The way of the warrior says I have no desires; I make seizing the opportunity my desire.
The way of the warrior says I have no principles; I make adaptability my principle.
This is how I follow the way of the warrior: seize the opportunity and the power.
-Tokugawa Ieyasu, first Shogun
From time to time, partly to document my trying to understand Eastern attitudes towards governance in contrast to my own heavily-Western orientation, I like to quote extracts from the Analects of Confucius, most recently in entry The Mandate of Heaven. Recently I read this article on Tokugawa Neo-Confucianism and then this one on Intellectual currents in Tokugawa Japan. This is of more than antiquarian interest because Bushido was seriously examined by Filipinos prior to World War II (during and after which, of course, Bushido became tainted by its being used to justify Japanese atrocities) in the effort to instill a stronger sense of citizenship (in terms of both freedoms and responsibilities) in a country preparing for independence.
Bushido was held up by by various Filipino leaders before and during the war as something to emulate. You still find echoes of this in proposals by people like Jose Abueva to have a Bill of Rights and Obligations (which hews to the provisions of the 1943 Constitution of the Puppet Republic) instead of a Bill of Rights.
It’s a stretch to suggest that Japanese Neo-Confucianism or Confucianism itself is precisely the kind of thinking expressed by Romulo Neri, Jr. and his one-time acolyte and factotum, Jun Lozada.There are elements of these philosophies, however, in their public and private (then publicly-reported) view concerning governance and reforms.
But it brings me to this weekend’s entry. From my computer’s handy-dandy built-in dictionary:
snitch |sni ch | informal
verb
1 [ trans. ] steal.
2 [ intrans. ] inform on someone : she wouldn’t tell who snitched on me.
noun
an informer.
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: of unknown origin.
Jun Lozada, as I write this, is in Dagupan. The prelude to his visit was this: Lozada streamers torn down before his Pangasinan trip.
There’s scuttlebutt going around that the Palace has imposed a deadline for neutralizing Jun Lozada: the deadline is June, by which time students go back to school. The studentry, of course, prior to Lozada’s emerging as whistleblower, was safely thought of to be unengaged in the current political crisis.
Which leads to the question: Is Jun Lozada self-destructing, or is he being destroyed? if Jun Lozada is self-destructing, either he is not self-destructing quickly enough, or he isn’t really self-destructing at all -he’s just being worn down by the immense resources of the state.
In previous Masses held for him, it seems that the Palace has taken to distributing anti-Lozada Komiks; there is even talk that people are being organized to fill up the churches and then walk out on cue, both to disrupt the proceedings when Lozada begins his talk, and to promote the idea to the media that he is losing support.
Jun Lozada is at it again: writing, that is.
Read the latest products of Lozada’s pen for yourself.
He’s written two pieces, one primarily addressed to members of the clergy, the other, to the public-at-large.
In Telling the Truth.doc ver1.1[1].pdf , he goes into “The Diamond Principle,” in detail, but then again, this is something he has been talking about for some time.
In My reflections on my 2nd month of Calvary[1].pdf , he addresses the public, reiterating the circumstances surrounding his abduction and how nothing has really happened since then, except that the administration factotums originally in hot water have had time to sort out their stories.
Both pieces are surely a response to Lozada recently getting into hot water with some clerics and to media. And surely, a way for him to fight back.
First impressions count. But there are continuing impressions, too, and they add up. Jun Lozada makes some people teary-eyed and other people want to scream, still others want to vomit. It goes every which way: some public figure is sure to get someone foaming at the mouth, somewhere
.The Warrior Lawyer is upfront about his antipathy (based on personal interaction with Lozada) and makes more sense overall:
I never hid my dislike for Jun Lozada, based on his character and what I know of him as an operator when he was still with the DENR. This was a guy who’d arrogantly call for supposedly official meetings outside his office, in bars and restaurants, dine and drink his fill while behaving like a lout, then stick you with the bill. He has no sense of personal loyalty and has been politely described as a “man on the make” (and on the take, as he has admitted). As a whistle-blower, and civil-society “hero”, his whining self-righteousness is extremely irritating. He so obviously enjoys the limelight and his public statements during his recent “road tour” are characteristically pompous and overblown.
But I tried to separate the message from the messenger and gave him credit for speaking up, however reluctantly, on the ZTE broadband corruption scandal.
Now events have conspired to push him on a long slide to irrelevancy. First, the Supreme Court decision in Neri vs. Senate Committee has effectively stymied the Senate proceedings, his most effective platform. Worse, it has deprived the Senate of access to vital witnesses who would corroborate the allegations of Lozada and company, most notably Romulo Neri, as well as other Cabinet members and functionaries. Without a stage and most of the major players, this show can’t go on.
Then Cory Aquino, arguably the most popular opposition draw, and Lozada’s supposed patron and mentor on the path to rectitude, was stricken ill with cancer. No more Tita Cory to cuddle Jun and bring in the crowds.
Finally, there’s Lozada’s own big mouth. He could use some of the advise on self-examination and reflection he so blithely foists on others. His wiseass and bombastic manner has turned off a lot of people, even from among his initially steadfast supporters.
Similar views are in Jingoistic Lamentations.
In my column, The aesthetics of redemption, I stated my personal views about Lozada; in particular, that we should consider the effect of nearly being liquidated can have on someone: at the very least, it explains why someone already temperamentally inclined to be full of himself (as most fixers tend to be), would then become a zealot. Near-death experiences do that to people. So there is no objective reason why Lozada should be writing manifestos that may do him as much harm as good, but what he’s gone through certainly goes a long way to explain his compulsion to crank out manifestos.
While Clarissa Ocampo did state at the time that she feared for her life, she didn’t undergo an abduction and was given witness protection; allegations have been made that she received board appointment from the President but I can’t find any record of this (nor is any government largesse reported in Witnesses reap ‘rewards’ for role in Erap trial).
I also tried to point out that much of the skepticism that greets Lozada has to do with nothing more than questions of taste: in particular, he rubs upper class sensibilities raw and tends to irritate a subset of the middle class. It is the reason some Filipinos believe no funeral is complete without hysterics while others believe good taste demands that one should maintain a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity.
So it’s all a question of taste: the aesthetic element of politics. Just as I’ve argued that there are many who support the President because she upholds the primacy of outward appearances being more important than virtue itself, there are those who, finding Lozada to be grating on their nerves, will then lash out at him.
Typical of the visceral loathing some people who are purely observers (not having encountered him during his fixer days) have for Lozada, is the incoherent, but scathing, contempt of an Antonio Montalvan II for Jun Lozada. I had to ask someone what on earth Montalvan was trying to say: “he’s suggesting a stop to all the school hopping etc. what i like is that he’s implying (well, it’s explicit to me at least) that lozada’s still a crook by definition and must be charged – not really the figure to lead a ‘truth’ crusade of sorts.”
Fair enough.In janEe’s bLog, there’s email from someone present at the controversial Cebu forum Lozada attended, and who wrote,
The Senate investigation only confines itself to factual matters. As a political body, its primordial concern is to fulfill its constitutional mandate of conducting inquiry in aid of legislation. It does not delve into what is in the heart of a witness testifying before it. It cannot be concern about matters of the spirit; personal discernment and insights; and personal conversion and renewal.
These, I believe, is the higher pursuit of Jun Lozada’s journey, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
Despite his being not welcome here in Cebu, he braved the spurn knowing that the TRUTH will shield him against any forms off rebuke and rejections.
Jun was simply not rejected, he was harassed and slurred.
I, and many others, who attended the forum yesterday, had witnessed how Jun Lozada was humiliated & insulted by a man named Po, who claimed to be there in order to be “enlightened” on the issue.
See also, the open letter written by a priest in Cebu, Fr. Jesus Dumaual, as republished in Happy Faith:
You ask why? It is because you have answered (partly) a question they must have been asking all these years: Where have all our graduates gone, the product of Catholic Education, the minds and consciences that we have molded according to the values of the Gospels? Thousands, perhaps even a million of you have joined government service. What have become of you? Have you all become “team players”, swallowed by the system which is now considered the most corrupt in Asia? You are luckier, and I saw your great elation that late in the day, two priests were found (I was one of them) who were willing to say Mass for you. But the poor Sisters, so far, after all these years, have only found one: you. (You see, while we priests may have our Parishes, Sisters have only their Catholic Schools.) Of course, they want to hear your story, to know whatever happened to all the nurturing, the sacrifices they have made for all of you, including the scolding if you just forget to say your prayer, etc. But that can wait. All they want to show you is how grateful and appreciative they are you have returned. The rest will be history.
Which, combined with the letter from the lady in Cebu, gives a pretty good justification as to why Lozada should be making the rounds: to submit himself to the scrutiny of his countrymen.The best advice was given matter-of-factly by JC’s Anatomy. Answer the criticisms. Going back to his recent visit to Cebu, you can’t get fiercer than Fighting Tofu who expressed loathing for Lozada. I myself delved into the whole controversy in The interdiction of a witness, but much of it seemed to me a case of conservative shock on the part of those unused to questioning prelates, and more attuned to the old obediences. A marvelous demonstration of this is that the expression of disgust with Lozada currently making the rounds was a captive protest: watch “Gloria” (Dancing Inmates – Protest Dance). Ordering prison inmates to engage in an obviously far-from-spontaneous dance number… well, the irony is as rich as it gets.
Still: for every person still firmly convinced of his good intentions, like on to a new beginning who ran into him during a graduation ceremony in La Salle Greenhills; nut there are those, like the priest Per Agrum ad Sacrum, hostile to him:
But what then explains the anger? What explains all the zeal and passion and the fury? I would assume they want something else, on account of the fact that they have found common cause with interesting individuals who really have little interest, and thus, can boast of little love lost for the finer nuances of moral theological thinking ( no matter how much they quote and endlessly misquote the Lord’s words, “the truth will set you free.”). I assume they want more than just the moral truth they ought already to know. I assume they want heads to roll. What else explains the “non sequitur” slogans and name-calling directed against the devil woman and her cohorts?
I would also assume that it is not really so much moral truth they want, as “teachings” that would ride along with what they want. How else explain their vociferous rantings against the bishops, who they claim “are not in touch with reality,” or who “are playing deaf, dumb, and blind” to all the shenanigans being perpetrated by this administration? After the Bishops talked about the moral truth of a “culture of corruption” that is found in all levels of society, after the Bishops took to task the President and called for the dismantling of all obstacles to truth, these self-proclaimed “guardians of morality” now declare the Bishops as hopelessly blind, deaf, and dumb, for their taste? How about venting your ire against some media outfits who have already decided what is true for them? Didn’t the Bishops also call the mass media to task? Didn’t the Bishops also call the so-called oppositionist politicians to set aside their ill concealed ambitions and personal agenda? Weren’t we all cautioned against subverting this and many other issues to our own sinister agenda?
There is something seriously amiss in this highly engaging telenovela. Abetted and supported by the so-called “media moment,” a whistle blower who was part of the system of corruption just a few months ago, has suddenly been catapulted to near-divine status, called a “hero” for modesty’s sake (thank you!). Mobbed and adulated everywhere by the supposed guardians of truth and objectivity, the very people on whom millions of young people depend on for their education, the self-proclaimed “crusader for truth” now inflames the passions of the young, idealistic, and easily manipulable students, who are being doled out daily lessons on how to be a “responsible, “law-abiding,” and “democratic” citizen without really trying hard to respect rule of law. In a clear example of collusion pushed to the extreme, with no parallels in recent history, the guardians and teachers of moral truth, legislators, educators, mass media purveyors, and executives in and out of government, have suddenly decided to become accuser, judge, and executioner all rolled into one.
And there are concerned parents like Couch Potato Corner, who says Lozada is a menace and should be evicted by the school.
Lozada compared his own abduction to the abduction and murder of Dacer, and there’s a reason the comparison resonated with the public.
By all accounts, Dacer was an asshole; by comparison, in comparing himself to Dacer, Lozada was admitting he was an asshole, too; but no one has ever said Dacer deserved to be rubbed out.
Dacer knew something, and had to die. Lozada knew something, and had to die.
But Lozada lived to tell his tale.
And so, he has to be destroyed.
Because the longer he sticks around and remains a pest, the more time people have to let the lesson of the last few years finally sink in. She’s as bad, and even worse, than the previous guy who got kicked out.
Silent Waters, the problem with thinking in ‘shades of grey’ is that the goalpost always moves where what was formerly ‘black’ now becomes ‘grey’. That’s how you get a self-professed democrat like Rob saying ‘so what’ to something basic like cheating in elections. He has become so immersed in the political system that he can no longer be bothered to tell right from wrong. PCESM, for his part, mistakes that for ‘realism’ but, as i told you before, it is nothing but ‘expediency’. Genuine realism takes into account the effect of such actions, not only to short-term measures, but also to our institutions and the fabric of our society.
CVJ
I hope so, but still…but the way you thought and your accent are similar to people who are living in gated community, as i was before. Realism, facism, socialism, Militarism, facism… all words end with “ism” identifies you that you are from a Gated community.
Anyway, if you are really not from a gated community… can you tell us the Top 20 Good things that GMA have done to our country (locally and internationally acclaimed). And tell us about Top 20 bad things that Lozada have done. Di ba hindi ka one sided and you are investigating both side, so dapat alam mo yan.
Try to check this.
http://jingoisticlamentations.blogspot.com/2008/03/when-i-first-saw-lozada-on-tv-he-was.html
PCESM, let me put it this way, i voted for Arroyo in 1992 as Senator and in 1998 as Vice-President. I went to EDSA Dos not really to support her but to protest against Erap, but i also didn’t mind when she eventually ascended to the Presidency. I then voted for her in 2004 conveniently ignoring her promise not to run. I was convinced at that time that she was in the best position to shepherd the nation from 2004 to 2010, to give us a breather with which to consolidate the gains of the EDSAs.
When Hello Garci came out, i was deeply disturbed and, for a while, was in denial about the gravity of her crime. I was waiting for someone to give me a good reason to continue supporting her. One of the reasons i surfed Manolo’s blog is that i was aware that he was somehow associated with her Admin. I thought he could come up with a plausible excuse. When he called on her to resign, i realized that my support for Arroyo has become untenable.
So you need not lecture me on the need to investigate both sides because i came from the other side and the reason why i’m now where i am is precisely because i did some investigating.
As for Lozada, the worst that i can say of him is that he’s a typical nerd who bounces between cockiness and panic, but that does not detract from his genuine heroism.
PCESM,
I commend you for your bravery in asking that here.
If you dare, try asking that at ellentordesillasdotcom!
best wishes ! 🙂
cvj,
may i know, if possible, how extensive was your ‘investigating’?
did you find out that gloria’s cheating was on the winning margin, not on the outcome? and fpj’s side was equally guilty of cheating?
genuine heroism? neri has done more damage to gloria than Lozada!
Lozada became popular only because of the abduction.
“J-Lo” is only competent to testify on the overprice and his abduction. all the rest is hearsay.
Anthony, rather than repeat myself, i recommend you back read the following to see how i arrived at my position over the past two to three years:
Anne de Brux makes her case against the ‘Subjectives’:
http://www.quezon.ph/770/post-mortems/
Discussion with an Arroyo supporter (Joey Legarda aka Joselu) on the issues surrounding Arroyo’s legitimacy and Charter Change. His casual dismissal did not satisfy me:
http://www.quezon.ph/799/the-lakas-tea-party/
A debate on Garci tapes among commenters (i was not a participant) in this blog. Again, Joey Legarda’s (aka Joselu’s) responses were not satisfactory:
http://www.quezon.ph/807/corys-nyet/
Discussion with Geo where i described how Monsod, Randy David and Manolo guided me:
http://www.quezon.ph/848/the-spitfires-list/
Further discussion with Rego on Monsod’s position:
http://www.quezon.ph/861/austeros-eloquence/
There have been other discussions (inside and outside Manolo’s blog) but the above are top of mind.
cvj, i find it hard to believe that you “supported” gma since 1992 and until the “garci tape”. since you presented past blog entries on how you “arrived” at your present position, can you also present a few of your past writings on your support of arroyo up to the “garci” controversy?
CVJ
You see… It is hard for you identify those Best of GMA and Bad of Lozada. Isa nga lang ang answer mo, malayo pa sa tanong. Parang pinapakita mo na hindi ka lamang nasa gated community kundi nasa bartolina ka pa.Actually, if you are vigilant or even opposition with open mind, you can easily say those things.
I am not lecturing you, I’m just telling and asking you some things that will help me to Identify you, if you are “Puppet”, “Plotter” or simply a “vigilant”. So, I know much dosage of sertraline should i prescribe to you.
It is mute and academic if you supported or voted for GMA. Just like those dirty old politicians and Leftist Activist who were first came to EDSA 2 and encouraged GMA to join the flocks and take the position of ERAP, just to advance their ideological, political, personal and family interest. Pero, noong sinigil si GMA (Dapat sila ang nag magbayad dahil sila ang nag tulak kay GMA) at nang hindi sila binigyan ng bayad… dyan nag umpisa ang Hyatt 10, Impeachment, Jun Lozada at marami pang destabilization plot. Sana ay hindi karin katulad sa kanila.
Lozada’s heroism? Try to send Lozada back here in Cebu. What he did to “Mr.PO” and to our beloved and well respected Cardinal Vidal and Rep. Gullas (who came from the linage of Cebuano heroes. Baka hindi lang insultu ang matangap niya… Baka kailan ng times 20 (20X) na dami ng bodyguard na nagkaladkad kay “MR.PO” dahil hindi niya(lozada) masagot yung simpleng tanong. Pasalamat siya at hinimok ng Cardinal ang mga Cebuano na maging calma at patawarin na lang.
Cheating… medyo noong una pumutok medyo kunti naniniwala ako. Pero, noong dinawait ang Cebu dahil may cheating daw. Mukhang may ibang kulay na yung bintang nila. Kasi I remember, before election si Lacson at GMA talaga ang kilala doon, si FPJ ay bilang artista at hindi leader. FYI, sa mga Cebuano iba ang leader at iba ang artista. kung noong nag campaigned siya(FPJ) sa Cebu at malakas ang pag hanga at pag tili sa kanya, iyon ay dahil artista siya, ganya talaga ang mga cebuano pag dating sa artista. Pero, logical lang, bakit puro mga topnotcher at mga galing sa well respected family and veteran political clan ang mga leader sa Cebu? Kasi yan ang Culture ng mga cebuano kung bakit kahit noong panahon ng Kastila ay hindi nila nadanas ang mga naka-sulat sa “Noli Me Tangeri”. Last nga pala sa Cebu cheating, yung mga testigo sa cheating dalawa doon ay kaibigan ko… hehehe, nagbigla at napilitan lang sila kaya pumayag sila mag kunwaring may involvement sila sa dayaan. At kung, talagang may malaking cheating bakit palagi nandito sa Gloria? Bakit nag karoon kaagad dito ng malakanyang? Bakit tuwing may destabilization sa manila dito sa Cebu ay Normal ang negosyo?
Back to Lozada, “He is not working for the TRUTH, but uses “TRUTH” to advance the agenda of some groups/terrorist”, “He uses trashed ZTE deal to make things worst and sabotage our economy as mandated by the group who support his tour of duty”.
Abduction… ang hina naman nila Atienza, Gen. Razon at iba ba. Simply lang, kung abduction yan… bakit nakilala sila ni Jun (detalyado pa..hehehe), bakit si Jun nakagamit pa ng libreng makagamit ng cellphone? Bakit ang abduction ay gagawin ng mga kilalang personalities? Bakit kung abductor leader ka ay mag papakilala kang ako si Atienza at papakawalaan kita? Bakit sa airport pa? Actually, yan ang mali ng mga nagpapalabas ng may alleged lozada adduction case.
Question nga pala. Paano ko ma qu-quote yung part ng isang reply dito? kataulad ng kay Anthony scalia?
Ayaw ko kay ellen.. hindi ko siya kilala. Atlis dito, may tiwala ako kay MLQ3.
…at safe and information ko dito. Anyway, binabasa ko yung issue ng ZTE doon. Hehehe. Naawala lang ako sa kanila kasi, Saradong sarado ang mind nila. Parang sa Bisaya “Patakataka ug Sulti” (Describing things without thinking and even knew the real cause), pero naintindihan ko sila. Atlis si CVJ, medyo pinipilit niyang i-ugnay sa realidad at tunay na information.
PCESM, <blockquote> your comment here </blockquote>
Bencard (at 4:06am), i only started commenting in blogs late in 2005, but as i said, i voted for GMA in all the elections she ran for. Hello Garci was the turning point.
AY PCESM….talagang ganun. Basta tugon sa agenda nila, pikit mata na lang sila sa mga inconsistencies. Yun ang problema ko sa mga anti-GMA.
Matagal na natin laging naririnig yang mga tili na iyan…nuon, anybody but Marcos, then anybody but Erap, ngayon anybody but GMA….eh sus, hinahanap ko pa nga si Anybody, di ko makita.
Imagine niyo po, dalawang taon na lang, puwede nang hanapan ng kapalit. Ang problema, sino ang ipapalit, eh lahat ng mga nakahilera diyan, pagsususpetsahan din nila. Isa-isahin mo, di ba lahat, mga elitista din? May mga interest din? May mga asawa’t anak na di dapat maghanap buhay kasi magiging presidente ang kanilang tatay/nanay/kuya/ate/lolo/lola/apo…(take your pick).
So, siguro dapat, ilagay na lang natin, si Lenin, o di kaya si Obama, o di kaya si Hillary kaya? Ay, di pala puede, si Dalai Lama na lang.
I don’t live in a make believe world, only the communists believe we can have utopia in this world…
“So, siguro dapat, ilagay na lang natin, si Lenin, o di kaya si Obama, o di kaya si Hillary kaya? Ay, di pala puede, si Dalai Lama na lang.”
nahiya ka pa,’GMA FOREVER’ lang naman ang iyong gusto. Aminin!
Bert
Di ako GMA forever….ang hirap sa inyo…di ako naniniwala sa proseso ninyo. Puro emotion kasi…kaya walang nangyayari sa Pilipinas….di pa rin ninyo sinasagot ang tanong….bakit di niyo i-address ang inconsistency…kayo ang bulag di kami
cvj
Thanks sa info. “Blackquote”
That’s why I am thinking about EDSA Revolution Culture. I am very sorry for those who respect EDSA Revolution.
EDSA Revolution Culture – is a culture of Power Grabbing Destabilization and coup d’etat. A culture that sacrifices the well being of the citizen; the economy; and the integrity of the country as strong and cooperative nation (as it was before the first EDSA Revolution) just for a little “Truth” and “Freedom” that soon will never be appreciated. It is also the Era that started the division of our country and poverty start to boom. With EDSA Culture…some Idealistic and bright Politician and Personalities become crazy or stupid by playing the negative side of “Police-Terrorist-Vigilante Phenomenon”.
Where, the Police (Politician) decided to spend more of his time and effort just to catch the Vigilante rather than Terrorist. (we all know that vigilante is only active when terrorist is around and it not a threat to the life of Police but rather they do protect the police).
Killing the Culture of EDSA Revolution – this would be one of the great solution to end the saga. This would atlis help prevent Political Beasts and monsters from exploiting people again, just for their own interest. Just like what Lozada’s Gangs doing now. “Makikita mo nan diyan parin yung streamline ng EDSA Revolution… Exploiting people and sowing the seed of hatred by using “TRUTH” at nag aarte na ina-api sila. At yung kanta nila na “Ibon lang may layang lumipad”… hehehe, hepocritong hipocrito at out of theme ang dating… Bakit wala bang silang kalayaan? Tinang-galan ba sila ng laya? Ano yang ginawagawa nila? di ba freedom yan? At over exploited or abused na ang karapatan na binigay sa kanila ng constitution. Dalawa lang yan either “Bogo” sila o “Tina-traydor at nililinlang nila ang taong bayan sa tunay na adhikain nila.”
“As if kicking out the lady will cure the ills of the country”
“Imagine niyo po, dalawang taon na lang, puwede nang hanapan ng kapalit. Ang problema, sino ang ipapalit, eh lahat ng mga nakahilera diyan, pagsususpetsahan din nila. Isa-isahin mo, di ba lahat, mga elitista din? May mga interest din? May mga asawa’t anak na di dapat maghanap buhay kasi magiging presidente ang kanilang tatay/nanay/kuya/ate/lolo/lola/apo…(take your pick).”
“Bert
Di ako GMA forever….ang hirap sa inyo…di ako naniniwala sa proseso ninyo. Puro emotion kasi…kaya walang nangyayari sa Pilipinas….di pa rin ninyo sinasagot ang tanong….bakit di niyo i-address ang inconsistency…kayo ang bulag di kami”
Silent Waters, kung hindi kayo GMA FOREVER, ano kayo? Hindi naman kayo ‘talsik now’, hindi naman kayo ‘wait for 2010’, eh, ano kayo?
Kasi, kung ‘wait for 2010’ kayo, at ngayon pa lang ipinipilit ninyo na lahat namang papalit ay bulok, ay sus, parang sinabi ninyo na ganito: ‘Wait na lang tayo sa 2010 election kasi bulok din ang papalit kay gloria pagkatapos ng election’. Ang mga kandidato ninyo naman ay sina Dalai Lama, B. Obama, etc., wala naman ang mga iyon dito. So, kung ganun, wala palang sense ang mga sinasabi ninyo. Kaya akala ko GMA FOREVER ka.
Kung pabor ka naman sa CHA-CHA, di lalong GMA FOREVER ka. Bilib nga ako sa paliwanag ni anthony tungkol sa Chacha, pero, alam mo Silent Waters, kapag pinapasok mo ang isang kamay ng mga alipores ni gloria tungkol sa chachang ito, mamatay na sila, siguradong ipapasok nila ang boung katawan ni gloria…at GLORIA FOREVER na tayo. Tuwa ninyo! Kami…huhuhuhu, hikbi.
Kanta na lang kami: Ang bayan kong iniibig………
Silent Waters, PCESM
kung si gloria ay cancer, yung school of thought na kinabibilangan nina Bert at iba pang die-hard fans ng people power ay……..
chemotherapy
Anthony, thanks for the analogy. I can’t say i disagree. Ang ‘Wait for 2010’ naman ay…
faith healing
cvj,
“Anthony, thanks for the analogy. I can’t say i disagree”
welcome, salamat
“Ang ‘Wait for 2010′ naman ay…
faith healing”
??????????????
‘faith’ requires an object
in case you didnt notice, choosing chemotherapy means having faith in chemotheraphy
using your ‘faith healing’ analogy, where is ‘faith’ placed upon? in ‘faith’ also? having ‘faith’ in ‘faith’?
kung ganun eh ‘wishful thinking’ na yun!
Anthony, your words, not mine.
“kung ganun eh ‘wishful thinking’ na yun!–anthony
“Anthony, your words, not mine.-cvj
Hehehehe.
cvj,
oops, kung my words pala, eh di mali pala ako sa ‘wishful thinking’, at bitin pa rin yung use of ‘faith healing’ mo.
ikaw lang ang nakakaintindi. di ko na gets. sorry. pero its your call if you want to leave it at that.
parang si Bert – as clear as mud. hehehehehehe
at least I was clear, you even acknowledged it! kaso nga lang i can’t say the same with what you said!
sorry 🙁
Bert,
no offense meant
it’s alright, anthony, no offense taken. our point is clear enough, you are muddling it so it’s your fault, not mine. no offense meant, anthony.
Bert,
salamat
hanggang sa susunod na talakayan
****yawn**** (alas dose na pala)
goodnight anthony!
Bert
Ako ay para sa pagsunod ng proseso. Ang problema sa inyo mga puti at itim, yun ang nasa utak ninyo, puti at itim. Ako, ang dapat gawin, tignan ang ebidensiya sa tamang paraan. HIndi yung kung anu-anong anunsiyo ang maririnig mo sa diyaryo o pahayag ng tao.
Pabor ako sa Cha-cha pag dating sa mga probisyong pang ekonomiya. Ang problema, kayo na mga praning, iniisip niyo agad na patatagalin na ang pag-upo sa puwesto ng presidente.
Eh kung ganun, ano ang ginagawa ninyo? Kung ayaw niyo mangyari iyun, di ba dapat magbantay kayo?
Yan ang problema, kayo iyung mga taong tipong, tanggalin natin ang problema, pagkatapos, we go our merry ways. Di kayo willing ipaglaban ang inyong paniwala ng husto. Asus.
how do this issue affect the entire nati0n?.
|.XOn Lozada: The perils of being a snitch
The way of the warrior says I have no desires; I make seizing the opportunity my desire.
The way of the warrior says I have no principles; I make adaptability my principle.
(H)how I follow the way of the warrior: seize the opportunity and the power.
-Tokugawa Ieyasu, first Shogun
From time to time, partly to document my trying to understand Eastern attitudes towards governance in contrast to my own heavily-Western orientation, I like to quote extracts from the Analects of Confucius, most recently in entry The Mandate of Heaven. Recently I read this article on Tokugawa Neo-Confucianism and then this one on Intellectual currents in Tokugawa Japan. This is of more than antiquarian interest because Bushido was seriously examined by Filipinos prior to World War II (during and after which, of course, Bushido became tainted by its being used to justify Japanese atrocities) in the effort to instill a stronger sense of citizenship (in terms of both freedoms and responsibilities) in a country preparing for independence.
Bushido was held up by by various Filipino leaders before and during the war as something to emulate. You still find echoes of this in proposals by people like Jose Abueva to have a Bill of Rights and Obligations (which hews to the provisions of the 1943 Constitution of the Puppet Republic) instead of a Bill of Rights.
It’s a stretch to suggest that Japanese Neo-Confucianism or Confucianism itself is precisely the kind of thinking expressed by Romulo Neri, Jr. and his one-time acolyte and factotum, Jun Lozada.There are elements of these philosophies, however, in their public and private (then publicly-reported) view concerning governance and reforms.
But it brings me to this weekend’s entry. From my computer’s handy-dandy built-in dictionary:
snitch |sni ch | informal
verb
1 [ trans. ] steal.
2 [ intrans. ] inform on someone : she wouldn’t tell who snitched on me.
noun
an informer.
ORIGIN late 17th cent.: of unknown origin.
Jun Lozada, as I write this, is in Dagupan. The prelude to his visit was this: Lozada streamers torn down before his Pangasinan trip.
There’s scuttlebutt going around that the Palace has imposed a deadline for neutralizing Jun Lozada: the deadline is June, by which time students go back to school. The studentry, of course, prior to Lozada’s emerging as whistleblower, was safely thought of to be unengaged in the current political crisis.
Which leads to the question: Is Jun Lozada self-destructing, or is he being destroyed? if Jun Lozada is self-destructing, either he is not self-destructing quickly enough, or he isn’t really self-destructing at all -he’s just being worn down by the immense resources of the state.
In previous Masses held for him, it seems that the Palace has taken to distributing anti-Lozada Komiks; there is even talk that people are being organized to fill up the churches and then walk out on cue, both to disrupt the proceedings when Lozada begins his talk, and to promote the idea to the media that he is losing support.
Jun Lozada is at it again: writing, that is.
Read the latest products of Lozada’s pen for yourself.
He’s written two pieces, one primarily addressed to members of the clergy, the other, to the public-at-large.
In Telling the Truth.doc ver1.1[1].pdf , he goes into “The Diamond Principle,†in detail, but then again, this is something he has been talking about for some time.
In My reflections on my 2nd month of Calvary[1].pdf , he addresses the public, reiterating the circumstances surrounding his abduction and how nothing has really happened since then, except that the administration factotums originally in hot water have had time to sort out their stories.
Both pieces are surely a response to Lozada recently getting into hot water with some clerics and to media. And surely, a way for him to fight back.
First impressions count. But there are continuing impressions, too, and they add up. Jun Lozada makes some people teary-eyed and other people want to scream, still others want to vomit. It goes every which way: some public figure is sure to get someone foaming at the mouth, somewhere
.The Warrior Lawyer is upfront about his antipathy (based on personal interaction with Lozada) and makes more sense overall:
I never hid my dislike for Jun Lozada, based on his character and what I know of him as an operator when he was still with the DENR. This was a guy who’d arrogantly call for supposedly official meetings outside his office, in bars and restaurants, dine and drink his fill while behaving like a lout, then stick you with the bill. He has no sense of personal loyalty and has been politely described as a “man on the make†(and on the take, as he has admitted). As a whistle-blower, and civil-society “heroâ€Â, his whining self-righteousness is extremely irritating. He so obviously enjoys the limelight and his public statements during his recent “road tour†are characteristically pompous and overblown.
But I tried to separate the message from the messenger and gave him credit for speaking up, however reluctantly, on the ZTE broadband corruption scandal.
Now events have conspired to push him on a long slide to irrelevancy. First, the Supreme Court decision in Neri vs. Senate Committee has effectively stymied the Senate proceedings, his most effective platform. Worse, it has deprived the Senate of access to vital witnesses who would corroborate the allegations of Lozada and company, most notably Romulo Neri, as well as other Cabinet members and functionaries. Without a stage and most of the major players, this show can’t go on.
Then Cory Aquino, arguably the most popular opposition draw, and Lozada’s supposed patron and mentor on the path to rectitude, was stricken ill with cancer. No more Tita Cory to cuddle Jun and bring in the crowds.
Finally, there’s Lozada’s own big mouth. He could use some of the advise on self-examination and reflection he so blithely foists on others. His wiseass and bombastic manner has turned off a lot of people, even from among his initially steadfast supporters.
Similar views are in Jingoistic Lamentations.
In my column, The aesthetics of redemption, I stated my personal views about Lozada; in particular, that we should consider the effect of nearly being liquidated can have on someone: at the very least, it explains why someone already temperamentally inclined to be full of himself (as most fixers tend to be), would then become a zealot. Near-death experiences do that to people. So there is no objective reason why Lozada should be writing manifestos that may do him as much harm as good, but what he’s gone through certainly goes a long way to explain his compulsion to crank out manifestos.
While Clarissa Ocampo did state at the time that she feared for her life, she didn’t undergo an abduction and was given witness protection; allegations have been made that she received board appointment from the President but I can’t find any record of this (nor is any government largesse reported in Witnesses reap ‘rewards’ for role in Erap trial).
I also tried to point out that much of the skepticism that greets Lozada has to do with nothing more than questions of taste: in particular, he rubs upper class sensibilities raw and tends to irritate a subset of the middle class. It is the reason some Filipinos believe no funeral is complete without hysterics while others believe good taste demands that one should maintain a stiff upper lip in the face of adversity.
So it’s all a question of taste: the aesthetic element of politics. Just as I’ve argued that there are many who support the President because she upholds the primacy of outward appearances being more important than virtue itself, there are those who, finding Lozada to be grating on their nerves, will then lash out at him.
Typical of the visceral loathing some people who are purely observers (not having encountered him during his fixer days) have for Lozada, is the incoherent, but scathing, contempt of an Antonio Montalvan II for Jun Lozada. I had to ask someone what on earth Montalvan was trying to say: “he’s suggesting a stop to all the school hopping etc. what i like is that he’s implying (well, it’s explicit to me at least) that lozada’s still a crook by definition and must be charged – not really the figure to lead a ‘truth’ crusade of sorts.â€Â
Fair enough.In janEe’s bLog, there’s email from someone present at the controversial Cebu forum Lozada attended, and who wrote,
The Senate investigation only confines itself to factual matters. As a political body, its primordial concern is to fulfill its constitutional mandate of conducting inquiry in aid of legislation. It does not delve into what is in the heart of a witness testifying before it. It cannot be concern about matters of the spirit; personal discernment and insights; and personal conversion and renewal.
These, I believe, is the higher pursuit of Jun Lozada’s journey, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
Despite his being not welcome here in Cebu, he braved the spurn knowing that the TRUTH will shield him against any forms off rebuke and rejections.
Jun was simply not rejected, he was harassed and slurred.
I, and many others, who attended the forum yesterday, had witnessed how Jun Lozada was humiliated & insulted by a man named Po, who claimed to be there in order to be “enlightened†on the issue.
Seex also, the open letter written by a priest in Cebu, Fr. Jesus Dumaual, as republished in Happy Faith:
You ask why? It is because you have answered (partly) a question they must have been asking all these years: Where have all our graduates gone, the product of Catholic Education, the minds and consciences that we have molded according to the values of the Gospels? Thousands, perhaps even a million of you have joined government service. What have become of you? Have you all become “team playersâ€Â, swallowed by the system which is now considered the most corrupt in Asia? You are luckier, and I saw your great elation that late in the day, two priests were found (I was one of them) who were willing to say Mass for you. But the poor Sisters, so far, after all these years, have only found one: you. (You see, while we priests may have our Parishes, Sisters have only their Catholic Schools.) Of course, they want to hear your story, to know whatever happened to all the nurturing, the sacrifices they have made for all of you, including the scolding if you just forget to say your prayer, etc. But that can wait. All they want to show you is how grateful and appreciative they are you have returned. The rest will be history.
Which, combined with the letter from the lady in Cebu, gives a pretty good justification as to why Lozada should be making the rounds: to submit himself to the scrutiny of his countrymen.The best advice was given matter-of-factly by JC’s Anatomy. Answer the criticisms. Going back to his recent visit to Cebu, you can’t get fiercer than Fighting Tofu who expressed loathing for Lozada. I myself delved into the whole controversy in The interdiction of a witness, but much of it seemed to me a case of conservative shock on the part of those unused to questioning prelates, and more attuned to the old obediences. A marvelous demonstration of this is that the expression of disgust with Lozada currently making the rounds was a captive protest: watch “Gloria†(Dancing Inmates – Protest Dance). Ordering prison inmates to engage in an obviously far-from-spontaneous dance number… well, the irony is as rich as it gets.
Still: for every person still firmly convinced of his good intentions, like on to a new beginning who ran into him during a graduation ceremony in La Salle Greenhills; nut there are those, like the priest Per Agrum ad Sacrum, hostile to him:
But what then explains the anger? What explains all the zeal and passion and the fury? I would assume they want something else, on account of the fact that they have found common cause with interesting individuals who really have little interest, and thus, can boast of little love lost for the finer nuances of moral theological thinking ( no matter how much they quote and endlessly misquote the Lord’s words, “the truth will set you free.â€Â). I assume they want more than just the moral truth they ought already to know. I assume they want heads to roll. What else explains the “non sequitur†slogans and name-calling directed against the devil woman and her cohorts?
I would also assume that it is not really so much moral truth they want, as “teachings†that would ride along with what they want. How else explain their vociferous rantings against the bishops, who they claim “are not in touch with reality,†or who “are playing deaf, dumb, and blind†to all the shenanigans being perpetrated by this administration? After the Bishops talked about the moral truth of a “culture of corruption†that is found in all levels of society, after the Bishops took to task the President and called for the dismantling of all obstacles to truth, these self-proclaimed “guardians of morality†now declare the Bishops as hopelessly blind, deaf, and dumb, for their taste? How about venting your ire against some media outfits who have already decided what is true for them? Didn’t the Bishops also call the mass media to task? Didn’t the Bishops also call the so-called oppositionist politicians to set aside their ill concealed ambitions and personal agenda? Weren’t we all cautioned against subverting this and many other issues to our own sinister agenda?
There is something seriously amiss in this highly engaging telenovela. Abetted and supported by the so-called “media moment,†a whistle blower who was part of the system of corruption just a few months ago, has suddenly been catapulted to near-divine status, called a “hero†for modesty’s sake (thank you!). Mobbed and adulated everywhere by the supposed guardians of truth and objectivity, the very people on whom millions of young people depend on for their education, the self-proclaimed “crusader for truth†now inflames the passions of the young, idealistic, and easily manipulable students, who are being doled out daily lessons on how to be a “responsible, “law-abiding,†and “democratic†citizen without really trying hard to respect rule of law. In a clear example of collusion pushed to the extreme, with no parallels in recent history, the guardians and teachers of moral truth, legislators, educators, mass media purveyors, and executives in and out of government, have suddenly decided to become accuser, judge, and executioner all rolled into one.
And there are concerned parents like Couch Potato Corner, who says Lozada is a menace and should be evicted by the school.
Lozada compared his own abduction to the abduction and murder of Dacer, and there’s a reason the comparison resonated with the public.
By all accounts, Dacer was an asshole; by comparison, in comparing himself to Dacer, Lozada was admitting he was an asshole, too; but no one has ever said Dacer deserved to be rubbed out.
Dacer knew something, and had to die. Lozada knew something, and had to die.
But Lozada lived to tell his tale.
And so, he has to be destroyed.
Because the longer he sticks around and remains a pest, the more time people have to let the lesson of the last few years finally sink in. She’s as bad, and even worse, than the previous guy who got kicked out.
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(E)entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 7:28 pm and is filed under Daily Dose.
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