“Unity Walk”
“Solidarity Walk”
Same walk, different caption. A sign of the state of confusion at the Palace. Is it just me, or or are these pictured (from yesterday, the so-called “solidarity walk,” swiftly retitled “unity walk” at the Palace; by the way, see abashet joey on the President and PhotoShop) too creepily reminiscent of the End Days for Estrada, when he, too, tried to show his administration wasn’t beleaguered, by trotting out his cabinet?
Who among them is in or in the official family? The Inquirer editorial yesterday asked, Is it Neri next? and today it says it’s Panic time.
Trot, trot, clip-clop, tick-tock. What do you get?
A horse gone wild: Adviser calls Arroyo ‘luckiest b*tch’.
That’s just karma for what must surely have been a Palace factotum-released tusongbaboy YouTube video, featuring what seem to be wiretapped conversations between Jun Lozada and Joey de Venecia.
The Financial Times reports the President may be losing her fondness for playing the China card. I’ve begun rather interesting scuttlebutt of an intriguing kind, involving a government commitment to relinquishing our claims to the Spratley Islands in exchange for investments. But nothing firmer than that.
The ancient Chinese believed that the “mandate of Heaven” was revealed by tangible signs, such as flood or famine. Such misfortunes were indications that the legitimacy of a ruler was waning. Confucius elaborated the idea further, and taught that the “mandate of Heaven” was dependent on knowing the moral order of the universe, and demonstrating it in the six relationships that govern superiors and subordinates (i.e. minister to prince, friend to friend, teacher to student).
These relationships are evident in the various groups bestirred by recent events.
The Action for Economic Reforms is holding a presscon-forum on “The Godmother and the Philippine mafia” on Friday, Feb. 22 9:30 am to 12 noon at the Sta. Ana Room, 3rd Floor, U.P. College of Law. On the same day, February 22, The Law Student Government Coordinating Council, composed of the Student Councils of the Ateneo Law, UP, UST, FEU-La Salle and UE Schools of Law will be holding various activities (see i’m NOT a stop along the way. i’m a a DESTINATION for details). And Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan has a forum on Feb. 23 (with regards to the Ateneo, read the concrete steps proposed by Simbahang Lingkod ng Bayan in their statement, as well as those proposed by the Ateneo’s Department of Political Science in its statement (the question then becomes, of course, what if government refuses to do anything?). On Feb. 25, there will be a “Concert for Truth, Accountablity and Reform” at the Ateneo from 4-8 pm (for information contact Ms. Reese Fernandez Programs Head, Team RP Tel: (02) 426-5657 <reesefernandez@ yahoo.com>)
Starting February 24, it seems Masses “for Truth vs. Corruption” are going to be held, sequentially, in Adamson University, the University of Santo Tomas, de la Salle University, and then Miriam College.
In recent weeks, the political landscape of the Philippines has been shaken because of one man, Rodolfo Noel Lozada, Jr., and his past proximity to Romulo Neri, Jr.
Both are of Chinese extraction; I have even heard that Romulo Neri, Jr. practices a form of divination, the I Ching. At this point it seems to me, whether consciously or not, both consider themselves Mandarins.
The Analects of Confucius, L. Giles translation.
The first two extracts concern definitions of good government. The first involves the “five excellent things” and the “four evil things”:
Tzú Chang asked Confucius, saying: What are the essentials of good government? — The Master said: Esteem the five excellent, and banish the four evil things; then you will become fit to govern. — Tzu Chang asked: What are the five excellent things? — The Master replied: The wise and good ruler is benevolent without expending treasure; he lays burdens on the people without causing them to grumble; he has desires without being covetous; he is serene without being proud; he is awe-inspiring without being ferocious. — He is benevolent without expending treasure: what does that mean? — The Master replied: He simply follows the course which naturally brings benefit to the people. Is he not thus benevolent without expending treasure? In imposing burdens, he chooses the right time and the right means, and nobody can grumble. His desire is for goodness, and he achieves it; how should he be covetous? The wise and good ruler never allows himself to be negligent, whether he is dealing with many men or with few, with small matters or with great. Is this not serenity without pride? He has his cap and robe properly adjusted, and throws a noble dignity into his looks, so that his gravity inspires onlookers with respect. Is he not thus awe-inspiring without being ferocious? — Tzú Chang then asked: What are the four evil things? — The Master said: Cruelty: — leaving the people in their native ignorance, yet punishing their wrong-doing with death. Oppression: requiring the immediate completion of tasks imposed without previous warning. Ruthlessness: — giving vague orders, and then insisting on punctual fulfilment. Peddling husbandry: — stinginess in conferring the proper rewards on deserving men.
The second related extract involves the tangible signs of good government, and the things that can be dispensed with, and the thing that absolutely cannot be dispensed with:
Tzú Kung asked for a definition of good government. The Master replied: It consists in providing enough food to eat, in keeping enough soldiers to guard the State, and in winning the confidence of the people. — And if one of these three things had to be sacrificed, which should go first? — The Master replied: Sacrifice the soldiers. — And if of the two remaining things one had to be sacrificed, which should it be? — The master said: Let it be the food. From the beginning, men have always had to die. But without the confidence of the people no government can stand at all.
Then two extracts in a similar vein, on the means to maintain public confidence, and the means to instill harmony in the people.
A simple rule of thumb concerning the hiring and firing of officials:
Duke Ai asked, saying: What must I do that my people may be contented? – Confucius replied: Promote the upright and dismiss all evildoers, and the people will be contented. Promote the evil-doers and dismiss the upright, and the people will be discontented.
A similar reiteration concerning promotions:
Chi K’-ang Tzú asked by what means he might cause his people to be respectful and loyal, and encourage them in the path of virtue. The Master replied: Conduct yourself towards them with dignity, and you will earn their respect; be a good son and a kind prince, and you will find them loyal; promote the deserving and instruct those who fall short, and they will be encouraged to follow the path of virtue.
And then, an extract pointing to the importance of precision on the part of policy makers:
Tzú Lu said: The Prince of Wei is waiting, Sir, for you to take up the reins of government. Pray what is the first reform you would introduce? — The Master replied: I would begin by defining terms and making them exact. — Oh, indeed! exclaimed Tzú Lu. But how can you possibly put things straight by such a circuitous route? — The Master said: How unmannerly you are, Yu! In matters which he does not understand, the wise man will always reserve his judgement. If terms are not correctly defined, words will not harmonise with things. If words do not harmonise with things, public business will remain undone. If public business remains undone, order and harmony will not flourish. If order and harmony do not flourish, law and justice will not attain their ends. If law and justice do not attain their ends, the people will be unable to move hand or foot. The wise man, therefore, frames his definitions to regulate his speech, and his speech to regulate his actions. He is never reckless in his choice of words.
And what about wrongdoers?
Chi K’ang Tzú questioned Confucius on a point of government, saying: Ought not I to cut out off the lawless in order to establish law and order? What do you think? -Confucius replied: Sir, what need is there of the death penalty in your system of government? If you showed a sincere desire to be good, your people would likewise be good. The virtue of the prince is like unto wind; that of the people, like unto grass. For it is the nature of grass to bend when the wind blows upon it.
In sum, then, in the face of wrongdoing on the part of officials, considering the things that make for effective government, and which weaken it:
Confucius rejoined: Ch’iu, an honest man hates your hypocrite who will not openly avow his greed, but tries instead to excuse it. I have heard that the ruler of a state or of a clan is troubled not by the smallness of its numbers but by the absence of even-handed justice; not by poverty but by the preresence of discontent; for where there is justice there will be no poverty; where there is harmony there will be no lack in numbers; where there is content there will be no revolution. This being the case then, if outlying communities resist your authority, cultivate the arts of refinement and goodness in order to attract them; and when you have attracted them, make them happy and contented. Now you two, Yu and Ch’iu, are aiding and abetting your master; here is an outlying community which resists your authority, and you are unable to attract it. Partition and collapse are imminent in your own State, and you are unable to preserve it intact. And yet you are planning military aggression within in the borders of your country! Verily I fear that Chi-sun’s troubles will come, not from Chuan-yú, but from the interior of his own palace.
Do you need someone else to tie this all together for you? Including the abstract at the end of this entry? Thank you, Left Flank.
The question then… as my column for today is titled, is for people to see what the Minimum and maximum goals they want achieve from hereon up to 2010 will be. (someone who takes the court of public opnion seriously is Chances in the Starlight).
Blogger un suplemento metafisico a la realidad de mi existencia slices and dices things very well:
The administration shall be presumed innocent until they are proven guilty. However, its actions do not allow me to do so. The anti-truth mafia has scribbled so much manipulation of evidence, information, and facts that the presumption of innocence has been vaporized. Instead of testifying for the “truth” the co-conspirators of the anti-truth mafia has been hiding behind what they call “executive privilege.” The administration has pushed the envelope too far. It is now at the edge of a cliff and is desperately holding on by trying to cover-up all pieces of evidence that may eventually lead to its demise.
Thanks to the anti-truth mafia’s propaganda, Jun Lozada has been accused of harboring nothing but hearsay which they claim is inadmissible in courts. However, he does say these statements under oath, thus he has with him what is called testimonial evidence. “A woman who has been raped can send a man in jail just with her testimonies.”(Escudero, 2008) In addition, he seems to be very consistent with his statements unlike some of the anti-truth mafia. Jun Lozada was also accused of being corrupt – which he admitted with a smile, and I think this makes him all the more credible – He was part of the project, he was an insider, he knew the goings-on of the ZTE-NBN deal.
Jun Lozada is neither a saint nor a hero but he has with him the truth. Whether he came out to tell the truth for the sake of truth or for some other ulterior motives – which is hard to think of considering that his testifying in the Senate has put him in a very precarious situation. If he were to lie, what motive was so great that he was willing to put himself out of the pan and into the fire almost voluntarily? Testifying has put Jun Lozada between the legendary monsters Scylla and Charybdis. He is currently between hell and the deep blue sea. In whatever perspective I try to view the course of events for Jun Lozada, I can’t seem to find any advantage that he might gain in testifying. In fact, he was “forced” to do so – as with the summons, this implies that testifying is not advantageous for him. On the other hand, he might be thinking of a career in showbiz. If that is so, then he is making a good start. We are probably watching one of the best soap operas ever made.
It doesn’t matter whether or not the bringer of truth has been tainted with wrongdoings in the past. What is more important is that he has the truth with him and so his voice shall be heard. The substance lie in the statements, not in the personality. An honest man will voluntarily take off his clothes to show that he has nothing to hide; while a thief would wear layers upon layers of clothes just to hide whatever it is that he has stolen.
In the rest of the blogosphere, the Ateneo Mass last Monday was covered by Don’t fight darkness. Bring the light, and darkness will disappear and by Mahal ko Pilipinas!!!!! and …strawberry-filled donuts… (Lozada’s nephew) and with photos by Blahg, Standing in Motion, neo saicon, sj while thatniceboy gives an insight into the minds of those who remain detached. There were other activities, too: it’s a yummy world recounts attending a Mass at the Redemptorist Church. highwayse7en8 doesn’t like Masses with political aims. Neither does priest-blogger Bangor to Bobbio. On the other hand, Postcard Headlines in Cebu describes the first glimmerings of people bucking the view that the city is “GMA Country”.
As for Lozada, lifelong learning compares what he’s doing to debriding dead tissue; pine for pine compares folksy Lozada and Abalos stories; as for views, there are the pro: there’s lecheplan, and four-eyed joie’s thoughts as well as Verities of a Writer’s heart; con: you can’t be more straightforward in expressing skepticism than under deconstruction; and neutral: preMEDitated wants to believe, but doesn’t yet. dino! dedicates poetry to the man. rl_829 thinks he’s a dead man. My Mirror to Reality undertakes an interesting experiment: what if Lozada is 100% good, or what if he’s 100% evil?Law and ICT and mga kababalaghan sa buhay ko take opposing views on whether Lozada’s phone being hacked is believable or not. Vincula points out we should give thanks for the demolition team assembled by the Palace.
There are, of course, continuing views on what’s going on. Katataspulong some time ago, wondered if people really want decent officials, or whether the tangled web of corruption makes for a comfortable pigsty for everyone. jmtaylor has a bone to pick with politicians in general. Romwald’s Realm tackles the dynamics of corruption: subtle rebel runs down a list of the ironies of life (politics-wise).
Lawyer notes of marichu c. lambino points out that the government keeps corroborating the testimony of Lozada (tart comments on Gaite’s admitting he gave Lozada half a million in Alleba Politics and Bong Montesa’s weblog ). The Mount Balatucan Monitor is certain of the outcome of government efforts at damage control. The Warrior Lawyer takes a similarly skeptical look at the Ombudsman, etc.
And yet… there are those who prefer to stick it out with the administration because they continue to loath those who oppose her more. In a sense, the “same-same” message track of the Palace continues to work, as Walk This Way echoes:
I mean, yes, the First Gentleman is a little piglet. No doubt about that. But please don’t tell me that all the politicians pursuing this issue aren’t little piglets either (below). Getting little greasy slices of pork from projects like the NBN is modus operandi in ANY administration – it’s no secret to us and it’s no secret to the senators doing the grilling. It’s been the modus operandi for decades! Where else would ANY administration get money to do things like, oh, give to senators and congressmen for their election campaigns? Senators and Congressmen don’t come for free, ya know. Tip: instead of looking at the noisy ones, let’s try and count who are the quiet ones in Senate and Congress. Perhaps they are quiet because they already were given their pieces of the pork. And it’s only the squealing ones that are upset because they didn’t get theirs. Hence, if it’s all just piggies fighting piggies over pieces of pork that they just pass on to other piggies, then it’s just politics in the end. Period. Philippine politics and governance is sick, that is as obvious as obvious can be. But will this Jun Lozada scandal be the catalyst for the great changes that need to be made? Ha! Great changes will be done in this society through small ways and on a person to person basis. Paradigm shifts don’t happen through Senate hearings. Trust me, this “moral revolution” WILL NOT be televised.
Do I think corruption should be addressed? Yes. Do I think getting rid of Gloria will solve this issue? No. Do I agree with JDV that a moral revolution in government should be pursued? Yes. But will that revolution come from Senate and from Congress or from JDV himself. Hell no. Parehong baboy silang lahat. So that’s why I’m ignoring the politics and protests. And judging by their sad rally last week (Please. Makati Business Club, Black and White Movement, Cory Aquino et al. More people attended the Beyonce concert than your rally), I think others are too.
A senior citizen, My Life in the Philippines, is ambivalent about removing the President from office but for different reasons:
I consider GMA having lost the “Moral Authority” to continue on as President until Yr2010. Granting PGMA credit for a resurging Philippine Economy does not justify Moral Bankrupcy. While our kind of Democracy has made ours a “Country-of-Laws” (where Public Issues ought to be decided in the heirarchy of our Courts), a collective judgement of a fully-informed Citizenry (by a Free Press) in the Court-of-Public Opinion does carry a strong moral value.
…On the other hand, I believe: (1st) That People Power I & II have not brought about a “Better Philippines”. I consider “Graft & Corruption,et.al” as an Ethical Problem which have not and could not be remedied by street-mandated Political Solutions – i.e. People Power Change-of-Presidents; (2nd) That the Church (visibly represented by the Religious Priest & Nuns in the Streets, in Congress, in the Courts) have failed in its Pastoral Work of enlightening and encouraging Political Leaders to move away from the evil of Greed-for-Money – thus necessitating “Graft & Corruption”.
…Given all of the above, I contend that it would be good for our country for PGMA to continue in office until Yr2010. But, she must take the lead for all in Public Office in a “Moral Crusade for Good Government”. She (together with all who would follow her example) could redeem herself/themselves in the Public Eye and erase all doubts about “Hidden Wealth” by a public demonstration of giving-up 90% of their respective Family’s Private Wealth accumulated during their entire Political Career. I liken this “Moral Crusade” to a “National Cleansing” following the Korean Example – not too long ago.
The senior citizen blogger isn’t alone: UST student james_cartmire says something similar:
i got into some debate though when i opened that my position, no matter where investigations lead, was for gma to definitely finish her term in 2010. i said that even if everything leads to impeachment, the impeachment process, being a political process, will just muddle and broker ties with old faces, further preventing genuine reform efforts, and that the whole gma vendetta might even ruin the promise of a new start in 2010. i also echoed what neri purportedly said (based on the supposed lozada document i received trhough mail) that an impeachment buzz would just increase government spending (i.e. malacañang diverting public funds to buy out representatives, opinion leaders and power brokers) and that all these crises could lead to another economic slump. after almost breaking to a 39-level before the nbn hearing resumed, just yesterday, the peso-dollar exchange rate was again P41 to $1.
And so, some are ambivalent about resignation or People Power (see paperchimes.net). Or the Catholic Church: Brown SEO asks some tough questions, as does Philippine Commentary opposes People Power. On the other hand, Ceci Da Supastar reproduces the soul-searching appeal of a member of the Left, who says they can’t afford to miss the bus again:
Why should we work with them? Because we all want the same short term goals, which are the end of the GMA administration, the reform of a corrupt system, and free and fair elections. We may disagree on our broad ideologies, but we agree that these are the immediate obstacles to our various long term goals.
But, perhaps more importantly, if there is anything we should have learned from our EDSA experiences, it is that we want bargaining chips when this is all over so that we can influence the future. And those bargaining chips only come in the form of weight of our participation and the numbers we draw.
And yet… Lunasandwich says people are increasingly interested, but still stumped on what to do:
I take this as a good sign, of the keen interest of the people to know how others feel or think about the issue. What has really struck me though is the disenchantment and shared distrust for almost all people in government…
It seems the enormity of the problem — graft and corruption (which does not end with Arroyo’s removal from office) and the deeply rooted social malaise — is not lost on the people. Sadly, while the problem has long been identified, at the moment, people still seem to be at loss on what to do.
Marvelous photos of the Senate hearings taken by Bro. Ceci of La Salle: Ceci’s Corner.
And here’s something eloquent by Yogon Multiplies: let’s remember to do the small stuff, too. lovelife?! – eto self supporting! ^_^ writes about school pride.
Thank you to the reader who sent me a copy of this paper: The Integrity of Corrupt States: Graft as an Informal State Institution by Keith Darden. Interesting abstract:
This article argues that corrupt practices such as bribery and embezzlement, which scholars have previously assumed to be evidence of the breakdown of the state, may reinforce the state’s administrative hierarchies under certain conditions. Drawing on a cross-national analysis of 132 countries and a detailed examination of the informal institutions of official graft in Ukraine, the article finds that where graft is systematically tracked, monitored, and granted by state leaders as an informal payment in exchange for compliance, it provides both an added incentive to obey leaders’ directives and the potent sanction of criminal prosecution in the event of disobedience. Where graft is informally institutionalized in this way, it provides the basis for state organizations that are effective at collecting taxes, maintaining public order, and repressing political opposition but that may undermine the development of liberal politics.
The Cat,
Look at the video posted 11:05, if you’re rational or a christian you’ll respond with shock. If not, you’re well, good thing you’re not in Pinas, but we need your help though.
And we all wonder why corruption is so rampant in Pinoy society. It’s because by its ver inherent nature, Pinoys are ADDICTED to shortcuts and instant gratification.
=========================================================
No! We are led by LUNATICS in government! You want proof? Try a whole video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYwF88arI64
So Neri said he couldn’t remember saying GMA was evil, huh? Why on earth didn’t he just say outright that he never said that? Even though the spotlight was trained on him, surely he knows how to mince words properly (being Arreneow trained). But I guess its safe to say safe answers. And that is the root of the problem in our society, where a spade is not called a spade.
ramrod, i did not just wake up one day and said to myself, wow, i’ll go post at manolo’s blog and be a doomsayer. my prediction takes events to its logical conclusion.
1. we are now at the point wherein groups previously divided over whether to give gma a chance or not are now coming closer to agreeing that 6 years is more than enough of a chance given her. and if she keeps harping on to give her more chance, we can wait till hell freezes over, giver her 10 or 20 years, but the fact still remains: she had those 6 years and she used them to enrich her family. how much more benefit of the doubt should we give her?
2. congress is now poised for charter change.
3. there is but one tiny chance (a sliver actually) that all anti-arroyo forces would actually agree on one post-gma scenario. critical mass would be reached agreeing GMA has to go. but that’s as far as unity goes.
4. comelec is still the palace’s lapdog.
5. congress would convene into a constituent assembly while the people are sleeping. lower house would unilaterally vote it doesn’t need the senate. wham-bham-ty. protest rallies would gather more fierce than ever to force the lower house to back down (like it did the last time).
6. the iron fist will now show itself, swipe away those rallies, swoop down on all comm stations (cellphone, internet, tv, radio – all down) gma will appear on govt owned TV, wearing red, warning all “destabilizers” that she will not allow this country to go to “communists” insurgents.
7. the new pinoy generation (post martial law babies) never having experienced martial law all cower in fear. martial law veterans are either dead or aging.
8. the “sham plebiscite” can now proceed. nothing beats success other than success, gma will think to herself as the new parliament is approved “overwhelmingly” by the filipino people.
9. we end 2009 with a whimper. those who kept harping on abt waiting for 2010 ate their words. wtf? too late!
10. now it becomes glaringly clear. the policy of human exportation has made this country a wasteland in more ways than one. all the best and brightest, gone. this is the land of the forsaken. and vultures are feasting at the seat of power. the poor and uneducated has not the will nor the capability to organize a resistance. but they feel hunger. and they are legion. and tnx to the catholic church, they multiply exponentially. all poor and uneducated.
11. 2010 marks the flight of the rest like bencard (who also ran at the eve of martial law). my prediction thus begins.
idk how many years, or how long the filipino people can take it. it took 300 years for spain, 17 years for marcos (correct me manolo if im wrong), 3 years for erap…
is the filipino people evolving out of their passive selves?
one thing is certain. and that is bastille at the hands of the hungry legion. for no one can stay and reason with a man who has devolved into man’s ulterior mode: survival of the fittest.
my story doesn’t end there of course.
that’s just the beginning. in his column today manolo said the worst options: social implosion and/or a filipino pol pot.
not removing gma today leads to that road eventually.
after the mob lynching, the revolutionaries would be divided into two groups. one advocating an end to bloodshed and restoration of democratic institutions, the other advocating more purges. the latter group carries the filipino pol pot.
civil war will rage.
the filipino diaspora is now complete. thousands become refugees.
luzon will become the stronghold of one group (more likely the pol pot group), visayas of the other group. mindanao breaks away and tribal wars start dividing that island into islamic states.
whoever wins in that civil war will not call themselves filipinos. the true filipinos have now become like the jews. no real place to call home.
now pray i am wrong.
Ramrod, that footage in April 25 2004 (where she says ‘Praise God…Praise God’) was just a few weeks before Hello Garci. Maybe her sense of being anointed gave her the stomach to go ahead with tampering with the election results.
devils, cvj,
Strange, just tonight someone sent me this post:
“I really hope that I’m wrong but I think GMA has a contingency plan (an evil one) just in case a people power revolution materializes in Manila, she will flee to Mindanao(Davao in particular) and will force the issue using the Congressmen, Governors, Mayors including Quiboloy and his congregation. Even Mayor Duterte was quoted that they will secede from Luzon and the Visayas.
Last Sunday, Norberto Gonzales met with the governors of Mindanao in Cagayan de Oro city and to quote some excerpts from the Sun Star report( a Davao Newspaper):
“In the meeting, the governors agreed to assert their collective and individual authority to resist any unconstitutional and illegal moves to oust or force to resign President Arroyo.
Davao del Sur Governor Douglas Ra. Cagas, in a text message, said they agreed not to recognize in their respective provinces any “usurper†who benefits from the ouster of Arroyo.
It was Compostela Valley Governor Arturo “Chiongkee†Uy who revealed that Gonzales also discussed with them the possibility of the President staying in Davao region for a week to meet with Mindanaoan governors.
But he denied that Arroyo is seeking refuge here in Mindanao as anti-Arroyo sentiment in Metro Manila grows.
“Para lang daw makausap niya yung buong Mindanao officials. The governors of Mindanao also suggested that the President should put up a Malacañang of sort here.â€Â
This explains the Quiboloy connection.”
ramrod, gma would perish quicker in mindanao.
DevilsAdvc8,
GMA’s titles
The President of the Philippines
The Chosen One
The Resident Evil of Malacanan
Big Sister
The Filipino Pol Pot
“set-up”…buong arroyo regime and cronies na set-up!
official stand ng malacanyang…”set-up”….hahahaha…
ibig sabihin nila na na set-up sila ni mr.lozada? bobo naman nila! buti pa si neri, original…”i can’t remember”…at si gov. salceda, another arroyo man…”she’s the luckiest bitch around”…nothing funny at all…sana matakot tayong lahat baka ma set-up tayo!
GMA as Pol Pot? Pol Pot was a leftist-to-the-Nth-degree whose propaganda of levelling the playing field and the classless society, when put to action, became not only humiliating but shoving bayonets and putting bullets into the middle-class and the rich. GMA as Pol Pot? I can not see her ordering the population of Alabang or the stockholders of San Miguel Beer to be marched to Payatas and there, bayonetted or buried alive.
Unfortunately, a few people in this blogthread has not yet benefited na umaapaw, but … (music, please!!!):
And the money kept rolling out in all directions
…..
Now cynics claim a little of the cash has gone astray 😉
But that’s not the point my friends
When the money keeps rolling out you don’t keep books
You can tell you’ve done well by
the happy grateful looks
Accountants only slow things down,
figures get in the way
Never been a lady loved as much as __ 👿 :
UP n student,
Most of the people buried in Pol Pot’s killing fields are not rich people. I also don’t believe that Pol Pot was a communist. He was just plain nuts.
yeah I agree, there was nothing ‘leftist’ about pol pot, he was a psychopath…
mayro-on nang Internecinesa manga Oligarhs. Si Mrs. JVD nag breakaway na, sinisisisi daw manga Oligarh na nagmidnight Cabinet pinagulohang nang Proxy Presidente FG, kaya pala daming Utang na Lo-ob si GMA. Yan isang Insider na nam. Sabi naman nang Palasyo sa-an ang EVIDENSIYA? ang galing talaga nang Palasyo Paulit paulit lang, tumatabla rin ang Tehcnique nila, dami rin nakumbinsi. Sin-o ba may sabi na kailangan Ulit-Ulitin mo lang, epektebo rin yon parang Placibo..
GMA seeking refuge in Mindanao? From the frying pan to the fire! % :wink %
JDV and moral renewal eklat. Sarili nga nyang distrito, hindi man makolekta basura at maayos ang kalsada. JDV hindi ka na national ‘leader’, umuwi ka na ng Pangasinan at ayusin mo sarili mong bakuran. Baon ni inam.
GMA seeking refuge in Mindanao?
In the event of an upheaval in the capital, its also plausible that GMA may seek refuge in Cebu City. Not only does it have the reputation of being “GMA country,” it also houses the Malakanyang sa Sugbo or the Malacañang in the South. Likewise, militant and civil society groups can barely mobilize a thousand here during “big” protests.
I would agree if anyone praises Pol pot for efficiency. Of the thousands who entered is famous fields, less than 30 are known to have survived.
He was a damn cheapskate — most were executed with pickaxes to save bullets.
And his “chosen ones” included homosexuals (favorite of practically all liberators-with-moral-superiority), plus:
-professionals and intellectuals – in practice this included almost everyone with an education, or even people wearing glasses (which, according to the regime, meant that they were literate);
-ethnic Vietnamese, ethnic Chinese, Cambodian Christians, Muslims and the Buddhist monks;
– non-farmers : former urban dwellers (who had not starved to death in the first place) were deemed to be guilty of by virtue of their lack of agricultural ability;
-anyone with connections to the former government or with French, USA, UK, Vatican, Japan… any foreign government.
A PolPot running loose in Philippine politics will unite the country. There is no PolPot yet in a mayoral- or higher elected position in the Philippines.
PolPot, in 1949 or 1950, joined the French Communist Party, the most tightly disciplined and orthodox Marxist-Leninist of Western Europe’s communist movements.
No, PolPot did not have a business degree from the University of California-San Diego nor an economics degree from Georgetown University/WashDC.
Folks,
The fact is the People have always known the Truth, at least those beyond a certain age and below a certain income. But the Right to Know is vastly overrated and does not always lead to knowing the right thing to do. And even then, we are always seduced by the EASY thing to do, which usually involves throwing out the Constitution. As for the LEFT, that’s the ONLY thing they KNOW to do, or WANT to do: thrown out the Constitution. They don’t want democracy to work, because that is precisely their argument: that it cannot work. By rallying and pushing the situation to boiling point, they are the ones preventing the right thing from happening.
After Jun Lozada has so carefully built up a moral high ground from which to stand above the Palace and on which to rebuild our democracy, the people power diehards are pushing it all off a cliff with rallies and demos.
Better na nga the signature campaign of MLQ3. If only we valued our IDENTITIES enough to allow the govt to print cards proclaiming them, signatures might mean something. But no. the Organizers want us to use our BODIES instead of our BRAINS.
They want the People to be Mob, not a Movement.
The want People Power to be an Insurgency, not an Institution.
There already IS such an institution that enshrines, organizes, limits and deploys People Power, with the wisdom of many peoples, not just of those who claim to have invented it somehow in 1986.
It is called the Constitution, a magnificent plagiarism that those Barrio Mechanics refuse to treat a simple Social Contract and would rather construe it as Bible.
When I say impeachment, I also mean the impeachment of a Chief Justice, or at least, SOME Justice, say for bribery and corruption. It’s the only way to re-establish the SOLE and EXCLUSIVE power of the Congress of the People in the matter of Accountability of Public Officers. I remind you all, the Supreme Court has the largest number of such officers at 15.
In the Writs of amparo and habeas data, the Supreme Court Justices are all impeachable for culpable violation of the Constitution. In their defense they will have to prove that these WRITS are not NEW RIGHTS that they have established using constitutive power, contrary to the rule making power provision they used. They have to prove they have not increased, decreased or modified our substantive rights. yet in habeas data, I calculated they just gave 20,000+ consanguine and/or affine relatives of mine the RIGHT to KNOW my data. Also look it up. These are among the most corrupt instruments in courts all over south america.
They need a taste of People Power that they cannot strike down. For in Accountability, they have no Jurisdiction. Congress does.
One thing many people don’t know about the Supreme Court is that actually nothing is final there when it comes to “transcendental” cases. ANY past decision can be reversed by a future Supreme Court.
Estrada v. Arroyo cannot stand! It is logical carpentry that does not stand up to even the merest moral scrutiny of first year law students.
It is not enough to be RIGHT. It is more impt to be FAIR. That is if we want to be JUST.
“You’re right, Benigs. She’s been Marcosian so far, so we may be in for another 20 years of GMA rule, courtesy of a little bit of Martial Law.
Or not. She’s gotta do what she’s gotta do, and we’ve gotta do what we’ve gotta do.” — Mike
And this thing that “we’ve gotta do” is yet another hollow-headed street “revolution”. As I said before, gimme a break. Pinoys are losers either way.
If this “revolution” succeeds, it will merely feed Pinoys’ ADDICTION to moronic street circuses.
If it fails… well now; let me count the number of ways that Pinoys will fall flat on their faces:
(1) It may merely make Gloria’s resolve to crack down even harder on dissent (something Pinoys probably deserve given our penchant for stupid shortcut solutioneering).
(2) It will make the military even more loyal to the incumbents.
and, more IMPORTANTLY:
(3) The laughter at our standup comedy in the region will grow even louder and rumbunctious. 😀
“My God, you guys are scary. Patriotism is the virtue of the vicious – are we prepared to be vicious?” — ramrod
Are Pinoys prepared to be spanked considering we’ve been such cry-babies for the last 20 years?
“After all, someone did say that Gloria is ‘evil’ (which Benign0 considers as being ’shrewd’).” — cvj
OBJECTIVE people call her “shrewd”.
SUPERSTITIOUS people call her “evil”.
“Strangely enough, I cannot help but agree with you on this one. Lets try IMPEACHMENT again, this time lets do a better one. If that fails, lets try again.” — ramrod
I’m all for this!!!!
Let’s face it guys, as Mr. ace quoted Salceda as saying: “[She] may be a b*tch but she’s the luckiest b*tch around”
Firstly, she is IN POWER with a generally loyal military (for someone so allegedly unpopular). She could sick the BIR’s auditors on all these Makati Business Club bozos to muzzle them all. Crank up “routine” health and safety compliance checks on certain businesses run by “uncooperative” characters. Maybe even do a probe on certain Church “practices” — you know, shed some light on certain priests’ “personal” activities or re-visit certain “shelved” cases on certain clergymen/womens’ “inappropriate” behaviour. Bury everyone in paperwork, kung baga.
Now THERE’s some really great ideas there (Madam President, are you listening? 😀 ). There’s lots of things that can be done within the Law and with the national coffers at your disposal (these are all State processes by the way — processes that should be happening in the first place rather than these “Senate inquiries”).
Pinoys at heart are suckers for authority — even if we like posturing and chattering about being ‘rebels’. When we see someone step up and use Power with CONVICTION (which is not the same as saying it be used ‘properly’ or ‘improperly’), we line up behind him or HER and follow like sheep. Gloria is in the perfect position to step up and do just this — CAPITALISE on the relatively strong loyalty of the Army to her, consolidate this, stem any indication of this loyalty eroding, and wield this power with CONVICTION.
A vacuous people deserve to be ruled with an iron fist.
It is this CONVICTION that Pinoys deserve — not the limp-d1ck street “revolutions” and the ironic Catholic masses in the campuses of the very schools that produced the Philippines’ oligarchs that that old-fart romantics like Salonga (who could barely lift his head to speak out) harp on about.
Second, she is presiding over statistically prosperous times (as her luck would have it). At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about. As Bill Gates said: Money is the best scorekeeper. We may carry on like hollow-heads (like we’ve always done for the last 50 years) about the pleasant nature of Pinoys, our hospitality, pristine beaches, and colourful jeepneys (I’m trying not to laugh here), but at the end of the day, if Pinoys continue to leave by the drove to wipe Western European arses at the other side of the world, we’ll be nothing more than a pathetic footnote on the pages of mankind’s history books.
And Third: Do we have a CREDIBLE replacement? I’m sure Erap loyalists are vindicated AND hopping mad about his ILLEGAL removal back in 2000.
Go figure. History will simply repeat itself and SOME of us will be laughing (along with the rest of the world) all the way to the bank.
Mark my word.
– 😀
Blogger fired from CNN for having a blog:
wwwdotdeusexmalcontentdotcom
why should i be shocked. almost all charismatic organizations claim tat they have direct land line to heaven.
some posters here state that if glma is going to be ousted, it is God’s will.
what’s the difference?
and why sre those people with rage in heart attend masses with clenched fists.
what i know is when you come to the house of God, you even love your enemies.
joey salceda calling GMA a bitch was a ploy to show people anyone, esp. Neri, can call her anything and suffer no consequences…
i think all these scenarios are WAAAY over the top…ang sama naman ng tingin nyo sa kapwa nyo. Di lang magnanakaw. mass murderer pa???
why not recruit FVR, former president whose administration had the least scandals amongst the living presidents, to dialogue with GMA for the people, get her to do the reforms we want, and assure us she will step down in 2010. FVR may not be palatable to all but we cannot argue the fact that he had a relatively stable term as prexy AND he has shown her enough goodwill (ok and bad) in the past so as not to antagonize her…
he wants to be an elder statesman, let’s test his mettle now…once more.
Looks like Malacanang feels the need for another shot of its antidote to the people’s ardor.
“Executive Director Ray Roquero of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) Wednesday told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that the stage was being set for De Castro to be endorsed by Ms Arroyo as her presidential candidate in 2010.”
From PDI report: VP De Castro seen as Arroyo’s 2010 bet, says Lakas exec (First Posted 02:19:00 02/21/2008)
It might cool some people’s ardor, but I dont think the ploy will fly in this crowd (Im talking about those who frequent this blog.) I hope De Castro isnt stupid enough to fall for it.
People seem to keep on talking about the “critical mass” to get another people power going. Wouldn’t it be easier if we people power our representatives to withdraw their support for PGMA. Wouldn’t it be easier if we divide the country to conquer it?
These congressmen are OUR representatives so for heaven’s sake REPRESENT us! The congressmen are a vital part of this evil web. It is high time for this people to realize where their power comes from, NOT GLORIA but US! We need to breathe down their necks. If we go by IMPEACHMENT then we need to buckle down and do our job. These congressmen will have to vote according to OUR WILL or they will be removed from office by their constituents.
Also, my skin crawls when I see JDV and family speak of moral revolution! Wow! Can you believe him? Pumepwesto na. Trapong trapo talaga!
The President basically bought the Lower House, well we need to show her that we own the Lower House and IT IS NOT FOR SALE! The government is a heirarchy and WE ARE ON TOP!
Gloria “power” that she brags so much about comes from the congressmen. If we erode her arrogance from below, she will eventually lose footing and will crumble down.
OK Lets lighten up guys…
I just saw the performace of Ramielle Malubay, the only Pinay who made it to Tope 24 in American Idol 7. Man, she is really really good and really impressed teh 3 judges. Yes including Simon Cowell.
Now for the very first time, I am going to vote in this reality show.
I just saw the performace of Ramielle Malubay
and she’s so cuu-u-uuute.
Rule of law gone to the garbage. Instead we again celebrate the emergence of rule of mob, rule of media , rule of religious.
Very sad that the instigators are at it again. I can not understand how religious(daw), men and women of cloth could be so easy to condemn people without any factual , documented evidence..it ‘s plain and simple hypocrisy.
Priests and nuns at the senate hearing looked very oa.
The 4,000 that attended the makati rally is certainly not close to even 2% of the population.
Did Jose Rizal and our other National heroes use their position/s like how Lozada did: asked by a philsar reader
“Also, my skin crawls when I see JDV and family speak of moral revolution! Wow! Can you believe him? Pumepwesto na. Trapong trapo talaga!” — Zel
Trouble is, MANY Pinoys eat that cr@p for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. May merienda pa.
Even the most vile of politicians can invoke the “word of God” and Pinoys will eat it up. This is typical of a society that has delegated all its thinking faculties wholesale to religion, ideology, and political slogans.
As an “admired Filipino economist, based in New York” noted about the kind of discussions that pervade the chattering classes of Pinoy society:
” ‘They are droll and unintelligent, focused on the trivial or the irrelevant.’ When the issues are of some significance, it’s the wrong arguments that prevail, the wrong side wins. Logic and common sense take the backseat to political arguments and the views of the poorly-educated. There seems to be some bases for her disenchantment. ”
This was back in 2000. Check it out here:
http://www.geocities.com/benign0/agr-disagr/10-comsen.html
Now step back and take stock of the national “debate” going on EIGHT years since.
You just gotta laugh, folks. 😀
We must also include our , kabataang barangay officials, barangay officials, mayors and governors in the new brand of “people power”. Let us work within the system. Use the bureaucracy to our advantage. The religious, students, businessmen within our cities must exert force on these local officials and demand that these officials express OUR REAL sentiments and not their personal sentiments on the issue at hand.
“Rule of law gone to the garbage. Instead we again celebrate the emergence of rule of mob, rule of media , rule of religious.” – james
The ironic thing is that while the people affiliated with the above crowds constantly crow about becoming a ‘modern’ democracy ruled by Law, there is nothing more Medieval- and Feudal-looking than the sight of throngs of these cretins waving clenched fists followed by robed men and women waving religious icons in the air. 😀
could only count by the handful politicians who are worthy of their office. and not one of them is a senator or a congressman. two are governors, four are mayors, and a few are city councilors.
Yes, i know of one- perhaps this Jess Robredo of Naga City. Anyone from the Bicol region here, please enlighten us of Mr Robredo. Our knowledge of his illustrious achievements is limited in print.
Luoy gyud si joker, kung kanus-a pa natigulang saka pa gyud nagbinuang
Pastilan, maminaw ta kay rego, usahay kinahanglan mag pahuway, dili maayo ang stress kada adlaw, kada oras! 🙂
how can people be so naive to believe these instigators!!
AbS-CBN, print-media are hopeless but priests and nuns?
but again their only difference with us is the white cloth that they adorn
james,
So you’d rather go with Quiboly huh? Go ahead, join your momma…
James, lahat ba ng pari at bishop dapat huwag pakinggan?
but again their only difference with us is the white cloth that they adorn
Exactamente, James. Theyre citizens too and have rights protected by our laws.
this letter is taken from philstar
“Dear Br. Bernie FSC and my Lasallian family,
“I would like to respectfully furnish you and our community with a copy of the statement of my husband, Deputy Executive Secretary Manuel Gaite in the light of the repeated public allegations of Mr. Jun Lozada against him.
“The words of St. Augustine �No one can claim a monopoly of the truth� are what have kept my husband and I going at this darkest hour of our family life. I fully stand by the integrity and honesty of my husband and I know he is not capable of doing anything as dishonorable as what Mr. Lozada has kept telling the senate and the media.
“It is very sad that when my husband finally got a chance to face Mr. Lozada in the senate and state the facts from his side, Mr. Lozada so easily got away with his very damaging statements in the previous days. I vividly recall how in a previous senate hearing before my husband was called to testify, not to mention in many media interviews, Mr. Lozada so freely maligned the name of my husband, saying among others, that it was my husband who told him to lie, go to Hong Kong to evade the Senate, and allegedly used the term “dilatory tactic” to orchestrate the entire cover up.
“When my husband finally got his chance to be heard in the senate, at one point, Mr. Lozada corrected himself, saying he must have confused my husband with another lawyer. And Mr. Lozada so easily got away with it, just like that, and still earned himself the description of a very credible and consistent witness thereafter.
“Last Saturday night, when my husband was not there in the “Harapan” to be able to promptly refute, clarify or correct Mr. Lozada�s heavy allegations, Mr. Lozada again so freely accused my husband, saying that the same gave him P500,000 to keep him away from the Senate.
“The next day, which was the 100th year of our town fiesta where my husband happens to be the parish centennial celebration president, was a very trying time for us as a couple, when he had to stand up in our parish and thank all those who have supported him for the celebration. Although I know how he must have been hurting inside, I never heard him utter any word to use the opportunity to air his side in the face of such damaging accusations. It was also the same time when my own La Salle community was hailing Mr. Lozada a hero in our nation�s search for truth, someone whose words cannot be questioned anymore, someone against whose words, a differing view would only be condemned.
“I have silently watched and listened to how our La Salle brothers and other members of our La Salle community, many other religious and former government leaders have repeatedly affirmed the credibility of Mr. Jun Lozada to a level seemingly beyond doubt, calling others whose words do not jibe with his story as corrupt and merely covering up for the President. Even then, I prayed I would not be tempted to pass judgment against the brothers although in my hearts of hearts, my question was how could some of the brothers who I thought knew me personally and my husband quickly judge him purely based on the allegations of Mr. Lozada?
“During the MBC meeting the other week, I learned that Dean Juico stood up for my husband whom he had known since the time of President Cory and asked the MBC to at least hear first what my husband had to say in the senate before asking him to resign based on Mr. Lozada�s very serious allegations). I was surprised to learn today from Dean Juico that it was only a couple of days ago when Bro. Armin was able to recall that Deputy Executive Secretary Gaite is my husband. It bothers me because I had thought that considering that if the allegations of Mr. Lozada are all true, the people charged would be punished; at least due diligence must have been done by persons supposedly discerning and courageously standing up for the truth.
“I know I�m not an authority in spirituality but many innocent people could be irreparably damaged through trial by publicity and even our own search for truth if our means are not as carefully consistent with our sincere ends. This is not to discredit anybody nor to criticize those who fully support the crusade for truth of Mr. Lozada as well as those who believed him completely but rather to contribute to our communal discernment of Truth for our country.
“The thing that gets me going these days, as I have said, are St. Augustine�s words: No one can claim the monopoly of the truth. Truth is neither yours nor mine. It is God�s. We all hold in our fragile hands a piece of Truth and I believe the call is for us to put those pieces together, humbly and with a readiness to hear other sides, even a contrary view, believing the best and not the worst in each other in order to build our country from where we are, however broken or in need of healing.
“This will be my first time to say publicly that my husband has served four presidents as an honorable man. And in all those times, not one president I recall can claim perfection nor freedom from any allegations. What if, by any chance, not all that Mr. Lozada is saying is true? Can we still bring back the good names of people and their families should they be later proven innocent in the court of law, or completely erase the clouds of doubt that have been sown in the minds of people against them?
“All I ask is for you to give my husband and all others concerned the benefit of the doubt and the human right of presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. Loving my husband as much as I do, I would not in any way attempt to obstruct justice, if he has truly done anything unlawful or dishonorable.
“Since I am currently serving in your august school as director of our Center for Social Responsibility and Human Development, which I consider the closest to a Center for Ethics that we have at the moment, I would understand it should you honestly feel I no longer have the credibility necessary for the good name of the Center.
“I have humbly attached for your kind attention the statement of my husband. In a way it�s our joint statement since a part of what was recounted there happened when I was there. While I informed him that I would send you a copy of his statement, I did not tell him anymore of this emotional transmittal letter from me, which I will also copy furnish him.
“I only wish good things for Mr. Lozada and the rest of us.
“Yours sincerely,
“(Signed) Mrs. Maribel R. Gaite”
In the words of the esteemed C at, paraphrased:
She his wife, what do you expect?
(But anyone who’s married would point out that husbands and wives do keep secrets from each other. I know I have. Yes, Im scum.)
Benigs, what are you saying? That if we can’t impeach GMA, we’re not allowed to feel and express outrage at her administration’s shenanigans? And that if she cracks down, it’s our fault?
Ano bang gusto mong mangyari?
GOOD NEWS!!! The economy decoupled itself from the political noise. Equities following wallstreet choppy trading instead of the drama at the senate. Did the people also decoupled itself from the corruption controversies as there are very few showing up at the rallies? Now Nograles wants to decouple the church from its tax exempt status. 😀
This is a shallow comment admittedly but to the Harry Potter fans out there, doesn’t Neri remind you of Peter Pettigrew? Traydor na sobrang sipsip kay Voldemort. Pero parang awa naman wag gawing Harry Potter si Lozada. Please lang.
I>People Power is the legislative and political process in a direct democracy. We have a representative democracy, a very different sort of thing. People power is like av-gas in a cigarette lighter. It gets the cigarette lit along with the frontal lobe areas. It is elitist not because of the elites that take part, but because of vanishingly small fractions of people actually needed to accomplish regime change. DJB
(This is a bit late because I have just voted too . . . no, no, not in the caucuses but for Ramielle Malubay!!)
Now, I believe People Power exists whether the form of a democratic government is direct or indirect. The conception of People Power both during EDSA 1 and EDSA II was in the nature of the exercise by the people of the power of the last say, a sovereign power which underlie the colonial Constitution of 1935, the Marcos Constitution of 1973 or the People Power Constitution of 1987 (as well as the American Constitution from which our constitutional system has been modeled).
As a product of People Power, there is a fundamental drift in the 1987 Constitution from a purely “representative†government towards a “potential†yet expressly acknowledged form of direct democracy in the very first section of the article on Legislative Department (Article VI, Section I in relation to Section 32 thereof) reserving to the sovereign Filipino people, the principal, a provision for initiative and referendum as an express legislative power-sharing mechanism co-existent with that so delegated by the same sovereign to the agency of the Legislative Department. This pubescent form of direct democracy also finds expressions in Article XIII, Sections 15 and 16 as well as Article II, Section 23 of the Constitution recognizing the national role of people’s organizations, NGOs and community-based organizations and facilitating “the establishment of adequate consultation mechanisms.â€Â
If the members of the present SC are not as “elitist†as they are, there’s been a couple of opportunities (in Santiago v. COMELEC and in Lambino v. Comelec) to pullulate at least a hybrid system.
DJB, your math ignores the numbers constituting the “passive†participants.
For example, today the survey says (and I’m aware of your position re surveys) that 77% of Filipinos want GMA to resign, and if 1% of them who are so intense to brave police truncheons, water cannons, rubber or even live bullets and the natural elements and succeed in making GMA resign, it won’t be perfect science but it would be illogical (and math is logic) to exclude the “onlookers†and living room activists from the equation.
I will have to distinguish too between People Power as a process and as an outcome. As a process both EDSA I and EDSA II were a legitimately political exercise of the sovereign power of the people. Whether the final outcome was a dud or a total fiasco is another matter. It’s like legitimately electing an exceptionally gifted Marcos or supposedly egalitarian Estrada and ending up with a megalomaniac thief and a little-minded jerk.
Sorry, the paragraph of my post above is a quote from DJB’s
James, like it or not, religion exerts influence on Philippine society–just as it does in a lot of other places. It’s like socio-economic status. You probably can’t prevent it from affecting people’s attitudes.
And the leaders of the Catholic Church here are in quite a bind: they’re criticized for both speaking out too much and speaking out too little. Damned if they do, damned if they don’t. I wonder why the INC doesn’t get this kind of flak.
Abe, i agree with you that we have “to distinguish too between People Power as a process and as an outcome“. Especially since human will is involved, there is an inherent contingency in outcomes. For example, even if Erap was successfully impeached and Gloria took over via that route, it does not mean that Hello Garci would not have happened.
It is inconsistent to defend EDSA (1986) and then criticize EDSA Dos and then defend EDSA Tres (at least for those who accept it as a genuine mass action). In a similar fashion, those who criticize EDSA Dos but call for Arroyo’s ouster via people power are also being inconsistent. Because of the contingency of outcomes, all EDSA’s should be defended and/or criticized as a package.