| ConCon, not ConAss
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Dec. 01, 2008 For the Standard Today, December 02 issue Like many concerned Filipinos, I am not against ChaCha or Charter Change. Regular readers of this space know I have a long list of amendments that I would like to see in our Constitution, even if it means having a revolutionary government make those changes. And just in case some middle-class types quake in their boots at the mere mention of the R word, let everyone be reminded that President Cory Aquino led a revolutionary government from February 1986 until a new Constitution was ratified in September 1987. That's 19 months during which she ruled by decree, since the 1972 Constitution of Ferdinand Marcos had become inoperative. How and why President Aquino's revolutionary government failed to create anything revolutionary is another matter. What I and many concerned Filipinos find objectionable is how the political and constitutional institutions are being corrupted and prostituted for the sole purpose of allowing President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to remain in power beyond 2010, as prime minister. As far as I know, I was the first columnist to raise the alarm. In February 2005, her miniscule party, KAMPI (Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino), held a party conference in which its president then, current Secretary of the Interior and Local Government Ronaldo Puno, announced its plans to become the biggest political party by 2007. Why such a tiny party nursed ambitions to become the biggest political party by 2007, three years before President Arroyo's non-extendable presidential term would end in 2010, set me thinking. In my articles Prime Minister Gloria? (May 17, 2005) and GMA Forever (March 28, 2006) and subsequent articles � all archived in www.tapatt.org � I argued that Mrs. Arroyo was maneuvering through Kampi to amend the Constitution for a shift to a parliamentary system so that she can remain in power beyond 2010, as prime minister. Sure enough, in the latter half of 2006 we saw two initiatives in this direction: a People's Initiative signatures campaign by the Sigaw ng Bangaw, led by a factotum of Speaker Jose de Venecia, which purportedly gathered the requisite x million signatures for a shift to parliamentary, but which mercifully was junked by the Supreme Court as "a gigantic fraud." The other maneuver was shamelessly led by the persistent De Venecia who tried to convene the Lower House into a constituent assembly (ConAss) without the oppositionist Senate, to railroad a shift to parliamentary in the wee small hours of the breaking dawn. Mercifully, this maneuver was hooted down by public opinion. In his pompously titled biography "Global Filipino: The Authorized Biography of Jose de Venecia Jr., the Visionary Five-Times Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines," JdV is said to recall how he allegedly saved President Arroyo from being impeached. That may be true, but it makes him all the more a villain, for extending the shelf life of a putrefying government. JdV's kilometrically-titled bio deserves an equally kilometric subtitle: "How I Saved GMA from Political Death in 2005 So That I Could Push for Parliamentary in 2006 and Become Interim Prime Minister in an Interim Parliament in 2007 until GMA Takes Over in 2010 as Permanent PM, Which Would Have Been My Last and Only Chance Before I Die to Become Head-of-Government of This God-Forsaken Country, Having Been Defeated Ignominiously by That Idiot Erap in the 1998 Presidential Elections, 39 to 17 Percent, But Now That I Have Been Kicked Out by GMA from My Own DogHouse, the Only Thing Left for Me to Do Is to Hire An Unknown American Writer to Sing Hosannas to Me." The sordid relationship between De Venecia and Gloria Arroyo in the last three years accentuates the need to amend the Constitution so that both the People's Initiative and the Constituent Assembly are totally removed from our basic law since in the hands of unscrupulous and insatiable trapos, of whom we have legions, these are used only for selfish, ego-maniac purposes. A Constitutional Convention, to which delegates are elected by congressional districts and from which relatives of incumbents are pointedly excluded, should be the only venue for Charter Change. A Constituent Assembly, in which incumbent members of both Houses of Congress sit, is by its very composition self-serving. Its members will never do anything contrary to their self interests. On the contrary, they will do everything to protect and preserve their self-interests, including conniving with the incumbent President to prolong her stay in power, as prime minister, as long as they also remain in power, by. becoming automatic members of the resultant parliament. For example, the 1987 Constitution called for the dismantling of political dynasties. Yet nothing has been done about this in the past 21 years, and nothing will be done about it in the next 21, because the political dynasties which dominate Congress will never do anything to weaken or loosen their stranglehold on political power. The Constitution should also be amended to reduce the appointive powers of the President who, as exemplified by Gloria, would abuse those powers in appointing members of what are supposed to be independent bodies - such as the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals, the Office of the Ombudsman, the Commission on Elections, even the Chief-of-Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines - to serve her personal agenda. By appointing mostly those who are friendly or beholden to her, President Arroyo has diabolically built the legal and organizational infrastructure necessary for perpetuating herself in power beyond 2010 as prime minister.. Malacanang and President Arroyo herself have categorically stated that they are not interested in term extension. This was in reaction to a bill submitted in the Lower House that would extend the terms of the president down to congressmen and women by one year and postpone the 2010 elections to 2011. This is only a decoy, meant to delude people into believing that she has no intention of staying in power beyond 2010. It does not rule out or stop current maneuvers to shift to parliamentary, led by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda and the Kampi-Lakas trapos in the Lower House, which would allow GMA to run for a seat in a putative parliament and thus be elected prime minister by the Kampi-Lakas majority. Nothing has changed since the Kampi party conference in February 2005, except that JdV has been discarded like a soiled sanitary napkin. And then there is Sen. Nene Pimentel who wanted to build a monument to himself as the Father of a Federal Philippines. He also wanted to convene both Houses of Congress into a Constituent Assembly to shift from a unitary state to a federal union. And he wanted this to happen before the end of President Arroyo's term in 2010. Why? Obviously because his last term in the Senate also ends in 2010, after which his monument to himself could no longer materialize. Despite my warnings to him (see my article Federal Fol-de-Rol of April 28, 2008 and subsequent articles on Federalism, all archived in www.tapatt.org) that he was building a Trojan Horse for President Arroyo to hide in and jump from once it was sneaked in through the ConAss, he insisted that only the federal agenda would be tabled for discussion. But, I argued, he was only the designated carpenter and he had no say whatsoever on who or what would be hiding in it. In other words, parliamentary would be sneaked in through his Federal Trojan Horse But, hopefully, he may have seen the light. In the latest (Nov. 30) of his endless stream of press releases, Sen. Pimentel warns "what (the allies of GMA in Congress) did to the impeachment case by using their numerical superiority, they would also do on the proposed extension of terms�.it is a portent of things to come��" Ngayon ka lang ba nakahalata, Nene? By all means, let us have ChaCha. But only after 2010. And only through a Constitutional Convention. Even if it has to take a revolutionary government to do it, after everything else is co-opted and corrupted. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in acabaya.blogspot.com. Tony on YouTube in www.tapatt.org. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "ConCon, not ConAss" More Reactions to "Anachronistic" More Reactions to "Anachronistic II" I just want to thank you for this enlightening, but also amusing article. I could not help but laughed at that kilometric subtitle you gave to JDV's bio. That was very clever! For a moment, it lessened the sadness and disappointment I feel for our country. For JDV, what a sad fall from grace! Lorna de la Cruz , (by email), Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Only after 2010 and a credible transition regime should touch the 1987 charter. All concerned citizen must work for a credible regime. We must also remember the events during the 1970-71 transitional order before the 1972 charter. I am not yet born then, but reading and viewing materials such as one statement of kate Senator Manglapuz, the transitory provision is the most dangerous proposed provision in the proposed charter wherein the sitting government may used the Marcosian logic where after promising the delegates in 1971 CONCON that they themselves will be part of the National Assembly if convene yet it was was not convene. Concon in a credible regime come 2010. We must work within the Constitutional process but a revolutionary government in case happen should also be credible too in composition. Albert Banico, (by email), Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The title of the book "Global Filipino," does it mean that Mr J. de Venecia's statesmanship is "world class?" If so, what makes him world class? By the way, his scheduled book launch at the Philippine Center in New York City on December 3rd has been canceled due to some "political" complications emanating from the Embassy in Washington DC and the "home office" in Malacanan. What does this mean? I understand the book launching and cocktails has been hastily re-scheduled on December 4th at Josie Natori's trade showroom on 34th Street and Madison. Frank Jimenez, (by email), West Orange, New Jersey, Dec. 02, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, This is the idea that I was driving at before, minus the portion of PGMA becoming PM. It can be enshrined in the new CHARTER that previous Presidents are disqualified to run for Prime Minister or, better still, as a member of Parliament. This eradicates the possibility of PGMA beyond 2010 that is being feared of by anti GMA. Thank you, Edgar Tubianosa, (by email), Dec. 03, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr Abaya, This column must be one of your wittiest, most ironic yet. Anyway, the Filipinos must be one of the most hyperactive race around. I think it has been endlessly noted that, in contrast, the US has had its Constitution since its inception as a republic, while we, who have only been independent since 1946, or a mere 62 years, have had the 1935, 1973, Revolutionary Constitution, and 1987 Constitution. Before that, we had the Malolos Constitution. But of course, everyone knows this. Knowing is, of course, not equal to not doing; not equal to not changing. Nothing that's ever written before or since will prevent our politicians from tinkering with the Constitution or changing it outright. If so, there's one provision in there--not including the one you cite, that of the President appointing the heads of just about every significant body and commission--that I think should really be taken out, and that's the privilege of the President to contract loans without any check on said power. It's why, in spite of the fact that we have been religiously paying our foreign debts, the more said debt balloons. I once picked up a pamphlet from a library sale in Philadelphia, titled "To Pay is to Die", and it was about the Philippines' foreign debt. Unfortunately, the book was lent to a friend, and I haven't had it since. But unmistakably, one of the sources of our suffering is the endless foreign debt, used for all the wrong reasons, and, no doubt, if the President's capacity to incur loans is checked, or capped, that's one small step to solving our myriad problems. Ethel, (by email), [email protected], Dec. 03, 2008 (One big reason why we have these endless foreign debts is our inability to earn enouh foreign exchange to pay for our imports, which in turn is due to our relative failures in exports and tourism, which has been discussed in this space many times. In the 62 years since independence in 1946, the Philippines has run a trade surplus less than, I believe, ten years. Almost every year, we import more than we export. That is why we have to keep on borrowing to pay for our imports, and that is why the peso has continuously declined in value vis-�-vis the dollar, from 2-to-1 in 1946-to the 1960s, to almost 50-to-1 in 2008. Unilaterally declaring that we will no longer pay our foreign debts is not an option because no bank will lend us another cent if we do, and we will have to pay cash for all our imports. In 1985-1990, Peru under its present president, Alan Garcia, did exactly that: following the advice of Marxist-Leninist advisers, he announced that Peru would not pay its debts for the next five years. Results? No banks lent it another dollar; it had to use its foreign reserves to pay for its imports; when the reserves ran out, it had to print money to pay for overhead, resulting in hyper-inflation that reached 7,000%. Garcia learned his lesson the hard way. This time around, he does not talk about not paying Peru's foreign debt. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, But, assuming that there would be a constitutional convention and the delegates to be elected, how would you propose to exclude those dynasties? I believe that the only solution here, if they could not be prevented to run in the Con Con is to educated the voters and not to vote for them, although it is hard to execute those plans. Besides, these dynasties already has the advantages not so much of the resources that they currently have. Thanks and more power! Bert Celera, (by email), Dec. 03, 2008 (The rules for every Constitutional Convention are decided beforehand. Of course, the incumbent trapos will always resist efforts to exclude them or their relatives from participating in a ConCon. "Educating the voters" not to vote for trapos or their relatives would take forever. That is why a revolutionary government may be the only way to fast-track reforms. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Sure, "�President Cory Aquino led a revolutionary government from February 1986 until a new Constitution was ratified in September 1987." But Cory had majority, if not 100% support of the common Filipino people. (Cory did not have 100 percent support. No president ever did or does. In the February 1986 snap presidential elections, Cory got less than 60 percent of the votes and falling, when Namfrel stopped counting, with 72 percent of the precincts accounted for. Even in Communist countries, the Communist party in power, without any opposition, used to claim "only" 99.5 or less percent support. ACA) From basic observation, I think it is safe to conclude that GMA does not have the support of the common Filipino people. Nor does she have former Presidents Cory Aquino's and Fidel Ramon's support. It is always wise in a true Democracy, not to wrestle the Philippine Presidential Office by guile, artifice, dishonesty or force.. Pierre Tierra, (by email), Great Falls, Virginia, Dec. 03, 2008 (Actually, Fidel Ramos connived with Jose de Venecia in 2005-06 to extend GMA's stay in power beyond 2010 through the ruse of a shift to parliamentary in 2006, which involved JdV becoming interim prime minister in an interim parliament from 2007 to 2010, while GMA still sat as president, at which time GMA was supposed to take over as duly elected full-time prime minister. But the plot � People's Initiative by the Sigaw ng Bangaw and a ConAss without the Senate � was a failure. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I agree with your assessment and I would also like to see Arroyo ending her term by 2010 (hopefully). I also agree to have ConCon and not ConAss to avoid any unscrupulous and evil intentions be placed in the new Constitution. But frankly speaking, our constituents aren't ready for a Parliamentary form of government. We must continue to educate our brothers and sisters that their right to vote is as important as having social justice in our country. We need to improve our provisions in the Constitution on our economy and the investments that will be flowing into the country. Lastly, we also need to address the dynamics on barring both multiparty system with our political system and political dynasties that exist in our present system. This will be a hard nut to crack then again, it's also the first step � to acknowledge there's something to change. I would like to know who you think can be an "Obama" for our country. A person who would be willing to sacrifice his/her political influence and power for the sake of our nation? I know there is talk that Binay is the Obama in the Philippines but frankly speaking he is no way near what Obama signifies. (The only thing Binay has in common with Obama is his dark skin. ACA) I also think it's high time we re-evaluate ourselves as a nation. We never experienced what it is to be patriotic and nationalistic since our "freedom" was given by our good friends the Americans. We had fought for it but lost then it was given as if we owe them our freedom. We can never really appreciate what patriotism has to offer unless we believe within ourselves and stop complaining about the condition the country is in. We must believe that our nation can overcome this and begin to change and adapt to our environment. Then again, maybe this is just wishful thinking but I still hope for the best for our future's sake.. Jerahmeel Fandrall Chen, (by email), Dec. 03, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, We agree that the 1987 Constitution is not perfect and is in dire need of amendments to remedy its imperfections. The preamble itself is verbose. We also agree that any amendments should take place only after Gloria Arroyo has gone whenever that may be. We do not agree, however, to your suggestion that delegates to the constitutional convention be elected by the people from their districts as we may have no way of knowing if the person/s they may elect is/are truly independent of any political affiliations or not in anyway linked to any vested interest whether local or national. We suggest that delegates to the constitutional convention be selected from known members of the academe, the media, the civic society, philosophers and professionals who have not held elective positions, who do not own wide tracts of land, have not been engaged in any businesses which interests may run in conflict with the nation's, who shall pass the finely-toothed comb and fine sieve through which their qualifications will be thoroughly examined by equally independent scrutinizers . The names of aspiring delegates shall be posted in the media for as long as necessary so the people may know them. Any complaints of anomalies, misdeeds, irregularities allegedly committed by any of them shall be strictly entertained and examined which when found outto be true shall disqualify them. We have lost our trust in our electoral system. We have seen the election of constitutional delegates to the constitutional convention during the time of Marcos and we knew that most of the candidates were from affluent families who had vested interests. We do not want this exercise repeated. We would rather that this country is ruled by philosophers than by politicians. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen, Germany, Dec. 03, 2008 (But who is going to determine who is a philosopher, and who is only pilosopo? Who will choose the "independent scrutinizers" who will examine those who aspire to be delegates to a constitutional convention? And who determines what those criteria should be? Do you know of any country which follows your stringent requirements? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww CONGRATULATIONS TONY, YOU HAVE BEEN SELECTED BY DB SERVICES USA WITH OVER 4K MEMEBERS , TO BE THE FILIPINO WRITER OF YEAR 2008! YOU WRITE EXTREMELY WELL. WAY ABOVE GLOBAL STANDARDS! YOU ARE A MAJOR ASSET TO THE FILIPINO TEAM OF PROFESSIONALS. GABE BAUTISTA, (by email), Dec. 03, 2008 (Thank you, Gabe. Pardon my ignorance, but what or who is DB Services USA? Who has or have been honored with this award in the past? ACA) TONY : DB SERVICES USA WAS FORMED LAST APRIL 1999. AND WAS A START UP COMPANY SINCE 1989 IN QUEZON CITY. WE HAVE ABOUT 4 THOUSAND MEMBERS ALL OVER THE USA . AS PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE COMPANY, ALL MEMBERS AGREE YOUR GREAT CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE FILIPINO AMERICAN MIND HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING THIS 2008. AGAIN MY SINCERE CONGRATULATIONS AND I LOOK FORWARD SPEAKING TO YOU SOON ! SINCERELY YOURS.. Gabe Bautista, [email protected], Dec. 06, 2008 Cellphone: 949-294-2801 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I think there's not a pundit alive who wouldn't want a change or two in our Charter. I think though that this sentiment would remain even if we change it, whether through a ConCon or a ConAss. We will never have a constitution which would be exactly to our liking. Our Constitution is not perfect. Nor can there be one. I think we all agree that our engine is not working well for us, if at all. Indeed, maybe it's time enough for us to change it. But, I suppose it wouldn't hurt much if we try to first explore what some fine tuning could do. If we were the engineer, here's what we can do. There's this uneven distribution of load. One section is expected to carry a load far beyond its capacity, while the potential of most of the other sections are barely tapped. The solution is simple enough. Distribute the load. Let the other parts do their portion of the task, as in bayanihan. There are many of us who pin our hopes on a change of leaderhips, whether on or before 2010. These are nothing but false hopes. A two-part article on the kind of President our country needs published in one of our broad sheets underscored the fact that what we need doesn't exist. The presidency is a gargantuan task. Only a superman may be expected to be up to it. All our aspirants are mere mortals. The load weighs a ton. The strongest of the contenders can barely lift a hundred kilos. DA Secretary Arthur Yap said it all. We produce 90% of our rice needs. Fertilizers alone account for 10-30% difference in farm production. So why can't we raise the remaining 10%? The money for it is in his hands, not in the persons who can best make use of it. Do we need a cha-cha to address this anomaly? Fiscal federalism is allowable even under our unitary system. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Congress has the power to limit the powers of presidency and strenghten local governments. It can, but doesn't. It would take a revolution, no less, for them to do this job. Well... At least, this kind of revolution, compared to the other options, would be the least messy and probably the most promising. Strong or self-reliant cities and provinces would be our best hedge against corruption at high places because, under a highly decentralized scheme, not much will be left for the central government to steal. The need for a President to influence the courts, Ombudsman, and the COMELEC would also be lessened. On the other hand, considering how corrupt local government could also be, lawmakers are understandably wary about giving them more powers. This problem will not be solved by placing LGUs under the supervision of states. So where does this put us? In the final analysis, the people determine the kind of government they will have only in so far as their voices and influence are heard or felt. And this can be best demonstrated or practiced at the local government levels. Also, at that level, Ombudsman may be expected to rule, rather than be ruled. Eustaquio Joven, (by email), Dec. 03, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This really boils down to one issue : people see the good from charter change. only thing is, they wouldn't want to open the door for an Arroyo extension or her power resurgence. More simply put, they want her out, for good, and they are willing to take the risk out of keeping the constitutional status quo than make changes to improve the system . The distrust is just that much that the people are willing to make the sacrifice -- never mind the good that could come from a cha-cha ! just keep her out. In other words, the country's future at the risk of just one person who isn't wanted, but got elected, isn't wanted again but stays in place, keeps speaking of not running but ran for president, talks about freedom but journalists disappear or get shot, says no cha-cha but moves for it....Some phenomenon. Some kind of "Obama magic in reverse" ? Well, only in the Philippines. Victor Manalac, (by email), Dec.03, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww "Bless the president so we will have forbearance, good health, the tolerance to lead the nation up to 2010, and perhaps who knows, even beyond." � Press Secretary Jesus Dureza Do I hear an Amen to that? Anyone? Before the House Committee on Justice junked the fourth impeachment complaint, 83-year-old Congressman Pablo Garcia of Cebu likened all accusations to the president as that of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. His blasphemous statement was uncalled for since Jesus Christ did not have 42 Congressmen shielding Him even before a proper trial could be allowed. Unjustly, Congressman Teodoro Casi�o's statement calling the body bulag, pipi at bingi (blind, mute, and deaf) was immediately stricken off the records as requested by an irate Albay Congressman Edcel Lagman, citing Casi�o's tirade as an insult to the members of the House Committee on Justice. With that, the fourth impeachment complaint was junked. Another bullet deflected effectively courtesy of the magic 42. What's next on their agenda? Charter Change. Presidential allies intend to amend the 1987 Constitution and shift the form of government to a parliamentary system. Target date for this latest OPLAN is slated sometime 2009. If Press Secretary and Presidential Spokesman Jesus Dureza's "little" prayer is to be an indication, then it only means that presidential allies would want to keep the President in power beyond 2010. However, House Speaker Prospero Nograles contends that the amendments to the Constitution does not cover term extensions especially that of the President's. This move, they say, is intended so that the next election slated for 2010 would no longer be for a Presidential election, but rather for a membership in parliament. In the event this measure is accomplished, President Arroyo will be qualified to run for a seat in that parliament, and from there seek to be elected as Prime Minister by its members. In effect, there will indeed be no term extension. They will be vindicated from being called liars simply because of, well, technicalities, and semantics. Nifty little plan isn't it? It no longer matters that House Resolution 550 filed by Batangas Congressman Hermilando Mandanas, which seeks to transfer the elections from 2010 to 2011, was already withdrawn. What's missing in the mix is the nod of the Supreme Court whether to allow the Senate and the House of Representatives to either vote jointly or separately on constitutional amendments. Hold on to your seats, there is more. DILG Secretary Renato Puno said in a report that previous Constitutions provided that the two chambers of Congress should vote separately. He added that the phrase "voting separately" no longer appears in the 1987 Constitution. Now it is clear why you see Pampanga Congressman Juan Miguel Arroyo, who happens to be the President's son, is diligent in conducting a major signature campaign in the House of Representatives for his resolution, which calls for the convening of a unicameral Constitutional Assembly (Con-ASS). All they need now is to get three-fourths vote of all members of Congress. Last I heard, he is only a few signatures shy in accomplishing his task. If God will grant Press Secretary Dureza's "little" prayer, while Congressman Garcia likened the President to Jesus Christ's crucifixion, and assuming WE are all praying to the same God; then it only means that either WE are not praying correctly, or WE are not praying to the same God. Ladies and Gentlemen: Now would be a good time for you to squirm in your seats. Sincerely, Noi Ramirez, (by email), Makati City, Dec. 04,, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I agree with you it should be a con-con in 2010 not before. I am reading a lot of news and views about this cha-cha movement being spearheaded by Mikey (he is denying it of course) which according to him is required solely (kuno) to make amendments in the economic provisions of the constitution. It seems that these Arroyo's people are really hell-bent to push through in convening the ConAss before the year 2010 in spite of the warnings coming from all sectors of society. Am not sure what the outcome would be but I believe that all good-thinking people should rally now and help out in stopping this gross, glaring, and flagrant move of the Arroyos and their cohorts. Tama na naman. Sobra na kayo, mga Arroyo. I think it is about time that we rethink our priority. Be involve and think what make the democracy works. The people. Supposedly we are the government, in larger sense we are. We are being blamed for having so-so elected officials when in fact we have no say in the final counting of the votes. What I'm driving at now is to focus our attention to the Comelec cry for automation of the coming election. Tama. Dapat bilangin nang tama ang boto natin bago tayo husgahan. If we elect the right people, we don't need all this effort safeguarding our rights and the constitution. People, please help our Comelec now if you want to get rid of Arroyo and her kind. Try to have a government that we could truly call our own. Tony, mabuhay tayong lahat. Arcy F. Sibal, (by email), Sta. Maria, Bulacan, Dec 04, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) To: Marixi Prieto Isagani Yambot Letty Jimenez-Magsano Armando Doronila Dear Marixi, Isagani, Letty and Doro-- This is the sort of column lots of people-- tens of thousands, millions-- miss in the Inquirer. Antonio Abaya is the kind of columnist lots of people want and need to read in the Inquirer. Truthful, just, fair, incisive, fearless, erudite, eloquent, grammatical, neither left nor right (but mostly right in the Filipino center!)-- and at the very least (as his old buddy Jose Nolasco would swear) far more readable than two or three or ze female opinion writers in your "fearless views" stable. So it should make for great horse sense-- you could do worse-- if you people took Mr. Abaya aboard the Inquirer. Just imagine: what a boon and bonus to your Sunday edition-- with all due respect, the guy is at large only in the small eyes of mediocrity and is simply incapable of dishing out Malacanang tidbits. The Lord and the Power be with you. Warm regards and best wishes� Gregorio Brillantes, (by email), Quezon City, Dec. 04, 2008 (Thank you, Greg, for the unexpected and unsolicited plug. I may or may not have told you that about three or four years ago, a minority stockholder in the corporation that owns the Philippine Daily Inquirer took it upon himself, without even asking me, to urge the Inquirer editors to invite me to write for them.....and was turned down. I must be doing something right. Regards. Tony) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony If a Revolutionary form of government is all it takes to clean up the Philippine government of all kinds of criminal infestations like those coming from hardened crooks like Gloria Arroyo , Mike Arroyo , Jocjoc Bolante , ex-Comelec Commissioner Garcillano , the two Congressmen sons of Gloria Arroyo , General Esperon , General Palparan , the Congressman brother-in-law of Gloria Arroyo Iggy Arroyo , ex- Comelec boss Abalos , et.al. , then I'm all for it . But , before this Revolutionary government start with the cleaning-up process , I would like them to adapt officially the previously proposed NATIONAL BATTLECRY : " MABUHAY ANG PILIPINO ! ! ! ANG LAHING BIGATIN ! ! !" The whole purpose is not to poke fun to the point of mocking the sheepish Filipino , but rather , to shake him or her up and in the process reclaim all of the confidence and valor that rightfully belongs to the now COWARD AND TIMID Filipino who , very sadly , has allowed himself or herself to lose to the oppressors , foreign and domestic . MABUHAY ANG PILIPINO ! ! ! ANG LAHING BIGATIN ! ! ! J.C., [email protected], Dec. 04, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, A more serious problem facing the country today is not about ChaCha but the systemic abuse and corruption by those who were entrusted by our people with political power. Whether it is ConCon or ConAss, it wouldn't matter because those who are in position of power will simply recycle themselves in one way or another. In a country where the abusive and corrupt officials go unpunished, what is their disincentive from living immoral and dishonest lives? None whatsoever! It occurred to me that our leaders become poor students of history once they taste the temporal power to pursue their vulgar interests without accountability or consequences. Without learning its lessons, they loss their moral or ethical compass and turn abusive and corrupt again and again. Worse, like Marcos, they behave as if life is neither short nor fleeting! What do our people get in return then? In a country where a person who is unfit to lead is rewarded with the highest position of the land, its people distrust its best minds. In a country where a person who lies is celebrated for his or her craftiness, its people doubt those who tell the truth. In a country where a person who steals is sheltered by those in power, its people suspect those who make an honest living. Unless there is a revolutionary transition to do the drastic house-cleaning and to strengthen our institutions of accountability and justice, choosing between ConCon and ConAss is like what the American director Woody Allen once said: We stand at the crossroad: one leads to utter hopelessness and despair, and the other to total extinction. Let us pray that we will have the wisdom to choose correctly. All that is left in me is the hope that our past will not be our future. Efren Padilla, (by email), Hayward, CA, Dec. 05, 2008 Professor of Sociology and Urban Planning California State University in East Bay wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Just like you, I believe that there are provisions in the present Constitution that must be changed. However, I am concerned that in doing so, there is a strong possibility that a change to a parliamentary form of government will be one of the changes to be made. We all know that the incumbent members of the House of Representatives will run as MPs ( Members of the Parliament) and considering that they have party machinery, the three Gs � guns, goons and gold - influence of an incumbent and connection in the Comelec at the end of the day it we will see the same crooks sitting in power. Of course, the evil bitch will run and win in Pampanga paving the way for her election as PM. Is it worth the risk? Even if we change the Constitution but eventually the same people will be running the government, we will be facing same problems all over again. As I have suggested in a previous message, candidates must campaign together whether for national or local positions with the government setting up the rules and shouldering the expenses. It could be in a debating forum with an independent body composed of luminaries from the legal, academe and religious sector acting as moderator. Those who fail to join in such endeavor will be deemed disqualified and stricken out of the list of candidates. Of course, no posters or any kind of campaign material will be allowed with only the polling body printing out bio-data/resume of the candidates in a booklet form for dissemination only to registered voters. There is a law I believe that deals on political dynasty which has no teeth because the one sitting in power and the discredited Comelec look the other way. (Such a law has never been passed. ACA) Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City, Dec. 05, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony. I fully agree but the qualifications for the position must be appropriate for the job at hand and should be strictly enforced. Only the qualified can run for a post in the Con Con. This is the best way to filter out those who do not deserve the honor of protecting the sanctity of the Constitution. Raffy Alunan, (by email), Dec. 13, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to Anachronistic I and II (Nov. 25/27, 2008) Ka Tony: Your presentations of our country's ills are very clear, indeed. From the reactions to them this humble reader of yours simply feels, and humbly proposes, the following: TRANSFORM EDUCATION; TRANSFORM PHILIPPINES Pinagpipitaganang Mga Kalahi At Kapatid sa Inang Bayan: Mataimtim na Panawagan More especially to the youth who are the "fair hope of our Motherland," according to our hero, Dr. Jose Rizal. Let us search for, collect, polish, conserve, and bring altogether the scattered stones, ashlars, and whatever, of our demolished (and unhappily erratic) country's history, left behind in shambles by our former colonizers, in order that we may reconstruct or rebuild our "damaged culture", and devastated national edifice. Hindi magiging kalabisan marahil, at kung tutuusin ay siyang dapat na mangyari at isagawa; ng maraming mga Kapatid nating may sapat na talino at kakayahang mag-akbay-balikat at manaliksik sa mga aklatang publiko (research in public libraries) -- sa USA, sa Japan, sa Hong Kong, sa Madrid, sa Barcelona, sa Mexico, sa Cuba, at maraming iba pa -- upang saliksikin ang nangagkalat na mga bato, o silyar ng nangagkalat na mga sangkap ng ating kasaysayan. Sa USA, unang-una, ang tinatawag ng mga nanakop na US Army na "Insurgent Records;" sa Guam, kung saan ipinatapon ang mga Pilipinong naghimagsik laban sa pananakop ng USA, sa pangunguna nina Apolinario Mabini at Artemio Ricarte; sa Hong Kong, ang putaputaking ulat (fragments of news reports) kaugnay ng ipinatapong (exiled) mga lider ng Katipunan, kaugnay ng Pakto sa Biak-na-Bato, at mga rekords nina Galicano Apacible at Mariano Ponce; ang mga ulat ni Felipe Agoncillo mula sa Paris; sa Japan, ang mga makabayang artikulong sinulat ni Heneral Artemio Ricarte -- ang tanging Pilipinong hindi napailalim, o sumuko/sumumpa sa watawat ng USA; at ibang mga bansa pa rin sa Europa. Nagkalat na ang ating mga Pinoy US Navy retirees (kahi't pa man sila'y hindi na Filipino citizens), at iba pang mga kalahi nating naghahanap-buhay sa iba-ibang mga lupalop, na makatulung-tulong sa pangangalap ng hiwa-hiwalay na mga hibla ng ating kasaysayan. Ideya lamang po iyan, mga Kapatid. Upang tipuning matiyaga ang mga bato o silyar na magagamit sa pagbuo/pagtatayo ng matipunong gusaling bansa (national historical edifice). Ang mga iyan ay siyang gamiting aralin ng ating kabataaan, sa halip na kung anu-anong mga literatura at mga pelikulang banyaga ang patuloy na mga palabas sa ating mga TV -- at kinukunsinti ng MTRB -- na lubhang nakasisira sa pambansang pag-uugali. Ang heograpiya ng bansa ay isang lubhang kailangang ituro pa rin sa mga mag-aaral; bagay na mag-uugnay sa damdamin ng mga mamamayan sa hiwahiwalay nating mga pulo, upang malinang ang damdamin ng pambansang pagkakaisa. Nakatatawang- nakaka-inis nung minsang mayrong isang tanyag nang reporter na nagsabing ang Lungsod ng Zamboanga ay nasa eastern Mindanao! Nakakahiya! Marami pa sanang nais sabihin ang inyong Kapatid na hindi na tumatanda; nguni't baka hindi na kayo matunawan ng kinain. Tama na muna; at sa susunod na kabanata. Bahala na kayong magpaumanhin sa mapupusok na mga kinatkat nitong pilosopong-gubat. Hanggang sa muli, Irineo Perez Goce, (by email), Lipa City, Dec.07, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You wrote: "(So how do you explain why the Indonesians and the Malaysians, whose ancestors shared similar pre-Hispanic, pre-European "datu-timawa-alipin" systems of governance as our ancestors, have been more successful than us in lowering their incidence of poverty, suppressing Communist insurgencies, controlling their population growth, fighting corruption, attracting tourists, promoting domestic industrialization, instilling a sense of nationhood among their people, not to mention manufacturing goods for export [which can be credited to the Chinese, in the case of Malaysia]? ACA)" I checked the significant differences among the three countries you mentioned and these stats seem to stand out: Religions: [Philippines] Roman Catholic 80.9%, Muslim 5%, Evangelical 2.8%, Iglesia ni Kristo 2.3%, Aglipayan 2%, other Christian 4.5%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.6%, none 0.1% (2000 census) Religions: [Indonesia] Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census) Religions: [Malaysia] Muslim 60.4%, Buddhist 19.2%, Christian 9.1%, Hindu 6.3%, Confucianism, Taoism, other traditional Chinese religions 2.6%, other or unknown 1.5%, none 0.8% (2000 census) copied from the: CIA The World Factbook https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/ I don't know the answer to your question. Ii am merely pointing out a significant difference among their populations. As far as controlling the population growth, some may agree that the Roman Catholic religion may be the significant reason why Filipinos are not successful. As far as your other questions I will defer to the scholars who spend their lifetimes studying them. To hazard an uneducated guess, could one say that the Muslim religion as practiced properly by its believers, and not its extremist lunatic fringes, is able to affect the moral maturity and social consciousness of the Indonesians and the Malaysians? Maybe the majority Roman Catholic religion could too, if practiced properly by its Filipino believers. Most corrupt Filipino politicians make a blatant public display of their religiousness but commit unchristian acts in private. Bobby Manasan, (by email), Burke, Virginia, Dec. 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Ka Tony: The comparative success of Indonesia and Malaysia in the system of governance has been principally due to their prevailing language policy in education and in public system of governance. I wish and hope my esteemed Ka Tony would kindly read through my past postings regarding this subject, which I eagerly and gladly resend, hereunder, in relation to your rejoinder to an RX to Anachonistic II, by Mr. Bobby Manasan. Irineo Perez Goce, (by email), Lipa City, Dec. 08, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Let's all stop looking for an Obama, a Darna or a Lastikman who can lift our bahay kubo. We will never find one. The Philippines, our bahay kubo, is really not that small. Just one or few good men cannot transform or lift it up. We need to put more people to the task. We can do this by strengthening our cities and provinces. We need to go bayanihan on a national scale. We need a change IN, not OF, the system: more local autonomy, not a shift to federalism. As Senator Richard Gordon aptly said, why change the engine when a simple fine tuning would make it work? One reason why some people oppose devolution is their distrust for local government officials. The national leadership has failed us through the years. Who else can we run to except the leaders who are within our reach? Besides, local governments are small enough for us to participate in or control if need be. At least, at this level compared to the national, Ombudsman may be expected to hold sway. Some lawmakers promises more power and wealth to LGU's through federalism. It is as if they can't give it now simply by amending the local government code. What can make them do their job? A revolution, no less. Eustaquio Joven, (by email), Dec. 09, 2008 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Long-term stability will happen only when the national problem causing the destabilization of the nation is removed. And since she is the problem, there is nothing more for GMA to discern but to be morally courageous and patriotic enough to step down for the good of the country and people. I firmly believe that before ChaCha is effected a caretaker government should be set up to clean the dirt of our trapo system and provide a time-lined transition to ferry the people from a dysfunctional governance to a new constitutional order. Gloria and her cohorts in Congress did a shameless disservice to the people. They led the people astray by dishonorable acts of lying, cheating, and stealing, nakedly violating the rule of law and shamefully raping the Constitution in the use of "democratic" numbers to kill Constitutional processes that shook even the Church and provoked widespread and unprecedented destabilization in the country. Fortunato U. Abat, (by email), Dec. 09, 2008 Former Secretary of National Defense' former ambassador to the People's Republic of China; major general (ret), Armed Forces of the Philippines (I am also in favor of a revolutionary transition government, and have been advocating it in this space since 2002. But such a transition is not possible if the idealistic elements in the military, if there are any, do not act. Well-meaning civilians, alone, are not capable of forcing that transition. ACA).. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww One poor excuse why we are not as affected by the downturn of the U.S. market is that we have minuscule exports. Wrong. Our human exports are far from miniscule. It is our lifeline. Water is flowing into our fragile banca through a gaping hole caused by OFW's who are losing their jobs. Fortunately, we can still return to the basics: food production. Forget Jocjoc Bolante for awhile. If Gloria and company's junkets were used to buy farm tractors and other inputs we could have turned Mindanao into a bread basket instead of being a basket case. Let the refugees go back to their farms and till their lands under close watch of the AFP. For once, let it be on the defensive posture with the help of local militias. We need not displace and starve our children by fruitlessly chasing bandits into Eustaquio Joven, (by email), Dec. 10, 2008. OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected]. Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com. To subscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Subscribe. To unsubscribe, send a blank email with the subject heading Unsubscribe. |
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