Yesterday Senators Enrile and Arroyo tag-teamed to try to shut down the Senate hearings and one can assume they did so, to prevent the emergence of new witnesses. They failed. And so, New witness tags Arroyo couple in NBN mess. See also ZTE advanced $41M to ‘greedy group’–witness: ‘Chinese, Filipino groups to half $200M overprice’ ‘The worms just keep wriggling out of the can. See Ellen Tordesillas for additional background. I do think this is an extremely valid point: New witness in NBN probe ‘too relaxed,’ says Pangilinan: He might be a ‘Trojan Horse’.
One can assume that it is the public pressure of the hearings that leads to the leaking of documents, such as ‘Copy for FG’ is marginal note on NBN document. It’s well to remember that those grousing over the “lack” of evidence deliberately overlook how the Palace clamped down on producing documents, for obvious reasons.
As Manuel Buencamino does, so will people continue doing: asking questions to which the official answers don’t make sense.
Last night, after an emergency meeting, the Catholic hierarchy released a pastoral exhortation, ‘Seeking the Truth, Restoring Integrity’ with six main recommendations:
1. Condemn the continuing culture of corruption from the top to the bottom of our social and political ladder;
2. Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found;
3. Recommend the abolition of EO 464 so that those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government, may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies;
4. Ask the President to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly about the ZTE-NBN deal, without being obstructed in their testimony no matter who is involved;
5. Appeal to our senators and the ombudsman to use their distinct and different powers of inquiry into alleged corruption cases not for their own interests but for the common good;
6. Call on media to be a positive resource of seeking the truth and combating corruption by objective reporting without bias and partiality, selective and tendentious reporting of facts.
It’s enough to make AlterNation101 happy because it rebukes the media (does that include government media?). While bloggers like Spank Me! and at wit’s end are furious, and Palace hails CBCP for ‘not succumbing to propaganda’ others, like Bobbie Reyes say the demand to revoke Executive Order 464 is “an extremely powerful statement.” barefoot calls it a wise tactical move. I have to heartily agree with Lunasandwich who points out,
While for sure the defenders of greed and corruption will be quick to use the bishop’s statement as leverage, people should still resist the urge to label the bishops as in cohorts with the enemy. People who believe that GMA must go should not be disheartened. Maybe this time there would be much more meaning when it is the people who convince the Church’s leadership when it is time for evil leaders to go than vice-versa.
People seem to be coming to a decision on their own, anyway.
In his blog, Mon Casiple seems to agree, too:
However, there is a tilt in the balance as it categorically called for the abolition of EO 464 so that “those who might have knowledge of any corruption in branches of government may be free to testify before the appropriate investigating bodies.” The CBCP asked President Arroyo to allow her subordinates to reveal any corrupt acts, particularly on the $329.48-million ZTE NBN deal without being obstructed in their testimony, “no matter who is involved.”
The thematic unity of the CBCP revolved around the search for truth — a formula that basically puts the onus for finding it on the broad opposition. In including President Macapagal-Arroyo as participant in the search for truth, the CBCP basically satisfied the bishops friendly to her. At the same time, it also opened the door for more testimony thereby satisfying those bishops who already made up their mind on the guilt of the President.
The CBCP put itself as the cart after the horse and sidestepped its possible moral leadership on the matter of addressing the key action of calling for GMA resignation. This sends the message that it will only act decisively when the people themselves — on their own — acted decisively towards this end.
There are other nuances to Casiple’s analysis, but on the open-ended demand being significant, I also agree (note: demand, not an ultimatum because, well, essentially the bishops give the President until Kingdom Come to comply: hence the Palace’s breezy “this deserves very serious consideration,” and Scrapping EO 464 requires ‘careful study’–DoJ chief, which is officialese for “wham bang thank you, bishops”) . See Jove Francisco for the Palace’s activities: none of them involving anything the bishops suggested.
It satisfies the Jesuit conditions that things should not escalate until all the i’s have been dotted and all the t’s are crossed. By all means, do so. I am confident this proposal will go the way of that other Jesuit brainchild, the Truth Commission that bamboozled the Solita Monsods of this world into giving the President a free pass in 2005. So they’ve done it again, may their tribe increase. I’ve mentioned before that we have to consider that the real fight may only begin in 2010 when the President’s collaborators run out of rationalizations.
As Tony Abaya puts it,
Edsa 1 can be said to have taken two years and six months — Aug. 21, 1983 to Feb. 25, 1986 — to reach flashpoint of sufficient heat and energy to force Marcos and his family out of Malacanang.
If the putative Edsa 3 (or 4) were to be superimposed on this timeline, and the trigger were the revelations of Jun Lozada on Feb. 5, 2008, flashpoint would not be reached until about August 2010…
By August 2010, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would be on her first months as prime minister or as president on a third term, the Constitution having been amended in 2009 to enable her to remain in power legally and constitutionally beyond June 30, 2010, by the Kampi-Lakas dominated Congress, as is the ill-disguised aim of the ChaCha Road Show inaugurated last Feb. 12 by Albay Gov. Joey “Bitch” Salceda.
Using EO 464 as one more bridge to cross, is fine with me for that reason.
Can the President dispense with Executive Order 464? Only if:
1. She replaces it with another executive issuance that has the same effect as EO 464, or;
2. She puts the squeeze on executive officials to lie, and destroys documents that everyone knows exists.
Method 1 is what Marcos adopted with his infamous Amendment 6 to the Constitution which rendered meaningless his lifting of martial law in 1981. I’m sure some legal sleuthing in the Administrative Code and other places might dig up useful pretexts to block Senate subpoenas.
But method 2 is the easier thing to do, However, in the long run, the least effective because too much has already been said and too many trails lead straight back to her.
Easiest of all, of course, is not to budge on E.O. 464 and keep applying it, saying there are pending cases in the Supreme Court, that it requires proper study, that a special committee has been appointed to look into it and that in the fullness of time it will issue non-binding recommendations for further discussion…
Or, the President could revoke it and throw caution to the winds in which case the bishops could honestly claim paternity for a full-blown miracle.
But what has been happening is that the Catholic bishops and the moderate critics of the President as well as the collaborators, have all come to focus on E.O. 464 as the first line of the President’s defense.
And a means for piercing that defense is actively proposed by today’s Inquirer editorial, Strike for the truth: a nationwide stay-home strike (the editorial responded to this particular about-face by the Palace: Arroyo on ‘flawed’ NBN deal ‘lost in translation’–Palace). No one can say a strike is incompatible with democracy, the Constitution or the so-called government “rule of law.”
Proposing a day to stay home instead of going into the streets should be vigorously discussed (see Amando Doronila’s Arroyo’s work ethic and the Mafia for some particulars on how businessmen are tackling the question of economic costs); to ignore the proposal merely limits the already narrowing options available to the public.
Returning to the CBCP Statement, bear in mind it’s the product of a collegial body and that the immediate objective of the leading bishops was to forge a united stand. The pastoral exhortation was at least, approved unanimously. No one can complain. It may also represent the last service Archbishops Capalla and Talamayan, the President’s point men within the hierarchy, can provide the President.
So, sorry to disappoint Philippine Commentary, but I’m happy with the statement. It can only help tighten the noose and it can only further clarify the battle lines.
In the blogosphere, smoke takes a nihilist look at ongoing events, an antidote, I suppose, to the passion of Etcetera, Etcetera (heartily applauded by Manila Bay Watch). love hurts… but sometimes it’s a good hurt… and it feels like i’m alive… has some photos: see B[email protected] for Cory Aquino’s speech. Philippine Politics 04 responds to a mother’s concerns over rallies.
As always, Mabini’s prayer continues to resound down the ages:
To sum it up, the Revolution failed because it was badly led; because its leader won his post by reprehensible rather than meritorious acts; because instead of supporting the men most useful to the people, he made them useless out of jealousy. Identifying the aggrandizement of the people with his own, he judged the worth of men not by their ability, character and patriotism but rather by their degree of friendship and kinship with him; and anxious to secure the readiness of his favorites to sacrifice themselves for him, he was tolerant even of their transgressions. Because he thus neglected the people forsook him; and forsaken by the people, he was bound to fall like a waxen idol melting in the heat of adversity. God grant we do not forget such a terrible lesson, learnt at the cost of untold suffering.
This is a cool bit o’ video: How cops come up with crowd estimates.
She lied on Rizal day, cheated on an election. These wait-and-see people should really get a clue. This is pathological already. It’s one thing to be precipitous and quite another to be a pussy.
Like I said earlier. The Church first needs to own up to its own track record of suppressing the Truth, propagating ignorance, and undermining just about every effort to implement a sound family planning infrastructure in Pinoy society.
If we make politicians’ credibility the issue here, then let’s make the Church’s credibility an issue as well.
ALL,
All these hesitation from the no-EDSA crowd smacks of American influence. Just because George Bush got away with lying to the American public and killing hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis and thousands of US soldiers do not mean Gloria should get away with lesser crimes.
These people won’t just admit it but they are taking their cue from American politics.
Dante wrote that the “hottest place in Hell is reserved for those, who in time of crisis, remain neutral.â€Â
What’s the ‘Truth Commission’? Where can i read more about it?
stay at home strike? nice. that’s something people like me could easily do
the truth is ABS-CBn is utterly digusting impartial(as observed by the CBCp)..
and imperial manila is willingly awed by it all….
Ok, let’s do this reverse-engineering-like.
1. Can the no-EDSA advocates convince me that GMA did NOT cheat in the last election?
2. Can you give me a reason to trust that the “Process” will deal with number 1 that will satisfy the criteria of truth and justice?
3. Can you please explain to me why her invocation of Executive Privilege, the mere effort to prevent important witnesses from helping the Senate in an investigation of a major crime against our country can be anything but an impeachable offense, the kind of offense that would get a prime minister a no-confidence vote, easily (for admirers of the parliamentary form of government)?
4. Please explain why still have done nothing two years after Hello Garci came out?
BrianB and Equalizer
Nobody is stopping you guys from doing what you need to do to get her to resign. But please, you have no right to tell us WHAT or WHAT not to do. We are not pawns to serve YOUR ends.
We will decide if we want to join you guys or not. HINDI KAYO na puro lang pamimintas ang nakukuha namin sa inyo. Ang hirap sa inyo, kayo ang mga taong ikinatatakutan namin, na feeling superior sa aming mga madla na sumusubaybay sa mga nangyayari, nagmamasid at naguusisa pa.
Kung kayo din lang mga maiinit ang ulo ang papalit sa pamahalann, di bale na lang.
Tambay, I was speaking to the neutrals and to people who want to stay away from politics. My question is addressed to advocates of No-Edsa. Everyone has a right to be left alone if he want to be left alone. I simply assumed people like Smoke, etc. were willing to discuss their side with our side.
As for the Bishops, people have a right to criticize their avowed moral leaders when these moral leaders refuse to lead.
As for being hot-headed. It comes from fear. Fear that a liar and thief and perhaps even a murderer should govern us. If you don’t think we are not governemd by a criminal, go to my previous post and kindly satisfy my curiosity.
BrianB,
(1) You need a PROCESS to come up with a convincing argument that GMA cheated or did not cheat. So that 1st challenge of yours is an oxymoron.
(2) If you can’t trust the “process” then you need a process to SUBSTANTIATE the untrustworthiness of said process.
(3) The ALLEGED “effort to prevent important witnesses from helping the Senate in an investigation of a major crime against our country”. But you need a PROCESS to turn this allegation into the outcome you desire. A PROCEDURE within said process is to file an impeachment complaint.
(4) Why has nothing been done about the Hello Garci thing? I think this is one of those ‘impeacheable offenses’ you mentioned. Last I heard government officials enjoy a 1 year grace period in between impeachment complaints. That’s part of the process.
So you see, the only way one can escape PROCESS is to incite anarchy. That’s exactly what these moronic street “revolutions” are in essence. They’re just being marketed to vacuous minds as exercises to restore the integrity of democratic institutions. It’s an irony that escapes the average vacuous mind. 😉
quote
We will decide if we want to join you guys or not. HINDI KAYO na puro lang pamimintas ang nakukuha namin sa inyo. Ang hirap sa inyo, kayo ang mga taong ikinatatakutan namin, na feeling superior sa aming mga madla na sumusubaybay sa mga nangyayari, nagmamasid at naguusisa pa.
Kung kayo din lang mga maiinit ang ulo ang papalit sa pamahalann, di bale na lang.
unquote
Sa ganitong rason din ang dahilan kung baket me nahoholdap na at sinasaksak e wala pa din tumutulong sa biktima. Ganito din ang rason ng mga taong usisero sa mga krimen na nagaganap sa harap nila at wala silang pakialam.
Pero pag sila na ang biktima para silang mga asong aatungal tapos sisihin ang mga taong saksi sa pangyayare na hindi man lang tumulong. Cycle diba?
In short ang tawag sa mga ganyan ay duwag.
In short kaya madaming umaalis ng pilipinas dahil sa mga kamag anak na ganyan 🙂
BrianB
Kaya nga pabayaan mo muna kaming magmasid at mag usisa. Marami sa mga taong itinutukoy mo na No-EDSA ay tulad namin na ayaw gumawa ng hakbang hanggang di namin napagpasyahan kung totoo ba o hindi ang mga paratang.
Kayo, kung sa palagay ninyo ay sapat na, opinyon niyo iyun. Kami, di pa kami handang magbigay ng aming kapasyahan.
Di ko alam kung buhay ka pa nung panahon ni Marcos. Mas grabe ang panahon na iyon kung ikumpara mo sa mga panahon ngayon. Di ko sinasabi na di kailangan ng mga improvement ngunit at least, lahat tayo nakakapagsalita na hindi dinadampot at nawawala na lamang.
Ang punto, hinay lang. Kung lalantad ang mga katibayan (na sa palagay ko ay kulang pa AT OPINYON KO IYON), hindi naman tayo magaatubili at ihihingi din natin ang kanyang ulo. Ngunit sa ngayon, di pa.
Ang pagkukundisyun ng ulo ng mga madla ay di lamang gawain ng mga taga administrasyon, ngunit pati na rin sa oposisyon. Mga maestro ang mga iyan sa pagpipindot ng ating mga kinatatakutan.
cjv, remember the truth commission? from 2005? instead of impeachment?
MLQ3,
GLADDENED, not disappointed to find that you are not “dismayed” as Leah and the Black N White Movement folks say they are over the CBCP’s pastoral letter. You are right. The noose tightens. But more importantly, all eyes are on the Senate, the institution that must rise again, take its rightful place and re-establish the balance that was destroyed by the Supreme Court in 2001.
To help this out, I have a new LEMMA about Separation of Powers for your readers based on Article XI of the Constitution (Accountability of Public Officers)–
The Congress possesses sole and exclusive judicial power in all cases of impeachment involving any of the constitutional officers of the Republic.
For all other citizens the Supreme Court has the the supreme judicial power. The Senate impeachment court has none higher in deciding ALL cases of impeachment. This only makes sense because only the Congress has no impeachable officials.
Thus Congress IS the proper Court for investigating and possibly adjudicating the President’s involvement in ZTE.
nihilist? i don’t reject morality or religious belief. I am not of the “viewpoint that traditional values and beliefs are unfounded.” Nor do my arguments “deny any objective ground of truth and especially of moral truths.”
If anything, it is the people who advocate overthrow of government that fit the alternative definition of nihilist more handily. As Merriam Webster puts it, nihilism is “a doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility.”
harumph. 😀
smoke, noted. 😉
Kamote
Eh di sumulong mga kapatid na kayo diyan. Bahala kayo.
The problem with you guys is that you use stupid arguments to bolster your cause. Using a very different situation to negate the argument we make.
We are still studying the evidence as presented by the witnesses (hearsay evidence by the way).
Kaya nga maraming patayan sa pilipinas kasi gusto niyo mag away agad. ( That’s the kind of kamote argument you make…. BTW, sa Bacolod, ang kamote means mentally kulang….)
Tambay, with you it’s not about an exchange of ideas, is it? You are not arguing your case, right? And you just want to be left alone? So why even make a comment, just wondering. I am not saying you do not have a right to make a comment but why bother making a comment at all?
Geez, it’s like explaining to a lawyer.
“a doctrine or belief that conditions in the social organization are so bad as to make destruction desirable for its own sake independent of any constructive program or possibility.â€Â
Rom, I take it you do not want to join the Fight Club.
And to tell the truth, I don’t want Gloria to go just yet. I rather fantasize about her forcing her way into an extended term in 2010 with all hell breaking lose all about her [fill in music from the Pixies “Where is my Mind”].
the CBCP statement just straightened the bishops who like to talk as if they represent the church. now we know how the majority of the bishops think. which, i guess, is also how the majority of the filipinos think.
“The problem with you guys is that you use stupid arguments to bolster your cause. Using a very different situation to negate the argument we make.”
Sweet.
BrianB: Tambay just made his statement.
On a persnickety note:
Tambay: We are still studying the evidence as presented by the witnesses (hearsay evidence by the way).
Certainly true to a certain extent of Madriaga’s but not Lozada’s and JDVIII’s.
smoke: If anything, it is the people who advocate overthrow of government…
Not overthrow of government (at least not me). Just “overthrow” of the president (preferably via the constitutional options of resignation or impeachment). Gloria isnt the government.
Brian: Rom, I take it you do not want to join the Fight Club.
You do NOT talk about Fight Club.
BrianB
My problem is not about arguing the case with you guys. It’s about you guys calling us names and accusing us of selling out (your American influence argument) just because we have not adhered to your cause just yet. That’s the issue that I have. Just because we don’t move doesn’t mean we’re not thinking. Di lang mainit ulo namin tulad ninyo.
Very very sweet. His a narc, I’ll bet my caboodles.
Tambay says he is one of :
Now, you can call Tambay an idiot, or you can nurture his search for truth because Tambay is probably on your side if the truth is the truth is the truth AND if only you know how to build alliances.
BrianB: shut up for a couple of days… it may be bad for your ego but good for getting a few more bodies on this move to get GMA out of Malacanang.
Jeg
I agree with you since they’re eyewitness account as per Lozada and JDV3….but you also have to realize there may be some motivation behind it other than love of country. They have to show us the proofs, not their own words.
In Clarissa Ocampo’s case, aside from giving witness to the fact that Mr. Estrada signed the account opening forms under the name of Velarde, the handwriting experts also pointed out that the signature conforms to the ex-prez’s handwriting.
Dito, salita lang nila??? Unless they offer any other proof.
BrianB…. make it a month. 😉
Truth is like the onion. In fact, the onion is one of the tuthiest sites on the intarwebs, i’ll bet my other caboodles.
Tambay: They have to show us the proofs, not their own words.
Or corroborating testimony from the executively privileged Neri. They do have documentary evidence, too. Those that list China projects without NBN and with low-cost housing, tapos biglang bagong list with NBN and without low-cost housing. That corroborates Lozada’s testimony na tinanggal yung housing.
UP n,
I’m not in the business of recruiting people to my cause through guile or the charms of my becoming scarce. And I do not, will not and have never patronized people who prefer tagalog over English – I take it that’s your meaning.
“Tambay: They have to show us the proofs, not their own words.”
And what is the Hello Garci if not the most solid proof that was ever thrown against a president, in the history of civilization.
Tambay: They have to show us the proofs, not their own words.
Jeg: Or corroborating testimony from the executively privileged Neri. They do have documentary evidence, too. Those that list China projects without NBN and with low-cost housing, tapos biglang bagong list with NBN and without low-cost housing. That corroborates Lozada’s testimony na tinanggal yung housing.
Kamote: Or just actually listen to Gloria saying she knew there are anomalies to the ZTE deal and yet continued to sign the contract anyway.
What more proof do you need?
and oh yes I am aware about the meaning of my nick. It also kinda giving me some freedom to look sabaw sabaw 🙂
mlq3, thanks for the reminder, just googled and found your past blog entries on this topic.
How can you ask GMA to the lead in combating corruption? She is synonymous to corruption. Common sense will tell you she will try and save her skin. Take Gaite’s example, everyone is saying he is a decent person, but was it not so obvious that he was lying? Sino po naman amg maniniwala sa kwento nya? It was preposterous, it was soo painful to watch. Since Lozada came out, we have a parade of malacanang officials lying through their teeth… Let’s not forget that it’s not just ZTE at hanggang ngayon wala pa ding nasasagot. Wala pang KATOTOHANAN.
Opps announcements:
Good governance under this government is governance practiced with follow through. Ningas Cogon has no place in this government.
I shall establish immediately:
1)The Office for Presidential Denials (OPD)
2)The Commission for Presidential Commissions (attached to FG’s office).
3)The “Laser Beamâ€ÂOffice
4)The “Let’s Move On!†Office
5)The “2010 and Beyond†Study Group under Ronnie Puno
6)The New Cabinet Post of Senior Mentor for FVR
7)Foreign Affairs And Relationships Tasks (FART) under FG
And finally, good governance under this government is governance practiced with a strong sense of urgency and the need to act or decide.
I am making the much needed changes in the Cabinet and I am appointing men and women of probity:
1)Chairman of Comelec:Honorable “Hello Garciâ€ÂGarcillano
2)Ambassador to China :â€ÂDaddy Chairâ€ÂAbalos
3)Ambassador to Taiwan:â€ÂLady Miriam Santiago
4)Ambassador to Myanmar(Burma):General Esperon
5)Truth Commission Members:General Razon,Lito Atienza,Mike Defensor
6)Social Welfare Administrator:Usec Gaite
7)Conjugal Greed Commission:Imelda Marcos
Tess, if common sense were the guide, then this whole sorry episode would have been over two years ago. For better or worse, we have constrained ourselves with this or that process. It’s getting ridiculous but that’s where we are.
So ayun Tambay, marami ka nang mahahanapan ng patunay kung yun ang hinahanap mo. Andyan din ang patung-patong na kaso magmula pa nung iskandalo ni Nani Perez, hanggang kay Joc-Joc Bolante, hanggang sa mga deseparesidos, at marami pang iba na inuupuan ng kasalukuyang administrasyon na tanda ng pagwawalang-bahala nito.
Pero kung sa tamang proseso mo gustong ihayag ang mga paglalahad ng ebidensiya, siguro dapat sumama ka sa panawagan sa mga Kongresista na huwag nilang harangin ang impeachment laban sa Pangulo.
I have solicited taxi driver’s opinion about the current crisis the nation is facing again and the extent of their awareness. If we shall consider taxi drivers as part of the masa, then here is my way of getting the feel of the masa on the issue of theday. of the 5 drivers i randomly interviewed 4 are convinced Gloria must resign. nakakahiya na sya. kayod tayo ng kayod sila naman kurakot ng kurakot. I’d challnged them that “wala naman tayong ibedensya sa kurakot nila”. they told me that Lozada is by far believable than the testimonies of government officials.
One more shoe has to drop. How the Supreme Court rules on the petition of Romulo Neri based on executive privilege. I guess he has crossed all the T’s and dotted all the I’s and will cite all the steps the Court itself required in Senate v. Ermita for a valid exercise of executive privilege over what he knows. Just depends on whether they believe he has already appeared at the Senate and made a valid claim of privilege during that ill-fated, and leaky, Senate Executive Session. Which lack of security, or alleged lack of security, could be a factor in how the Court decides.
If I were Neri, I would claim that the publicity attendant upon the claimed leak by four anonymous sources becomes cause to doubt that my Constitutional rights are safe, even in a Senate executive session.
Didn’t he file for AMPARO too?
pero 2 lang sa limang taxi driver would like to join rallies to pressure arroyo to step down
Alas Ka Dor:good feedbacks!
The Equalizer did also a “quick and dirty ” research to get feedbacks from the general public regarding Jun Lozada,the Star Witness (or WETNESS per Sergio Apostol)in the the ZTE-NBN Scandal:
1)A Shell gas attendant: “Bilib na bilib ako kay Lozada,itinaya ang buhay para magsabi ng katotohanan”
2)A young businessman: “I admire him for his guts.But knowing the current administration,I fear for his life.I think Jun Lozada is a walking deadman!”
3)A young housewife: ” I just wonder what HER (mastermind’s) real intention in ordering the abduction of Lozada from the airport”
4)A cashier in Shell Select:”Galit na galit ako noong kinidnap si Lozada ng mga tao
ni Arroyo.
5)A lola: “Kailan kaya magagalit talaga ang tao?”
EQUALIZER COMMENT:” To the palace gang: DON’T DO ANYTHING TO JUN LOZADA WHICH YOU DON’T WANT GOD AND THE FILIPINO PEOPLE TO KNOW LATER ON!!
alas ka dora
Lumalabas nag-match sa survey na 80% ng Pilipino gusto siyang mag-resign. Kailangan lang talaga abutin ang critical mass sa pagsali (o baka critical mass sa galit kaya?)
Again, why you political analysts still put premium on CBCP’s actions. Kaya pati kayo, unknowlingly, nagagamit ng Palasyo. You are “churning” a useless pronouncement. Recycled junk mail kun baga. Truth to say, CBCP has no more coercive (if I may use the term) appeal as in 1986 and 2001. Please ask people in the ground. Kaya ang maga Pilipino naniwala na lang sa mga mirakulo, healing priests dahil wala kredibilidad and mga obispo. Other civil society leaders should be admonished to disengage themselves from the Church.
akast, i think whats happening is everyone is being given plenty of rope to hang themselves with -and chances to redeem themselves.
i’ve always felt the public goes at its own pace and so, while some are ahead and some hanging back, it will all work out for the right. meanwhile, every sector is having to make a stand and if they waffle, well, that can have a beneficial effect not necessarily to the palace’s interest.
I share Pangilinan’s concern.
When Cardinal Sin lead in the previous EDSA events, I wished he didn’t. My view is that the clergy should keep their pronouncements inside their churches whether they are for or against the administration. They should remain in their pulpits. Now if they want to join political activities, they should do what Among Ed has done; disrobe first.