa, history, House of Representatives, Marcos, media, military, mindanao, philippines, politics, society
Alam naman ng pamahalaan na walang masyadong maniniwala sa sinasabi nila, kungkayat hindo nila talaga ipinagtatanggol ang teorya ng pulisya. Gumagawa lamang ng paraan ang gobyerno na humina ang reaksyon ng mamamayan sa panahong kritikal.
Ang inaalala ko lang ay wala na bang nalalabing takot sa Diyos o sa tao man ang namamahala? Parang alam nila na anumang isipin natin ay wala na din tayong magagawa, at sa huli, sila pa din ang mananatili sa puder. Para ding hindi na ginagalang ang talino ng tao.
how can a case be closed and yet not solved?
our PNP has the penchant for squatter raids when it needs patsies. want to solve cases quickly? visit Payatas and kill some eyesores and present them as suspects. who’d decry the deaths of these people anyway? except their own friends and families.
mahilig nga magpa press con ang mga higher ups ng PNP at AFP. mabuti kung transparency ang habol nila. eh puro papogi lang at kuryente ang ginagawa nila eh. salita muna bagi imbestigasyon. sa conjectures sila nangungunahan tapos may gana silang mag appeal sa tao na wag maniwala sa haka-haka hanggang walang sapat na ebidensya. eh g*@% pala sila eh. lead by example, good sirs.
the US today is on another unraveling turn. if not in a crisis turn already.
First time i heard of Wahab Akbar was in the Garci tapes. In one of the most lurid conversations in the tapes, Garci threatens to have the family of Tipo-Tipo, Basilan election officer Rashma Halli kidnapped. Halli had just turned up as witness for the FPJ camp, in the custody of lawyer Rufus Rodriguez. Garci had a mouthful to say against Akbar, describing him as an FPJ supporter who only belatedly switched to the GMA camp. In this conversation, Garci is speaking to a certain Ruben, whom some have identified as Ruben Reyes, a businessman whom Joey De Venecia likewise mentioned as being part of Abalos’ entourage in the ZTE meetings.
Conversation between Garcillano and a certain Ruben on 07 20:38 June ’04
Garcillano: … Ngayon, itong si Rashma Hali, wala naman masasabi against kay ma’am eh, kahit anong gawin nila because she has not done anything except kay Wahab Akbar. Kaya dapat si Wahab ang mawarningan.
Ruben: Pero, ano ba pare yung pinakikitang ano ni Rufus na ano?
Garcillano: Ah, pabayaan mo siya but it does not have anything to do with the President.
Ruben: Ibig mong sabihin yung pinakikitang dinagdagan daw yung boto ni Presidente eh….
Garcillano: Hindi naman nila matetestiguhan kung hindi sa kanyang munisipyo.
Ruben: Yung Tipo-tipo di ba?
Garcillano: Oo nga, pero ang problema niyan, wala naman kay Presidente dyan.
Ruben: Hindi ba yun ang pinepresenta ni Rufus na dinagdagan?
Garcillano: Yung pinakikita ni Rufus, tingnan natin sa provincial canvass, kasi wala naman nagagawa yan dun sa kanyang munisipyo. Bahala siya, kaya nga ina-ano ko si Wahab, pina-aano ko kay Wahab ngayon, dapat si Presidente ma-kwan niya kay Wahab para si Wahab ang kumuha ng taong yan kung hindi, ipakukuha ko ang pamilya niyan.
Ruben: Uh-hum.
Garcillano: Yun na lang last resort ko, pakukuha ko ang pamilya nyan.
Ruben: Kaya nga. Ganun talaga ang dapat gawin dun.
Garcillano: Oo, pero dapat malaman ni Wahab na si Wahab, kasi ang more damage will be against that Wahab Akbar, not the President.
Ruben: Bakit, maapektuhan ba yung boto ni Wahab?
Garcillano: Siya talaga ang ano, ang malaking ano, naka-pabor.
Ruben: Uh-hm.
Garcillano: Kaya kung maaari papupuntahin ko nga rito yung supervisor, patago ko rin dito sa kin. Because, I want to clean out kung alin yung mga by municipality results.
Ruben: Hindi ‘yun nga ang nagkakaproblema dahil si Wahab ang nagpatrabaho nyan eh.
Garcillano: Eh ang problema niyang si Wahab, gumalaw si Wahab nung huli na.
Ruben: Huli na nga eh. Akinse na nung gumalaw si Wahab eh.
Garcillano: Alam mo si Wahab was working for FPJ actually.
Ruben: Oo, nung una.
Garcillano: Nung nalaman niyang matatalo si FPJ, saka bumaligtad.
Ruben: Sinabi mo. Totoo talaga.
Garcillano: Yung mga tao namin diyan, eh galit na galit sa kanya eh. Kaya ito, kung anuman, basta malalaman ko hanggang umaga, ng maagang-maaga kung ano talaga ang score doon so I can tell them to get her family kung halimbawa. Sabagay medyo matindi na ito kasi nandun naman si Lomibao, nandun din si… ewan ko kung sino pang nandun, may isang colonel na nandun. Kung kailangang kunin, di kunin na ang pamilya nya. Lokohan na rin lang eh, di kwan. Pero yang Rufus na yan, wala namang alam yan.
Ruben: Kaya nga, kaya nga.
Garcillano: Ewan ko lang kung pupunta pa uli yun, pakidnap ko siya. Nakakaano eh.
Ruben: Hindi naman pumupunta, pero ang balita ko nandirito sa Parañaque.
Garcillano: Nandito na yung ano…
Ruben: Nandito na nga raw sa Parañaque nun pang Saturday.
Garcillano: O sige. Basta we’ll ask somebody to look for her and then get her family, kung pwede….
Sift through all the reasons people give for not being politically active since 2005…, sift through the things people enumerate as everything wrong with this country… and then sift through what they want -basically, a Year Zero- and where it might be headed … what do you have?
Ang Bagong Lipunan!
Is this a message from the cosmos that we just arent heeding? A message that will keep coming back again and again until we take it seriously? We rail against G.W. Bush for trying to export American-style democracy to the Middle East, and yet we accept that this export is right for us. Why? We’ve tried it their way and look where we are.
Marcos botched its execution. Ninoy said he would do what Marcos did if he were in Marcos’s shoes. And MLQ3 says there seems to be an unspoken affinity for it.
If American-style representative democracy isnt working here, what should Philippine-style democracy look like? Im seeing an abolition of the lower house and a democracy wherein the citizens and people’s groups have a more direct hand in legislation.
Marcos and his cheap copycat!
1) Slogan:
Marcos: “This nation can be great again. This I have said over and over. It is my articles of faith, and Divine Providence has willed that you and I can now translate this faith into deeds.â€Â
Gloria :“Now I will lead our country towards the strong Republic … In the end , we are one nation under God , one people , with one aspiration : a country as good as it can get!
2)Vision:
Marcos:had a vision of a “New Society”â€â€similar to the “New Order” that was imposed in Indonesia under dictator Suharto. He used the martial law years to implement this vision.
Gloria : had a vision “ Strong Republic†and craft a new Constitution that is neither leftist nor rightist to ensure the realization of a fully modern and developed Philippines in the 21st century.
3) Presidential Proclamations 1081/1017:
Marcos:
*Presidential Proclamation No. 1081 :it placed the entire country under martial law .
*Letter of Instruction No. 1 – Marcos ordered the Secretary of National Defense to take over and control of newspapers, magazines, radio & TV facilities.
Gloria:
Presidential Proclamation 1017:This Proclamation gave Gloria the power:to issue warrantless arrests to take over private institutions that run public utilities.
Gloria declared a National State of Emergency on February 24, 2006.
4)What will be the trigger point for MARTIAL LAW Declaration?
Marcos: Johnny Enrile,per his own admission , staged managed his car ambush hoax .
Gloria: What’s in her mind ?
If the Batasan bomb was indeed intended for Akbar, and if it was detonated remotely using a cellphone, then it means the bomber was very near to the blast site, close enough to see and identify Akbar as he approached the motorcycle.
my comment is awaiting moderation. i wonder why…
weird yung nangyari kay pareng patsadakarajaw.
http://www.blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?ie=UTF-8&q=patsadakarajaw+blogurl:http://patsadakarajaw.wordpress.com/&scoring=d
john :WHY?
Mlq3,
In your Asia Sentinel link, Mat Salleh (Mad Sailor) writes.
“The Malays in the kampungs, or rural villages, despite their affections for the nine sultans, remain largely unaffected by the political scene in Kuala Lumpur and tend to vote with the ruling parties, which have delivered decades of economic progress despite the widespread allegations of corruption. So despite the numbers Malays in the crowd on Saturday, they were largely from the Islamic party, Parti sa-Islam Malaysia, or PAS, and from Anwar’s party.”
As I’ve said in the past, Anwar just won’t stop until he’s stirred enough shit to get back at Government, at Badawi and at every moderate Muslima Malays for his having been humiliated. He wants power and when he’s got it, he will turn moderately Muslim Malaysia into one powerful fundamentalist Muslim nation where Shariah will be absolute. When that happens, Malaysia will go back to the dark ages — ‘no need to bomb it to kingdom come” as America’s DoD CIA official once threatened to do with Pakistan.
My own friends are not beyond doubt that Anwar and his East Coast Malaysia friends are stirring the latest troubles in KL.
There are good reasons why the New Society-meme deserves its prominent (although mostly sublimated) place in our discourse. In his promise to eliminate the oligarchs, Marcos did present a valid and compelling proposition for moving our society forward. That idea certainly has more to offer than Gloria Arroyo’s promise of the eventual trickle-down of economic benefits. Did Marcos really believe what he wrote about or was it all just a rhetoric to him? In any case, it’s fitting that he was judged by his inability to deliver as advertised.
Any feedback on the postcards sent to GMA by members of the B&W Movement?
PAGPAG REDUX
In a cynical article in the January 8, 1990 edition of the tabloid Extra, it was pointed out that among the garbage recylers there also are the privileged: “At a time when dining out has become an unaffordable luxury, urban poor residents of the former Department of Services area in Vito Cruz, Manila, can claim to be eating nothing but the best. The most expensive food is daily fare for DPS residents, most of whom work as garbage collectors. The food, actually hotel and restaurant leftovers popularly known as ‘pagpag’ (shake off), is saved from these establishments’ garbage cans. DPS, adjacent to Ninoy Aquino Memorial Stadium, near Sheraton Hotel in Vito Cruz, Manila, has a population of about 200 families. Almost all say they are ‘pagpag’-eating families. (The DPS cluster is just one among many of Metro Manila’s ‘pagpag’-eating urban poor community whose population numbers in the millions… Adelina Carballo, 55, who tends a small store, admitted that she has been eating ‘pagpag’ for 12 years now. At first she could not touch the food her husband collected from restaurants and hotels because she thought of it as garbage, or pig feed, but when she tasted the leftovers, she said, she began to like them and has eaten them since. Now all of the family members including her five children are ‘pagpag’ lovers. The term ‘pagpag’ came into use when leftovers… were brought home, shaken a bit to remove the dirt… and directly eaten or sometimes boiled for an hour or so or reconstituted into some other ‘dish’. Garbage collectors who have ‘ideal routes’ consider themselves lucky to get an everyday supply of leftovers, although not all restaurants give away their leftovers.
mlq3, if by not being “politically-engaged” or not being “politically-active”, you mean refusal or disinterest of a majority of the people to participate in various “oust-gloria” charades, ranging from presumptuous calls for resignation, “people power” imitations, cou d’etat heroics, and sterile impeachment attempts, then you may have a point. i contend, though, that the very resistance or refusal of said people to get hoodwinked by such designs is the political engagement or activism that the country needs at this time in its history. overt or confrontational activism/engagement is not the only political exercise that counts. preserving the existing order and pursuing the economic and social well-being of the country are no less important.
am sure patsada reads you mlq, would be good if he could leave a message here of his sudden disappearance.
ronin on, “my comment is awaiting moderation. i wonder why…”
2 things, (1) if you have a link, or (2) you have offensive words or copies of them….
Jeg on, “If American-style representative democracy isnt working here, what should Philippine-style democracy look like?”
We can get an answer by asking, who will be the predominant drivers of change? Special interests by politicos, business elite, the church and military have effectively drive the people to the bottom.
cvj on, “Did Marcos really believe what he wrote about or was it all just a rhetoric to him? In any case, it’s fitting that he was judged by his inability to deliver as advertised.”
Ferdinand Marcos truly believed his analysis to the point that he knew his deceptions worked with personality impressed Filipinos. Americans can see beyond his fake medals.
preserving the existing order and pursuing the economic and social well-being of the country are no less important.
Preserving, Bencard? (When you say ‘the existing order’ I assume you mean our system of government and not merely preserving GMA’s presidency, correct me if Im wrong.) The existing order is flawed. It doesnt need to be preserved. It needs to be overhauled. The existing order on the one hand, and the economic and social well-being of the country on the other, are mutually exclusive.
why a bomb and not a rifle?
afaik, we don’t have much history with long-distance assassination ala JFK (except for the Nalundasan murder, in which the culprit was allegedly a champion marksman in the university shooting team). almost all political killings in our land have been done upclose and personal: usually delivered with a .45 or 9mm pistol.
what do these suggest? are there only a few pinoy assassins proficient with a sniper’s rifle? are they so lousy with their shots they really have to get close to the target? are they that cold-blooded that they need to see their target’s face before sending him to the great void? are they so security conscious that they prefer a pistol which is easily concealed (and disposed of?)? or is it merely economical (i.e. pistols are cheaper)?
Anyone who has bothered to read the decision resolving the dispute between Estrada’s constructive resignation and his insistence that he never resigned under the four instances wherein a Vice President succeeds a sitting President should realize that the Puno decision has effectively made the Armed Forces and the Police Forces of this country the major institution that has veto power over Presidential tenure.
Once these institutions decide to withdraw their support of a sitting President and the people do not object in expressing their objection the act becomes constitutional as an expression of the people repudiating a sitting President.
The proximate cause that effected former President Estrada’s decision to abdicate his office by his acts right after that event of withdrawal of support sealed the fate of then President Estrada.
In a broad definition of what resignation means the SC ruled that his actions and not his later declarations made it clear that he had constructively resigned.
That removed from him the mantle of presidential immunity and his subsequent acceptance of the guilty verdict made him the first convicted President of this young country.
Now onto to the present government. The attempt by Big Mike and GMA to paint themselves as the architects and engineers of the present “robust” economic growth belies the fact that it was and continues to be the continuous failure of economic policies that is driving Pinoys to seek opportunities abroad.
Added to this is the external factors driven by India and China’s drive to industrialize their economies and the massive pump priming by the Central Banks of Japan and the U.S. in recent years have created a massive debt bubble that has collapsed interest rates. That has led to massive asset inflation in equity, debt and currency markets that are now driving commodities and agricultural food products higher. Added to that the exhaustion of easy to get to oil and increased demand will eventually make oil prices remain high in nominal terms.
The major industrialized economies industrialized their economies based on cheap and plentiful fossil fuels. That luxury is no longer available for the emerging economies of the world.
It would be a wild stretch of the imagination to believe that Big Mike and GMA had a hand in all of these events. Oh, yeah another item. Digital technology has made communication accessible to more people than at any time in the history of this planet.
The effects are still to be seen. Those who are steeped in the ways of the flat earth society will be trampled by the onrush of material expectations of billions of people in the world. All wanting a piece of the pie.
jeg, i know the present system of government is flawed. it has gotten worst since short-sighted people in the seat of power, with varied motivations, started tinkering with the 1935 constitution. it was down hill since then. but the existing order, with the supremacy of the law as the abiding principle, should be preserved. correct what is wrong in a manner consistent with this principle, not gut it (the existing order) entirely and start experimenting with a failed, blood-drenched, ideology. after correction and fine-tuning, economic and social well-being could follow.
“Supremacy of the law as the guiding principle.”
The Constitution is about the supremacy of a sovereign constitution. Government is bound by that sovereign will which is in turn bound by that will residing with the people. Power emanates from the people. The vast majority of the people in the Philippines are the poor and not so poor.
Do their voices have a place in the present government or in past governments? Or are they simply voting fodder in a distorted system of representative government that have abused and degraded their standing?
The human right to life and the means to live it decently and with dignity stand as the foundation of all other human rights.
Governments that are blind to this most basic and primary of human rights will eventually fall and those that fail to see this as the true struggle for human development. This must be in a system where the basic law guarantees all civil and political rights rooted in the right to the means to life.
Liberal democracies did evolve after blood drenched experiences and the road to freedom will be expensive in terms of lives and property.
Differing sectors of contradictory interests will clash. Institutions are born out of these times in history. Neither side will give in until they see that it would be in their interest to do so as they both face the specter of competitive equilibrium which is a politically correct word for armed struggle.
Myanmar, Pakistan and the Philippines with all countries on this planet are undergoing turmoil in some degree.
The strength of institutions will preserve some and those with weak ones will experience the struggle to create their own.
The days of building cults around personalties can no longer work. Erap and GMA are footnotes to a past inglorious history of this country. The extreme left has fumbled its way to nowhere.
The future belongs to the mostly young of this country to fuck up or change. Most of them will be faced with the future in their faces soon. Whether they engage or not will decide the history of this country.
“The days of building cults around personalties can no longer work. Erap and GMA are footnotes to a past inglorious history of this country. The extreme left has fumbled its way to nowhere.J ag”
amen
“Petitioners resignation from the presidency cannot be the subject of a changing caprice nor of a whimsical will especially if the resignation is the result of the repudiation by the people.” Justice Reynato Puno on the Estrada vs Arroyo issue.
If former President Estrada today on his own can somehow organize the people into a mass of people to engage in the process of speaking out and assembling his so called masa into a force of millions and petition the present government to step down the way he was turned out of office then he can be proclaimed President. His own case law can serve as precedent.
I doubt whether he can translate his popularity into a mass movement likened to a Chavez of Venezuela or Morales of Bolivia. Hedonism is still very much an individualistic ideology.
His greatest disappointment apparently happened when he was found guilty and there was no outpouring of outrage for his benefit.
If he wishes to run in 2010 he should be allowed to run. Let the mostly young voters of this country decide on his fate.
Whatever we may have to say about the events of the last few years, it is about how we govern ourselves. If the mostly poor vote for him because they expect him to provide them their daily bread then so be it.
Failure is the best teacher. If he gets elected then we prepare for another failure and then the next until we get it right.
What is wrong with having Jaime Dichaves as our Finance Minister? Or Atong Ang as head of our BIR. For some he would be a vast improvement over Teves. Contract the job to him for a percentage of the amount one wants to collect.
For sure Donald Dee , Serge Luis Ortiz, Mike Varela and the different business organizations will be at Erap’s side once again.
All the fence sitters will once again line up in the Palace by the Pasig to kiss his ring.
not to mention their little doggie bags of cash. after all, as lito atienza mentioned when the bribery scandal broke out, it’s what happens all the time in malacañang, right?
“If he wishes to run in 2010 he should be allowed to run. Let the mostly young voters of this country decide on his fate.”- hvrds
____________________
I hope ERAP would perish the thought about running again. It will force GMA to do something foolish( as she might even be planning it now) to prevent an election in 2010.
j_ag, amen as well.
The Philippines’ 40 Richest (FORBES)
1. Jaime Zobel de Ayala & family
2. Henry Sy & family
3. Lucio Tan & family
4. Andrew Tan
5. Manuel Villar
6. George Ty
7. Andrew Gotianun
8. Enrique Razon Jr.
9. Tony Tan Caktiong & family
10. Oscar Lopez & family
11. Vivian Que Azcona & family
12. Inigo & Mercedes Zobel
13. Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.
14. Emilio Yap & family
15. John Gokongwei Jr. & family
16. Enrique Aboitiz & family
17. Alfonso Yuchengco & family
18. Beatrice Campos
19. David Consunji & family
20. Luis Virata
21. Gilberto Duavit Jr. & family
22. Menardo Jimenez & family
23. Felipe Gozon & family
24. Mariano Tan & family
25. Ramon del Rosario Jr.
26. Ronaldo & Rosalinda Hortaleza
27. Manuel Zamora
28. Betty Ang
29. Tomas Alcantara & family
30. Frederick Dy
31. Wilfred Steven Uytengsu Sr.
32. Salvador Zamora
33. Oscar Hilado & family
34. Philip T. Ang
35. Magdaleno Albarracin Jr.
36. Jesus Tambunting
37. Antonio Roxas
38. Manuel Pangilinan
39. Marixi Rufino-Prieto & family
40. Lourdes Montinola
The Great POVERTY Divide. About 40% of Filipinos, or more than 30 million people, live in abject poverty.
Nobody should be surprised if Erap runs as Mayor of San Juan again. He will then have his launching pad.
interesting list, equalizer!
one way of looking at the significance of this list is finding out which of these rich guys (and gals) have relatives in elective positions (or perhaps they themselves are elected like villar), in the cabinet and other government agencies. also, how many own or have stakes in the media (prieto, yap). or how many of them have overlapping business interests. when you’re able to connect all the dots, you’d find out how the few control so much.
the equation: wealth + political position + media access = power.
On Marcos and his cheap copycat:
When the constitution is invoked to justify outrages against freedom, truth and justice and when democracy is destroyed under the pretext of saving it, then I surely hope that history repeats itself.
“the equation: wealth + political position + media access = power” – ronin
______________________
No wonder the President and the Speaker of the House meeting in a neutral ground – the house of Endica Aboitiz.
ronin: in media-
8. Enrique Razon Jr.(manila standard/today)
10. Oscar Lopez & family(abs-cbn)
14. Emilio Yap & family(manila bulletin)
21. Gilberto Duavit Jr. & family(channel 7)
22. Menardo Jimenez & family(channel 7)
23. Felipe Gozon & family(channel 7)
39. Marixi Rufino-Prieto & family(Inquirer)
in politics:
5. Manuel Villar(senate prexy)
13. Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.(NPC)
27. Manuel Zamora(Ronnie Zamora)
in banking:
1. Jaime Zobel de Ayala & family(BPI)
2. Henry Sy & family(BDO,China Bank)
3. Lucio Tan & family(Aliied Bank,PNB)
6. George Ty(MBT)
7. Andrew Gotianun(EastWest Bank)
13. Eduardo Cojuangco Jr.(SMC just bought part of Bank of Commerce)
15. John Gokongwei Jr. & family(Robinson’s Savings)
16. Enrique Aboitiz & family(Union Bank)
17. Alfonso Yuchengco & family(RCBC)
what a list, equalizer! and i bet my measly salary that this is just the tip of the iceberg.
a former publisher once told me that it takes almost 7 years before a newspaper breaks even. in short, the publishing business will most likely bleed you dry. why would tycoons invest in newspapers then? simple. for protection of their business interests.
reminder:19 days left to vote
Worst President Ever poll
“jeg, i know the present system of government is flawed. it has gotten worst since short-sighted people in the seat of power, with varied motivations, started tinkering with the 1935 constitution. it was down hill since then. but the existing order, with the supremacy of the law as the abiding principle, should be preserved. correct what is wrong in a manner consistent with this principle, not gut it (the existing order) entirely and start experimenting with a failed, blood-drenched, ideology. after correction and fine-tuning, economic and social well-being could follow.”- Bencard
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Exactly the way I wanted it!
The brainwashing song during the “conjugal dictatorship “days!
SA IKAUUNLAD NG BAYAN, BISIKLETA ANG KAILANGAN
may bagong silang,
may bago nang buhay,
bagong bansa,
bagong galaw,
sa bagong lipunan.
magbabago ang lahat,
tungo sa pag-unlad,
at ating itanghal,
bagong lipunan!â€Â
“SA IKAUUNLAD NG BAYAN, BISIKLETA ANG KAILANGAN”
Yeah, Equalizer, that was rather an amusing one. In appreciation for his levity, I think Ariel Ureta was made to ride his bicycle round and round Camp Crame while singing the Bagong Lipunan hymn. He’s one of the luckier ones, other jokers simply disappeared.
mlq and all bloggers,
I have some security issues. Im too identified in my locality and I dont like it. I have created a new one. I just want you to figure it out that its me but I guess its unfair not to inform you of what happened.
Just check your links. Im still there in another name. Just dont announce its me.
Thanks. I can not live without blogging.
patsada
just to be sure. Go to technorati to find me.
patsada:ingat
The Image Makeovers of Gloria
The basic premise in advertising is that “the consumer is NOT a moron, she is your wife,your daughter,your sister or your mom”.Just like in politics,you may be able to fool the consumer or the voter with deceptive advertising once or twice or thrice but not all the time!
The classic case is Gloria.She has been repackaged so many times to suit different needs (Gloria Labandera,Nora Aunor Look-alike,Mother of Strong Republic,etc).
The political operators behind these image makeovers have been so arrogant by thinking they can always fool the Filipino masa by making these wild pendulum swings on Gloria’s public image.
But the average Filipino consumer or voter is not that gullible.He knows how to discern the real person behind the charade of public masks.
All you have to do is see Gloria’s all-time low trust ratings.
patsada, good to hear from you, stay safe.
manolo:did you vote in the “worst ever president poll?”
Best Practices for Curbing Corruption in Asia (Based on the ADB Governance Brief,11/2004)
1)Do not rely on the police to curb corruption. This would be like giving a candy to a child ,expecting that it would not be eaten. Instead a separate agency dedicated solely to the task of fighting corruption should be established to deal effectively with corruption in all government departments, including the police.
2) Implement comprehensive anti-corruption legislation. The legislation should clearly define the meaning and different forms of corruption, the specific powers of the anti-corruption agency and must include adequate protection for whistle-blowers.
3) Provide the anti-corruption agency with adequate staff and funding. The anti-corruption agency must exercise care in recruiting honest and competent staff as any misconduct will undermine its credibility and legitimacy. Best example of an agency with low credibility is the Philippines’ PCGG.
4)Cut red tape to minimize opportunities for corruption. Corrupt civil officials love “red tape†as it creates opportunities for them to solicit or accept bribes from the business community to facilitate their applications for licenses or “to jump the queueâ€Â.
5)Reduce the opportunities for corruption in “wet†public agencies. In many Asian countries, the police, customs, internal revenue and public works are considered the “Wet†(or vulnerable) agencies because their access to the public and the ample opportunities for corruption. Unnecessary “red tape†should be reduced and cumbersome administrative procedures streamlined.
PRECONDITIONS for Implementing the Six Best Practices:
First, do the political leaders in the country really have the political will to curb corruption? Political will is the most important prerequisite as a comprehensive anti-corruption strategy will FAIL if it not supported by the political leadership of the country.
In addition to political will, the second requirement is a favorable policy context for implementing the six best practices. Does the policy context favor or hinder the control of corruption? The examples of Singapore and Hong Kong , show that apart from political will, they have succeeded in curbing corruption because of favorable policy contexts: they have small populations, stable governments, high standards of living, efficient civil service systems and well-developed infrastructure.
“President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Wednesday condemned the continued detention of pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi as she called Myanmar’s military leaders “forces of authoritarianism.â€ÂInquirer net
Where is Jonas Burgos?
Think its unfair for PGMA to issue in an impossible, double standard proposition concerning a country (Myanmar) that we hardly have relations with. Arroyo’s statement of conditional ratification of the ASEAN charter is just press (honest-intentioned pulpit comment) that will not be appreciated by the international community, even filipinos, for the folowing reasons;
1) the Philippines badly needs the ASEAN charter for trade. Playing “hard to get”, without any clear goal, can seriously damage diplomatic relations with other ASEAN countries.
2) Arroyo, and even the philippine government should be the last to lecture other countries of authoritarianism and human rights abuses. The country’s governement and military is in the top of Human rights organzations watchlist for extrajudicial killing
Instead of trying to fix other countries problem, why can’t Arroyo, or the congres who is supposedly “will find a hard time ratifying the ASEAN charter because of …Myanmar”, focus to fix local issues like the batasan bombing. I cant help but think that investigations for this act will only lead to sensationalized investigations, leading to half baked justice.