| Crystal Balls
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on May 13, 2009 For the Standard Today, May 14 issue In his paper on The 2010 Presidential Elections: Assessments and Analysis, A Year Ahead, political analyst Antonio Gatmaitan presented a traditional and uncontroversial overview of the political scene. Namely, that the contenders will be Joseph Estrada, Noli de Castro, Chiz Escudero, Loren Legarda, Kiko Pangilinan, Mar Roxas, Manny Villar, Jejomar Binay, Bayani Fernando, Gilberto Teodoro, Reynato Puno, Among Ed Panlilio, Eddie Villanueva, and (whom he unaccountably left out) Ping Lacson. That Lakas-Kampi will choose their candidate from among the party members (Teodoro, Fernando), and that consequently the Independent Noli de Castro will seek the nomination elsewhere, possibly from a new party allegedly being formed by businessman Manny Pangilinan. That Villanueva�s Bagong Bangon Pilipinas has no chance. One gets only one crack at the presidency. Villanueva ran for president in 2004 and came out fifth in a field of five. That Nandy Pacheco�s Ang Kapatiran would find it hard to be competitive, no matter whom they decide to field as presidential candidate. That the issues will be the core issues of economic recovery, accountability, graft and corruption, peace in Mindanao, poverty alleviation, foreign policy, the environment. That the qualities being sought by voters in a president are: magaling (good, competent), madaling lapitan (easily approachable)., mapagmalasakit sa mga mahihirap (will work for the benefit of the poor). That the previous top vote getters in a presidential/vice presidential election have been Estrada (10 million) and De Castro (15 m); in senatorial elections: Roxas (19 m), Legarda (18 m). The 32.4 million voters are expected to vote, out of 45 million registered voters. That in a three-way race, 11.8 m votes or 30 percent are enough to win. In a four-way race, 9.1 m votes or 28 percent; in a five-way race (most likely), 7.8 m votes or 24 percent, would be enough to win. In the 1992 seven-way presidential elections, Fidel Ramos won a plurality of only 23 percent. In 2010, television and radio would be the main field of combat and will account for 50-55 percent of candidates� expenses: ground level logistics and organizational expenses 30-35%; and cyberspace � internet, texting propaganda � only 15-20 percent. Tony Gat did not hazard a guess on which candidate or candidates would most likely win. But he did say that the supposedly two million solid bloc votes of the Iglesia ni Kristo would be the crucial swing vote, especially if there are five or more candidates. I was one of six reactors to Tony Gat�s paper and I took my usual unconventional stand. I said outright that the most important candidate in the 2010 elections would be Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who will run for the congressional seat of her district in Pampanga, while she remains the sitting president. I said that GMA will follow the example Vladimir Putin in Russia, as I have predicted in this space as early as September 2007. .At that time, President Putin, serving his second and last term as president, was �prevailed upon� during a party congress of the United Russia Party, to run for a seat in parliament in December 2007 parliamentary elections (Putin is genuinely popular in Russia because he has brought stability and prosperity to the Russian people, after the chaotic years under Boris Yeltsin.) He ran and, to no one�s surprise, won. When his presidential term was about to end in March 2008, his hand-picked successor, Dmitri Medvedev, ran and, to no one�s surprise, won the presidential elections. When the new president took over in May 2008, he appointed Putin prime minister, again to no one�s surprise. Although Russia has not formally shifted from the present presidential system to a parliamentary system, no one doubts that the real executive power rests in the hands of the prime minister, Putin. So the stage is being set for a Putin Scenario in Manila. The long-delayed merger of the Lakas-CMD (the party of thieves, according to Rep. Teddyboy Locisn) and the Kampi (the party of political prostitutes, according to me) is now a done deal, guaranteeing an overwhelming majority in the Lower House for the Gloria in Excelsis Chorus, when they push for a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution for a shift to parliamentary without the participation of the oppositionist Senate. But there may be no need for ChaCha before the May 2010 ellections, as this would be very controversial and could diminish the chances of the Lakas-Kampi presidential candidate. The ChaCha could very well happen AFTER the May 2010 elections when a triumphant Congresswoman Gloria leads the charge in the new Congress for the shift to parliamentary, thus picking up where President Gloria left off. In addition, a ChaCha maneuver before the May 2010 elections may run into legal and constitutional problems which will need a decision by the Supreme Court. Moral Force advocate Chief Justice Reynato Puno will likely use all his powers of moral suasion to block such a nakedly self-serving power move. Fortunately for the Gloria in Excelsis Chorus, CJ Puno will reach mandatory retirement age in May 2010. He will have to be replaced by President Gloria, no doubt with someone who will be willing to sing along with the Gloria in Excelsis Chorus. And this will have to be done after the May 2010 elections. And who would President Gloria�s Medvedev be? It has to be someone who is genuinely popular but who is a political and intellectual lightweight, who would be satisfied with being a ceremonial president, with the perks (and chicks) that go with it, without the headaches and heartaches that go with trying to govern an ungovernable people. Sounds like Noli de Castro, not the vastly disliked Fernando nor the bland and colorless Teodoro. . . And just in case some roughnecks will have other ideas, the military has been co-opted to protect, not the interests of the Filipino people, but the interests of President Gloria. AFP Chief-of-Staff Lt. Gen. Alexander Yano, who was scheduled to retire on June 13, 2009, has been made to retire earlier, for reasons not made public. If he has not done so yet, he will soon turn over command of the military to Army chief Lt. Gen. Victor Ibrado, who is himself scheduled to retire before May 2010, and is expected to be replaced by the new Army commander Lt. Gen. Delfin Bangit. . This deliberately choreographed game of musical chairs seems to be specifically programmed to put Gen. Bangit, former chief of the Presidential Security Group and said to be a favorite of President Gloria, in command of the entire military organization before the May 2010 elections, just in case some misguided liberal democrats have some foolish ideas about the sovereign will of the people and all that.. Coincidentally, there were rumors circulating two months ago that Gen Yano and Chief Justice Puno would hold a press conference sometime in mid-March during which Gen Yano would announce the military�s withdrawal of support from President Gloria and the formation of a civilian-military revolutionary transition government to be headed by Chief Justice Puno. I have no idea if these rumors had any basis in fact. But I am assuming that Malacanang did hear these rumors and acted deliberately but quietly by offering Gen. Yano the post of ambassador to Brunei, plus perhaps some financial sweeteners, leaving Puno with a bag full of Moral Force but nothing else. The coming 365 days will show which crystal ball has the clearer picture, Tony Gat�s or Tony Abaya�s . All I can say at this point is that Niccolo Machiavelli could learn a lesson or two, or even more, from President Gloria on how to grab and hold on to power forever, even if she is, according to President Obama, on the �wrong side of history.� ***** 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. . OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Crystal Balls� ConAss Railroading Sir: Very intriguing article, thanks. How would you account for "shocks" influencing the election reports? By shocks, I could mean environmental, economic, and/or political, including the entry of a charismatic contender that captures the imagination of the people (and handlers). Obama had his financial meltdown shock that helped him win the elections...For the opposition, it is would be advisable to dig deep and away from the present crop of contenders. I still say someone of an image like Gov. Panlilio's or Gov. Padaca's under a united opposition might help...Regards. Hecky Villanueva, (by email), Tucson, Arizona, May 14, 2009 (The opposition is not likely to unite in the next 12 months. There are just too many oppositionists lusting to become president. Besides, in the latest Pulse Asia survey of May 4 to 17, Gov. Panlilio got only a truly pathetic 0.2 percent of the votes. Gov. Padaca was not even in the radar screen. The five leading contenders were Noli de Castro, 18 percent; Chiz Escudero, 17; Joseph Estrada, 15; Manny Villar, 14; Mar Roxas, 13. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww With the current political environment, we really need a very good clairvoyant. Didn't Nostradamus include Philippines in his prophesies? Based on your recount of Gatmaitan's, his crystal ball is like a blank wall, which most Filipinos already know... At least you give a discrete picture which more likely has a +-10 percent of probability, because no one opposition candidate has a chance against Lakas-Kampi, it will be a battle between De Castro and Bayani/Teodoro... Edelberto Anit, (by email), May 14, 2009 (In the same survey above, Gilbert Teodoro got one per cent of the votes. Bayani Fernando, 0.3 percent. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, The transparency with which your (and Mr. Gatmaitan's) crystal balls have is not apparent in the opacity which characterizes the evil designs Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her bunch of machinators have obviously been hatching in the darkest dungeons of their power enclave. Yes, theirs exists like a state within a state, a refugium surrounded by hostile territory of the great majority of this nation's population which intensely dislikes the actions and the machinations of those rulers that serve only their vile interests, to the prejudice of the ruled. What we will be seeing is not a Putin scenario but a Potemkin chapter in the Philippine political history. The rigodon of high ranking military officers is taking place and the meritorious generals are being eased out to be replaced by the "Grigori Aleksandronovich Potemkin" kind who would enforce upon this hapless nation a new constitution not unlike the Catherine Instruction so that Macapagal-Arroyo could reign for life. Those lapdogs in the present Congress might even be rendered powerless and reduced to a mere rubber stamp parliament who need not be paid a "ransom" for their votes of approval but simply do as they are told or else for nothing. They have proved to be very expensive for the real powers-that-be who must have been abhored to the idea of begging before those base and "lowly" members of the present "lower house of Congress." What we see in our own crystal ball in the not-to-distant future is the worst case much dreadful than the Marcos-crafted scenario as he rose to power that led to his imposition of martial law. God help this benighted land. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen, Germany, May 14, 2009 (The Philippines� original Potemkin villages were first built by Imelda Marcos. Gloria Arroyo is merely following her example. At any rate, building Potemkin villages will not prolong Gloria�s stay in power. Only becoming prime minister will. That means, run for a seat in Congress while she is still president. Then have herself chosen prime minister by the Lakas-Kampi majority in the Lower House. That�s the Vladimir Putin Formula, which I predicted GMA will follow as early as September 2007. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I simply cannot recall where this idea came from: Prostitutes are better than politicians because once prostitutes are paid, they deliver. While politicians as prostitutes, they get paid and never deliver. AL Jose Leonidas, (by email), Quezon City, May 14, 2009 Member of Faculty, Miriam College wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The guessing game and the jockeying is getting more and more intense . May the lesser evil win. All the best. Jerry Quibilan, (by email), May 14, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Your topic on crystal balls has been very futuristic. You seem to know everything. Nevertheless, I always believe in God�s Providence. Whatever happens to our country is according to God's Sovereign Will. I also believe that GMA is the lesser evil among those presidentiables. and the most brilliant. All of them are corrupt anyway.. . At least we can see some movement in our government even though she is being branded as corrupt. Erap Estrada was voted as president before because my countrymen thought that a less brillant president will not corrupt the government. But it did not get better . He is the worst president we had.. I�d rather have Marcos than Erap Estrada. So you see, we are already exasperated with the false promises of "false prophets" or of those �false presidentiables�. I rather choose GMA who had shown result than those packs of wolves waiting to take over the treasury of our country. This is just some piece of my mind and I believe that most of average Filipinos feel the same. May you have a pleasant day. Yours truly, Jho Rangas, (by email), Cagayan de Oro City, May 14, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Wow!!! Thanks for your thorough, erudite and bold forecasts!!! Your predictions left me breathless... Disturbing, disconcerting if all these actually happen. I sincerely believe we need credible, moral as well as effective reformist leadership in the Philippines. Regards Wilson Lee Flores, (by email), May 15, 2009 Columnist, Philippine Star Editor-in-chief, S magazine wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, I hope my crystal ball is wrong but it's showing a NO-EL event will happen and I see blood and bodies in the streets and in the countryside. It is indeed a grim scenario. However, my inner self tells me that there will be a revolutionary government under a civil-military junta paving the way for a clean and honest election before the end of 2010. Narciso Ner, (by email), Davao City, May 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Your theory seems to be logical for someone who wants to be in power forever. In fact the reason why we are suspecting too, that GMA would run as congressman on her son's district precisely for that, become a Congressman and be the Speaker to push through with her agenda. In fact there is another scenario. With the way the COMELEC now is doing with the full automation, there is a possibility, election or no election, that a failure of election would be declared in the whole archipelago - to extend their terms. In order to avert those agendas and your analysis, the Filipinos would have to work hard not to vote for those presidentiables who are likely Trojan Horses, if ever there is an election. Or better still present these scenarios to those wanting to be President and look them in the eyes what are they going to do in case GMA would push through with her agenda. Considering now the mentality of the Filipinos and the lack of the likes of Ninoy Aquino, civil war is not likely to happen if GMA would insist on her agenda. Besides, GMA knows the mentality of the Filipinos One more, Tony, your analysis seems to be what GMA is doing that I suspect you are one of her advisers. (Joke lang!) Thanks and more power. Bert Celera, (by email), May 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Our dear Tony, Thanks for this latest article. Two scenarios: First - There will be elections in May 2010. A new President of RP will be elected, either a trapo (40%), or a non-trapo (60%). Second - There will be no elections. The people from all sectors will unite. The communists will fully take advantage of the situation. The bloodshed will be the worst in Philippine history. It will be 90% with election, 10% no election. (Col.) (Ret.) Hector Tarzan Tarrazona, (by email), May 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Antonio S. Araneta) Thanks! Very, very interesting discussion. 1. The little girl in Malacanang has proven to be so resilient and skillful in the art of holding on to power . 2. Considering the pathetic choices available and the cynicism of the Filipinos regarding leaders past and present, knowing with certainty that they eventually evolve into the mold of Machiavellian politicians, self-serving and corrupt to the core, it will just be "matira ang matibay" contest. Let them slug it out, destroy each other and may the best man or woman win. 3. The winner's reward will be the Presidency or Prime Ministership if Gloria's plan prevails. But like any Shakespearean tragic character- she will get what she wants, but she will not be happy with it. That is her reckoning because our corrupt justice and law enforcement system will not have the balls to punish the biggest fish in the pond and our society misinterpreting the Catholic precepts, will forgive and forget just as they forgave and forgot the crimes of the Marcoses and their cronies and those in their mold who followed them. High society will see to it that they are recycled into sweet-smelling, prettified, party and society page fixtures. They can even buy an award or two to make it all look so unbelievably good. Why, the CCP recently gave Imelda Marcos honors for building the edifice on its 40th anniversary! There you are. Gina Barte, (by email), May 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony: And if your Crystal Balls tell the truth, what can the people do? Better question: will they do anything at all? Truth that hurts: slaves deserve their tyrants. Dan Jimenez, (by email), May 15, 2009 dan,mel&jim wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My wild guess is that Gen. Ibrado will be made to retire earlier and be replaced by Gen. Bangit by February, 2010. Rue Ramas, (by email), Gen. Santos City, May 15, 2009 (That is what I also wrote in this piece. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I agree with the prediction : GMA will surface as the country's leader, in the same title or in another because, and just like you said of Putin, she "will be prevailed upon." Those who oppose her running for some post at this time are those whose chances are threatened in an open free voting. Always the anecdote of the "three lions" -- the three chanced upon a carcass, and the two fought for the meat while the third stayed a distance and watched them. As they became wounded and exhausted the third walked to the dead venison and had his fill." GMA is a master of history and a cleverer fox amongst wolves. You have to give it to her. She knows man's weakness and is willing to do what it takes to pierce through the thin armour of the strongest opposition or the glutton and therefore gullible ally. A true "GM" who can Manage Greed ! Victor Ma�alac, (by email), May 15, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ConAss Railroading It's sad to see government officials who vowed to serve this country with honesty and integrity scramble to hold on desperately to the positions that they have. It goes to show how low these politicians can get just to maintain the lifestyle that they are accustomed to. Makes a voter want to think 100x about what kind of low-life scumbags (excuse me for the term, but if the shoe fits...) are running this nation. This nation was built on the blood of our forerunners, fighting to regain the independence that we are now enjoying. The constitution created by noble men whose goal is for the common good of the common people. Railroading House Resolution No. 1109 shows little respect for the noble heritage of this nation and poor judgment of the leaders who are running this country. It's a crying shame that these same leaders are elected to the positions by the people that they should be serving. This just shows how dirty Philipine politics has become and how, in a blink of an eye, a great nation such as ours could be toppled down by self-indulging lowlifes who could not see beyond their self. Alma Grace Iscala, (by email), June 03, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Alea iacta est! The die is cast! The Philippines will soon have a parliamentary form of government with the sociopath master of deceit Gloria Arroyo as Prime Minister, compliments of her lackeys at the House of Representatives and the Supreme Court. The Speaker of the House Prospero Nograles and Majority Leader Arthur Defensor have announced that the Constituent Assembly will be convened by July without Senate participation. Then there's Oliver Lozano filing a petition, as if on cue, before the Supreme Court for the nullification of the Constituent Assembly resolution passed just yesterday to fast track the charter change by having the highest tribunal which is packed with Arroyo's puppets act on it. There is anger and many anti-Arroyo groups will soon be staging mass rallies and street marches. The transport groups as well as the youth and labor sectors may also join the protests with a nationwide strike. However, the question is, will they lead to Arroyo's ouster or is this the bait that Judge Lorredo was talking about when he warned that "People power might be interpreted by Malacanang as invasion or rebellion under Sec. 18, Art. VII of the Philippine Constitution.� ? Right now, the prudent thing to do right is heed the Book of Ecclesiastes: "To every thing there is a season...A time to kill... A time to rend." Let us remember that the days that follow ignorant and unwise decisions are always filled with grief and remorse. However, we will know that we have reached the point of no return when the naked and vicious power of the treasonous pigs in Congress will be imposed upon us by convening themselves as a constituent assembly. Let us then join hands and in unison shout to the world that the Voice of the People is the Supreme Law , " Vox Populi Est Suprema Lex". "Upang maitindig natin ang bantayog ng ating lipunan, kailangang radikal nating baguhin hindi lamang ang ating mga institusyon kundi maging ang ating pag-iisip at pamumuhay. Kailangan ang rebolusyon, hindi lamang sa panlabas, kundi lalo na sa panloob!" --Apolinario Mabini, La Revolucion Filipina (1898) Narciso Limsiaco Ner, (by email), Davao City, June 04, 2009 Prime Minister Gloria or Mike Arroyo Sunday, February 22, 2009 9:14 PM From: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Whatever the outcome of the two opposing views on Charter Change whether to have it before or after 2010 and whether it will be through a Constituent Assembly, the Arroyos will be grinning from ear to ear once the form of government is changed to Parliamentary. There is no doubt that the same members of the House of Representatives will run as MPs (Member of the Parliament) and basing on the last two elections and how they were conducted, we will see them back in power. How can one lose if he or she has the party machinery, the 3 Gs, a connection with the Comelec and the power and influence of an incumbent ? Oh, before I forget, guess who will be the new Prime Minister but the "honorable???" "lady???" from Pampanga, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or could be her handler, Mike "the greedy" Arroyo. As long as the same people will be running the government, a new Constitution will not make the Philippines great nor will it solve the ills and problems of our beloved country. Narciso Limsiaco Ner, Davao City wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww We hereby respond immediately to your call that "we should all add our voice to the chorus of condemnation," against this most outrageous gang-raping of the Constitution by the paid mercenaries in that Lower House of Congress who have lost any sense of esteem by turning themselves into zombies as they most brazenly passed that most despicable House Resolution 1109 to form a constituent assembly. It is this Lower House that should be dissolved. Time and again, most of its members have employed their numerical superiority to tyrannize the country and impose upon the people the rule of the mob instead of the rule of law, to feed their insatiable greed and satisfy their unconscionable lust. In other nations that have civil government officials they and their and mistress and masters would have committed suicide after having been charged with gross cases of malfeasances. But not in this country. It is only in the Philippines where the corrupt feel no compunction nor shame for their most atrocious deeds. They remain insensitive to the criticisms and uncaring of the people they were supposed to serve. The ulterior design of the power-that-be is to stay in power at all cost. As we see it, there are two ways they wanted to choose from in order to achieve their goal: 1. To convene Congress as a constituent assembly, or 2. To impose martial law. The first may not appear as draconian and less unpalatable to both local and foreign tongues and therefore, in their view more preferable. If this does not succeed then they would employ the last resort, option number 2. That, in our opinion is their game plan. We hope that this condemnable HR 1109 would finally open the floodgates of resistance and awaken all of us to unite as one in the fight against the acts of tyranny being committed by those who have betrayed the Filipino nation. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen., Germany, June 04, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Would like to put in a few words about the goings on in our country. The Philippine Senate has lost its "august" character. They just buried themselves in inane probes of insignificant events. I am beginning to believe they just would like to see as a group, Hayden Kho's videos under false pretenses. The personal tiffs between Enrile and Pimentel, the quixotic chase of Jamby against Villar. Is there anything more worthwile to do in that body? The Lower House consisting of so many lawyers even lost its legal perspective in the cha-cha issue. How would a viva-voce vote show a majority vote? In issues of importance like this, there should be a vote count on the record to eliminate any misinterpretation of the numbers required to pass a resolution or a bill. There are a few, just a few, congressmen that are idealists, could be trusted, but are overwhelmed by their un-civic minded colleagues. Why couldn't our courts set a continuous hearing of important cases like what is done in the US? Our Supreme Court should be able to set rules that will require courts to hold continuous hearing of important cases until resolved. Cases like high level corruption should be given priority in judicial resolution so that we, the people would feel, that we are earnestly eliminating this political and financial scourge of our country. If government thievery is quickly punished, then we should be on the road to saving a lot of funds for the public good. Imagine how many school rooms could have been built with what Gen. Garcia was alleged to have stolen, the school supplies and buildings that could have been built with the funds paid for the noodle meals of our children, the ever present over-pricing of everything that the government buys, everything. I cannot think of any exception. The revenue collecting agents of the government, the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bureau of Customs are so riddled with corrupt personnel, a fact known to everyone but no one does anything about it. There are a lot more to say, and I simply want to ask, "Quo vadis, Filipinas?" Edmundo Ledesma, (by email), Cainta, Rizal, June 05, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Forwarded to Tapatt by Guillermo Prat) The Battle for Philippine Democracy has just begun. by Kevin Punzalan- Filipino Masteral student in International Relations at the Rajaratnam School of Strategic Studies, Singapore. Like a thief in the night, GMA and her allies have struck. I long suspected that something was wrong with the political milieu for the past 2 weeks. In the midst of momentous events, our society�s attention was diverted. Instead of examining legislation that could change our country: the right of reply bill, the freedom of information act, and the reproductive bill, our main media outlets chose to focus on the scandal du jour: the immensely stupid and trivial Hayden Kho video affair. How I groaned every time someone eager to hog attention would give an off-the-cuff remark, to chip in his or her two cents worth on the issue. Like eager vultures surrounding a dying creature, I found the whole scene disgusting. And now, we have the coup de grace from Gloria and her minions: in the dead of night, when most of us are in bed, her allies in Congress vote to approve HR 1109 in record time. A vote to discontinue interpolation of the authors of the bill was approved in seconds, and in the voting that followed, a dagger was thrust firmly in the back of our supposed democracy. Never mind that HR 1109, the measure to amend our constitution, was taken up and approved ahead of HR 737, which outlines which specific areas of the constitution are to be changed. Never mind the idiocy of voting to change something before deciding what needs to be changed. Never mind the fact that Rep. Luis Villafuerte, head of the former independent Kampi party, abandoned this proposal once the Lakas and Kampi parties were merged into a single bloc in Congress, with the approval of the President. Never mind the fact that the House only took two days to deliberate on and debate on a resolution that has the effect of amending our constitution, with profound effects on our government structure, ownership of national patrimony by foreigners and the 2010 elections. Never mind the fact that Speaker Nograles views the bill as a stepping stone for �other plans� which he did not elaborate on. Never mind that GMA has kept her silence on the actions of her allies in Congress, and blithely dismissed speculation of the rush to pass this bill through her puppet Nograles, who said: �Bahala kayo� on the President�s approval of the bill. Never mind the fact that �the "whereas clause" in the resolution that prohibits the term extension of the incumbent president and vice president, senators, congressmen, mayors and other elected officials whose term will expire in 2010, and that there would be elections in 2010 is �not binding.�� Never mind all these things, ladies and gentlemen; countrymen and women. If you must remember one thing, remember this: this Republic was founded by men and women who believed in the potential of the Filipino people, and entrusted our future to a system of democratic government to ensure that tyrants would never hold absolute domination over us. Marcos tested us once. Do we need to be tested again? Once we lose our democracy, it will take untold hardship to regain it. This is our democracy, and we should not let it die so quietly in the night. Long live our democracy, and long live our country. The time for vacillation and ambiguity is over. It is time to fight. Mabuhay ang Pilipinas! wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww We are never for vehement revolt as the means to block HR 1109. We are clearly for a peaceful non-violent highly productive socio-political upheaval from the grassroots level. We are taking HR 1109 as the indispensable catalyst for the needed changes in Philippine politics, democracy and society in general. HR 1109 is only declaration of their intention to "gang rape" our Constitution the moment they convene as ConAss sometime in July(?). That is analogically no different from neighborhood bullies bragging that they have accepted the contract offered to them by a mastermind to rape our wives, daughters and even sodomize our sons. What we should do then is to strengthen the defense capabilities of our wives, sons and daughters, training them self-defense martial arts such as judo, karate, taekwondo, arnis and also boxing. Train them also in the proper use of firearms, knives, chaco, petsecorno, indian pana, sibat, tirador including the softball bat. If we believe that such is not enough, then we have to equip them with stungun, miniature flame thrower, chili cannister spray and even the laughing gas aerosol spray to make these rascals laugh to death out of our sight forever That analogically describes what our initiative called ACC4CC or PROJECT: AGAK shall do to our 1987 Constitution (referred to as our wives, sons and daughters above). The corrections of the five listed factual errors are designed to strengthen and improve it with the backing of the majority Filipinos who are opposed to their illegal Senate-less ConAss to do Chacha. If we can do this, we are positive that never again shall our Freedom and Democracy be threatened by Congresspeople of this despicable kind. Roman Rama Guerrero, (by email), June 07, 2009 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww In discussing Resolution No. 1109, rarely have I encountered journalists writing about numbers concerned. For the benefit of your readers, here are the real numbers. If approved by the Supreme Court as constitutional, this resolution will allow the formation of a Constituent Assembly which can amend the provisions of the Constitution without the necessity of having the voting public approve these changes. The Assembly will be made up of 248 House representatives and 23 seating senators, each carrying one vote. Naturally, a big majority in the Senate oppose the House resolution. In the House of Representatives, Lakas party members number 92 while Kampi Party counts on the support of 49 members. Two weeks ago the two parties merged into one formidable party. With a total of 141 solons in the House, the combined party accounts for 58.6% of its total membership and form a solid majority (52%) of the planned Constituent Assembly. All the 141 congressmen pledge allegiance to President Arroyo and ostensibly backs her bid to amend the Constitution so that the current presidential form of government will be changed to a parliamentary system that will allow her to extend her rule as Prime Minister. When that happens we shall have in the Philippines � not a democracy � but an elective dictatorship! There is only one �elective� dictator in the global political landscape. His name is Hugo Rafael Chavez Frias, current President of Venezuela who is running for reelection. Worse, the actual number of representatives who voted for Resolution 1109 exceeded 141 votes. The congressmen who voted for the resolution come to a stunning 178! Obviously, 37 solons outside of the Lakas-Kampi loop allied themselves with the majority. Some were turncoats from other small parties belonging to the opposition, but at least four party list congressmen voted for the resolution. No wonder the massive crowds at the June 10 rally in Makati were indignant! No wonder protesting groups will continue these rallies country-wide with increasing force until the president delivers her SONA in July. Yours sincerely, Conrado Sanchez, Jr., (by email), Makati City, June 11, 2009 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to [email protected] 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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