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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Deeper in Scheisse
By Antonio C. Abaya Written on Oct. 17, 2007 For the Standard Today, October 18 issue And you can ask your German friends what scheisse means. If President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo looks like she�s drowning in scheisse, it is her own fault, that she does not have the moral fortitude to rise above the level of the common government crook and drastically put a stop to all the shenanigans of the lieutenants in her immediate circle. When Romulo Neri told her that he had been offered a bribe of P200 million, allegedly by Benjamin Abalos, to approve the national broadband network project, GMA merely told him, according to Neri, not to accept the bribe, but to approve the project anyway. Other than that, Neri would not say anything else to the Senate committees, invoking �executive privilege.� What does this incident tell us? It tells us that she is a moral dwarf, unable or unwilling to crack the whip against the immorality of her top subordinates, and that he is a moral wimp, deathly and figuratively terrified of the whip-wielding dominatrix in the kinky world of SM. And I am not talking about Shoe Mart. A moral person occupying the most powerful position in the Republic would have cancelled that project right away and would have cashiered and prosecuted the two senior bureaucrats pimping for it, Abalos of the Comelec and Leandro Mendoza of the DOTC. But she did not have the moral gumption to do that. She even traveled to China to witness the signing of the contract, a contract which she knew was morally flawed because it was tainted by massive bribery, as attested to by one of her own top ministers. The implication is that she is allowing corrupt bureaucrats to get away with their massive corruption because a) she or some members of her family get/s a share of the loot; or b) the corrupt bureaucrats have insurance against prosecution: they know some dirty information about her past such as the electoral fraud that occurred in 2004 and 2007; or c) both. By such inability or unwillingness to take draconian measures against government corruption, President Arroyo is in effect encouraging it. Her mealy-mouth protestations that she is fighting corruption are eloquently contradicted by her inability or unwillingness to do something about it, even when it is as blatant as in the NBN contract. Actions speak louder than words. The millions of pesos that the government paid to alleged Hong Kong corruption fighter Tony Kwok were a total waste of money: it was during the consultancy period of Kwok that the Philippines graduated from �second most corrupt� to �the most corrupt� country in Asia, in the yearly rankings by Hong Kong-based Political and Economic Risk Consultancy Ltd. of 13 East and South Asian countries.. The stench from the aborted NBN contract � aborted because of the public outcry against it, not because of a moral awakening of President Arroyo - has not yet subsided and Malacanang is again being buried under another pile of scheisse, this time from the bribery extravaganza that took place in its own halls last Oct. 11. Malacanang apologists are quick to deny that public money was used to bribe the 380 or so congressmen, governors and mayors who attended the meetings in the Palace that day. The apologists know that the manner of giving such huge amounts � no receipts, no vouchers, no indication of sources, no stated purpose, no accountability � constitutes unauthorized disbursement of taxpayers� money, hence a betrayal of public trust and thus grounds for impeachment. DILG Secretary Ronaldo Puno pointed to the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) � whose members were gathered in the Palace that day � as a possible source of the cash giveaways. Which ULAP officials � ULAP was one of the groups that unsuccessfully lobbied for charter change to parliamentary last year, along with the Sigaw ng Langaw, which would have given GMA the constitutional right to stay in power after 2010 as prime minister � have denied, saying they do not have that kind of money, and pointed instead at Puno�s own DILG as the source. Besides, why would ULAP bribe congressmen and women: their members are solely mayors and governors? (I had written in a 2006 article that ULAP also means Uma-asang Laging naka-Angkla sa Poder.) Prime Arroyo apologist Lito Atienza, former mayor of Manila and now secretary of the environment department, says the distribution of substantial amounts of cash by Malacanang to mayors and governors was �really nothing extraordinary�.I also received cash gifts at the Palace from different presidencies�� And he named Presidents Arroyo, Joseph Estrada and Fidel Ramos. And he found nothing morally wrong with receiving huge amounts of taxpayers� money: unvouchered, unreceipted, of unspecified source and purpose, and unaccountable to anyone? This from a paragon of moral virtue who claims unequivocal loyalty to the moral teachings of the Roman Catholic Church. Where does he stand now that the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) has categorized this bribery extravaganza as an example of the �moral bankruptcy of our national leaders?� (Inquirer, Oct. 17) I surmised in my article Bribe It Was (Oct 15) that �it is more likely that these bundles of cash were sourced from the so-called Intelligence Fund of the President, which must now amount to a few billion pesos a year, and which are not subject to any audit at all, and which a sitting president can use to bribe or reward not only loyal governors, congressmen/women and mayors, but also cooperating senior bureaucrats, military generals and Comelec officials.� I hasten to add: �corrupt journalists and businessmen..� The Inquirer of Oct 17 gives more exact numbers: �It is from MOOE (maintenance and other operating expenses) that Ms. Arroyo can draw her confidential and intelligence funds. These funds, amounting to P650 million this year, and other discretionary funds do not go through usual auditing procedures. �Mrs. Arroyo has more. Previous national budgets gave her about P3 billion for Calamity Fund and P2 billion for Contingency Fund. She also has a P1.2 billion Pagcor Social Fund, a P500 million Pagcor Intelligence Fund, a P3 billion Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and lotto funds.� All not subject to audits. As President Arroyo sinks deeper and deeper into scheisse, one has to wonder how she intends to dig herself out of it. Or does she? Can she? She has become so unpopular that anyone she endorses as her successor is bound to lose in the presidential elections in 2010. Who would want to court that endorsement now? Even Dick Gordon must be having second thoughts. Rightly or wrongly, whoever she endorses for the presidency in 2010 will be stamped with the stigma of being her lackey, who will protect her from prosecution when she leaves Malacanang. She does not intend to become another Erap. In fact, assuming a fair and honest election, the candidate who campaigns on a platform of immediate and speedy prosecution of President Arroyo and her perceived co-conspirators after May 2010 is bound to garner more votes than any candidate who campaigns on a more benign and forgiving treatment for them. As things now stand, she may have no choice but to revive the original plan to stay in power beyond 2010 as prime minister, even after it was soundly defeated in 2006 because of the bungled efforts of Speaker Jose de Venecia. Her recent call this week to move to a federal form of government by 2012 may be the starting gun to revive efforts to shift to parliamentary as well. See my articles Prime Minister Gloria? (May 17, 2005) and GMA Forever? (March 28, 2006). She was running a negative 11% in net satisfaction rating in the most recent SWS public opinion survey. This was before the NBN scandal reached its full flower on Sept. 18. That rating must have gone down to negative 15 to 20 after the JdVIII and Romulo Neri testimonies, and negative 25 to 30 after the Malacanang bribery scandal. She can hope that the economy will improve in the next three years. But that hope is forlorn. With oil now at $88 a barrel and climbing, the dollar will continue to weaken and the peso will continue to strengthen. That means the cost of living will continue to rise in peso terms, and the exports and tourism sectors will continue to bleed, and the families of eight million overseas workers will continue to see the dollar remittances from their relatives abroad shrink smaller and smaller in peso terms. She can expect no help from the Americans who may even use Joc Joc Bolante � now in a federal prison in Wisconsin , seeking political asylum � against her by getting him to spill the beans on the P728 million fertilizer scam in 2004. She can conceivably expect help from her new friends, the Chinese. But in the context of Filipino culture, being seen as a lapdog of the Chinese is more damaging politically than being seen as a lapdog of the Americans. Another prominent presidential wannabe should keep that in mind. President Arroyo�s trump card is the absence of a prominent figure around whom the battered middle class and the disillusioned working classes can rally. Joseph Estrada and the discredited trapos who still flock around him are stale news from yesterday who are no longer relevant today. So are the tiresome communists who still make common cause with him. We Filipinos are looking for a new heroic leader or leaders who is/are not associated in any way with either the trapos or the communists. Philippine media can help in this search for a new leader or leaders by devoting less editorial space and airtime on the trapos and the communists, and more on those who seek a future without them. Only thus can we Filipinos dig ourselves out the scheisse that Ms. Arroyo has led us into. ***** Reactions to [email protected] Other articles in www.tapatt.org and in acabaya.blogspot.com OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Deeper in Scheisse� More Reactions to �Our Image� Abueva, Gordon and Others on Erap Tony on TV (23) Sehr geehrter Herr Abaya Your Shei�e is wrong spelling. If you want the right spelling, please don�t hesitate to ask me. Mit freundlichen Gr�ssen Helen Kohler, (by email), Switzerland, Oct. 18, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww It�s Scheisse.....with two S!! Regards. Madeleine Obrist, (by email), Fribourg , Switzerland , Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Hi, First, the German word writes Scheisse (shit). That just besides. I can fully agree to you, regarding the effect of the pushed-up Peso. The unfortunate problem is, the OFWs themselves help to crush the value of their remittances. Besides of political reasons like getting cheap Dollars to prematurely repay debts and then get more debts on terms which put the repayment to future administrations, a main reason is oversupply of dollars. And that comes mainly from OFW remittances. If they would remit their local currencies from there where they work, the administration would have to buy dollars and the rate would go up to a more real value. Talking of a "strong Peso" is nonsense, otherwise local peso prices would go down, especially on goods that are imported with now cheap Dollars. The Dollar itself, as used in the biggest economy of the world, has not lost its local value and purchase power, very contrary to the "strong Peso. So, why the Peso, without a basis of local economic outcome and a budget fully depending on an unpredictable amount of remittances, aside of loans, should increase its value more than near all other currencies of countries with a much better economy and without such huge debt services as the Philippines? No country is able to stop devaluation, but there is no big problem to stop overvaluing. The moment CB says it will buy dollars at 50 and sell at 52, for example, nobody will sell dollars for 44 Pesos. The Malaysian ringgit was a good example, a stable dollar rate for many years, boosting the economy because of conditions predictable in advance, making investing safe and well calculable. The Philippines is the only country that wants to boost its economy by making investment very risky, creating more and more non-working days, kills exports and tourism, therefore killing countless jobs that could pay taxes, and mercilessly making its population poorer and poorer with a "strong peso" that has less and less purchase power. Not easy to understand why Filipinos accept that. [email protected], Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Your wriote: "We Filipinos are looking for a new heroic leader or leaders who is/are not associated in any way with either the trapos or the communists. Philippine media can help in this search for a new leader or leaders by devoting less editorial space and airtime on the trapos and the communists, and more on those who seek a future without them. " I find this laughable. We Filipinos looking for heroic leaders indeed!!--And yet allow them to get away with all the shenanigans (--even reward them and their cohorts with better/bigger if not comfortable positions complete with all the trappings and fruits of their "labor" intact!!) - just look at Marcos/Estrada et al!!!! And the media?!? It is there (you mean �their� ACA)) bread and butter to keep the comedia going! Tuloy ang ligaya!! Alexander Po, (by email), Oct. 19, 2007 (�Looking for� is not the same as �have found.� If you find that laughable, what then do you propose instead? Erap, his Chinese Mafia, his trapos and his communist allies? Unbridled corruption, sell-out to the Chinese, underpinned by an ideology of failure. That�s more than laughable. It�s hysterical. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Well, since I could not find that word in three dictionaries I consulted, I presume that word must mean s..t, right? Regardless, it stinks to high heavens to find out that pile is getting thicker and thicker. Without doubt, there are two brewing scandals that may finally unhinge Ate Glo from her Malacanan moorings. This is assuming people are willing to talk. The problem is they don't want to, or have been ordered not to. Both Romulo Neri and Benjamin Abalos have been speechless, claiming executive privilege. Father Ed Panlilio let the secret out about that October Gift Festival, but most in that gathering have decided either to remain mum, or to keep those chips with no twinge of conscience. Lito Atienza spoke for them all, claiming to have set the precedent from previous two presidents. I can only speculate that the chances of any investigations to look into these matters are nil to zero. When the president can buy the silence of her myrmidons with money, that tells us about the ruthless power she can wield. When all is said and done, things will remain the same, and Ate Glo will be marching to her own beat until 2010. How sad! R. G. Lacsamanan, MD (by email), Daytona Beach , Florida , Oct 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Nice article - I hope more people get to read it (I know I am forwarding it to my circle of friends). First order of business is simply to find a figure to rally around (will the next Raul Roco please stand up?) First, a little background info: I am a 41-year-old web developer based in Cebu , and I work on contracts for US-based clients. My income is in dollars, my work hours are arbitrarily chosen by me, and I get to see my kids grow before my eyes. You would think this would make one a happy camper, given the relative poverty all around. But here's the thing: I have not paid taxes in years. I have never voted in ONE election. Heck, I am not even a registered voter. That is the depth of my contempt for how my country is being run. I have taken myself out of the equation, of participating in its development. Why? Because the upsurge of bile in my throat whenever I see the systematic rape of my own country by its own "elected leaders" is just too much to swallow. But you won't see me in any street demonstrations. I have better things to do than rage at the moon. Call it apathy, but don't call it giving up. I know there is a way out of the perennial disillusionment visited upon us administration after administration, I just don't know where that road starts. My age group now counts among us VPs, Finance Directors, CEOs, even (gasp) Cabinet officials. Old enough to be a little jaded, young enough to still burn with idealism. We are old enough to have experienced the tail-end of the Marcos years when our fellow teenagers were prime targets during military turkey shoots, we were in college when Ninoy was killed. Have we been pounded into submission, are we a generation of "mirons"? I believe the malaise and indifference we exhibit in the face of so much corruption and greed is because there is no one good enough to lead us. After all, why put another Gloria or Erap into power? What would be the use, if the end-result we crave for requires supreme moral fortitude, genuine love of country and unbending leadership, qualities that are as rare as, well, clean elections? I cannot envision my kids and grandkids wallowing deeper into the abyss. I count myself lucky that my paycheck does not rely on local economic factors. But all this comfort, I would gladly risk if I could find a way to make my children's future just a little brighter. If I find the right person to lead, I will come out of the shadows, and I will do so with my fellow silent mourners. Anyway, enough ranting. Here's to finding the good, strong leader we all so very much deserve. Bobby Santiago, (by email), Cebu City , Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww A priest from Bicol just told me that the government gives 1 kg of rice a day to the poorest of the poor, but they never receive it, because the mayor fakes the signature of hundreds of poor people on the receipts and sells the rice for his own personal benefit. He should be shot!!! What a rotten country!! Are you proud to be Filipino?? Fritz Jahns, (by email), Oct. 19, 2007 (If you find this a rotten country, why don�t you leave? As a foreigner [German?], you always have that option. Yet you stay. Are you a masochist? ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I am an ordinary citizen and taxpayer of this forsaken republic. But I have not given up hope. I was inspired by your article "Bribe it was" to write an open letter to GMA as well as to all Filipinos everywhere who still care, in the hope that meaningful changes will still come our way. Attached pls. find my open email which I have been circulating. Power to the people, Arnel de Guzman, (by email), Oct.19, 2007 A Call to Action to all Filipinos Everywhere Who Care A few days ago, the Filipino people in almost all parts of the world have shown their collective outrage over Teri Hatcher�s slur against the Filipino medical profession in a derogatory line in �Desperate Housewives� A more pressing issue now begs for our attention and collective action. There is a more pervasive and brazen affront being committed against the Filipino people. And it has been perpetrated in large scales and seemingly without let-up under the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Specifically we refer to the numerous graft cases under her administration, notably the bribery offer of former Department of Justice Secretary Hernani Perez to businessman Mark Jimenez, the fertilizer scam involving Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Joc-Joc Bolante, the failed Comelec automation deal with Mega-Pacific, and the national broadband deal with China �s ZTE Corporation. The latest of this incidents is the large sum of gift money freely and wantonly distributed to local officials right after a breakfast meeting called by the President last Thursday, October 11 in Malacanang Palace. To date, two governors, Pampanga Governor Ed Panlilio and Bulacan Governor Joselito �Jonjon� Mendoza, have admitted receiving P500,000.00 cash sans receipts, vouchers, and payment orders. Cebu Congressman Rodolfo Cuenco and Manila Representative Bienvenido Abante also admitted receiving cash on the same occasion. What now appears to be a standard operating procedure is to call for investigations until things cool down and the issues are forgotten. Are we becoming numb to all these allegations of massive fraud? Are we going to accept this as a given way of life? Do we take pride in being the 131st most corrupt country out of 180 as listed by the Berlin-based Transparency International? Are our leaders, both civilian and military, so bereft of shame and delicadeza (propriety) that they cling to power like leeches without regard for conscience, moral scruples, and the public good? That being shameless and arrogant they think the people are dumb, ignorant, passive, and can be easily bribed for them to continue their merry and corrupt ways?..... Enough of these so-called investigations that go nowhere. If there is an iota of decency left in Mrs. Arroyo, we urge her to do the country a big favor by resigning. Clearly, she has lost all moral grounds to lead this nation. Even her so-called mandate to govern up to 2010 rests on shaky grounds. The unresolved issue of the Garci tapes point to her being a fake president. Resign and let the Vice-President take over government�� And finally, we call on all women and men of goodwill to relentlessly put pressure on Mrs. Arroyo to step down for the good of the country, in order to avert further divisiveness. Let us use whatever means we have in our disposals, like texting and emailing, boycott, remittances and tax payments withholding, if need be, to let the powers that be know that, we the people, the real sovereign, do not want her to stay in office a day longer. TAMA NA! SOBRA NA! NAKAKAHIYA NA! MAG-RESIGN KA NA! wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Although the subject matter is serious (a bit depressing for the Filipinos) your article "Deeper in Scheise", Oct. 17, 2007, is such an enjoyable read! Thank you for a well written article and the message it has conveyed. Rico Rojas, (by email), New Orleans , Louisiana , Oct 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww How right you are, ACA! All the good things GMA has done economically are ruined by the political scandals that continue to rock her administration because of moral decay. She is her own mortal enemy that is causing her own destruction. Cesar M. de los Reyes, (by email), Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww . Dear Mr.Abaya, Thank you so much for making me recipient of your articles. But I have to thank you more for keeping the fire burn aglow and I hope that its heat would force Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her bungling, inept and plundering hoard of servile followers who troop to that stinking palace beside the stinking river to pick up the orts from the table where she and her family have been feasting on the nation's remaining wealth to melt in the blast furnace of hell and vanish forever. . Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is sinking deeper in a pool of shit, in Schei�e (or Scheisse) because of the sheer weight of erratic moves brought about by her seemingly spur-of-the-moment reactions to the series of events that have been ensuing. She has barely three years left in power and her clumsy moves indicate that she is in a hurry to plunder as much as she can. Keep the fires burning, Mr. Abaya. Thank God you are there. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen , Germany , Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww With her immoral, blatant, brazen behavior in wanting to hold on to power and her continued meetings/negotiations with the Chinese -- the Chinese claims the ZTE is nothing compared to the many other contracts they have gotten into or are still negotiating with--I wont be surprised if her last attempt to hold on to power is to sell our country to the Chinese. Actually she is doing that now. It adds us to my fear that we will wake up one morning under communist China with her as the positioned permanent head of our country, owned and controlled by communist leaders. God forbid. God is good and I trust that He will not allow that but we must do our part in preventing that. We better start exorcising her because she is deeply under Satan's control, if Satan has not completely taken over her body yet. Pura Flor Isleta, (by email), Oct. 19, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr Abaya, I have read your article below and I totally agree with your views. However, I would like to call your attention to the spelling of the German term "Scheisse", As you have mentioned in your first line, I asked my German friend what it meant and I also researched in through the net and found out its meaning. In the process of the research, I noticed that the term should be spelled with a double "s", as in "Schei sse". More power! Jamal Dy, (by email), Oct. 21, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Yes, we German friends can tell you what Scheise means. (I know what the word means. I just misspelled it. ACA) Being a noun, *Scheise* is always written in capital letters, even when used as an involuntary expression, as in "Aach, du *Scheise*!" when one stupidly hits ones finger with a hammer, rather than the nail. Not that it makes a difference in its meaning but somehow it helps to underline how we are in deeper in the S---- that we realize, and I do mean S--- with a capital S. Rica Cortes Rentzing, (by email), Germany , Oct. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Being at a loss for credible alibis to convince the doubting Thomases after Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's own Cabinet members and government-owned or controlled corporations like PAGCOR and PCSO denied releasing the funds handed out during the "gift-giving" breakfast and lunch for 190 members of the Lower house of Congress and 40 provincial governors, Eastern Samar Gov. Ben Evardone and Palawan Gov. Joel Reyes came up with an admission that it was the League of Provinces of the Philippines (LPP) that was the source of the multi-million peso "bribe." We would like to know why rich provinces like Bulacan and Pampanga should be chosen as recipients of LPP's "good intentions" when there are tens of poverty-stricken ones around the country which badly needed assistance from the national government or from their sister provinces? Look at the province of Albay which was devastated by typhoons. A recent report said that teachers of one of the schools destroyed by the storm were angry after receiving floor wax allocations to be used in their school which has been lying in ruins since the devastation. They have been holding classes in makeshift rooms and under the trees as they await the reconstruction of the school building. But then, wax arrived first for use in cleaning non-existent floors. Is the insatiable hunger of local government officials more expedient than the dire needs of people in the provinces who have been victims of natural catastrophes? Granting that the LPP was the source of dole-outs given in the palace that 11th of October, was it also the source of the "gifts" given to those 190 representatives? If so, where did the LPP get all that estimated 120 million pesos? Was this Evardone not a journalist before? He should be telling the truth rather than waxing fairy tales. Ramon Mayuga, (by email), Essen , Germany , Oct. 24, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww More Reactions to �Our Image� (Oct. 10, 2007) Are Pinoys over-sensistive? Then consider this, Doug Adam, (by email), Oct Backlash and controversy In July 1966, when The Beatles toured the Philippines, they unintentionally snubbed the nation's first lady, Imelda Marcos, who had expected the group to attend a breakfast reception at the Presidential Palace.[69] When presented with the invitation, Brian Epstein politely declined on behalf of the group, as it had never been the group's policy to accept such "official" invitations.[70] The group soon found that the Marcos regime was unaccustomed to accepting "no" for an answer. After the 'snub' was broadcast on Philippine television and radio, all of The Beatles' police protection disappeared. The group and their entourage had to make their way to Manila airport on their own. At the airport, road manager Mal Evans was beaten and kicked, and the band members were pushed and jostled about by a hostile crowd.[71] Once the group boarded the plane, Epstein and Evans were ordered off, and Evans said, "Tell my wife that I love her."[72] Epstein was forced to give back all the money that the band had earned while they were there before being allowed back on the plane wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Tony, I fully agree with Mr. Jess Diaz on the need for Filipinos overseas to become politically empowered. Likewise, they should "take interest in the political and economic development in the Philippines and Translate such interest into Active Participation and Assistance to create a Philipines we can all be proud of all, particularly the young overseas Filipinos." The above is the main objective of the foundation that I am organizing. Thanks and regards. Ric Ramos, (by email), Santa Rosa , Laguna, Oct. 22, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Sorry for making it appear the way it sounded, but they were reactions to the comparison which one perceived an exclusion of the most corrupt Filipino president. It wasn't meant to seem a personal thing. I stand corrected and I apologize. But the brazenness of this regime's corruptions as reported by media, brings out the suppressed anger even of a simpleton. Again, my apologies. Jose Regino, (by email), Zamboanga City . Oct. 23, 2007 (Apology accepted. ACA) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Regarding the comment By Mr. Jahns: "GMA and especially her husband are a shame for the country. They sit on top of the corrupt mountain. Where is the honest, clean, intelligent dictator, who can save the Philippines from continuing to go down the drain? Democracy here is a farce." Ben Franklin put it succinctly: "Those who would trade freedom for security will have neither." The concept of an honest, clean and intelligent dictator is an oxymoron. Democracy without the rigid restraints of a constitutionally formulated republic is a indeed a farce. The single greatest sin of the American colonialists in the Philippines was not constructing the new constitution with the guarantees embodied in the Bill of Rights. Particularly the 2nd and 10th amendments. The founding fathers made it very clear... when those who are in positions of power take an oath to uphold and defend the constitution fail to do so, either passively or by usurpation, the people have a moral right and obligation to use armed force to remove those in power. Those 18th century revolutionaries had won by the skin of their teeth, against the most powerful military in the world, and understood full well the critical role of the citizen militias. For what it is worth, the acts of aggression carried out by the American government against the revolutionary Philippines government in 1898 were immoral and unconstitutional. John Long, (by email), Seattle , Washington , Oct. 21, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony on TV (23) Mr. Abaya, could you send transcript of the interview? I was just about to ask you about it. I mean, can Manila sink any lower???? Is there any good points in this pardoning? How can a country like the Philippines , with such a vibrant civil society, be in such a state??? Thanks Fabio Scarpello, (by email), Bali , Indonesia , Oct. 27, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwww Unfortunately we cannot access ANC here in HK but will ask my brother to watch tonight and send me a summary. Meanwhile here's my letter to the paper here Isabel Escoda, (by email), Hong Kong , Oct. 27, 2007 To: Letters@South China Morning Post A further rot in the Philippine body politic has taken place through the outrageous move by President Gloria Arroyo of pardoning the disgraced former president, Joseph Estrada, for his countless misdemeanours ("Arroyo pardons Estrada, jailed for plunder," Oct. 26) The backroom deal leading to this scandal will probably be exposed eventually, but it will then be forgotten --- as often happens in the Philippines . One can now expect Arroyo to acquiese to the longtime demand of the Marcos clan to have the late President Ferdinand Marcos buried in the Cemetery for National Heroes. As has happened with Estrada, the criminal cases brought against the late dictator have ended up in limbo. That stupid old refrain of "forgiveness and reconciliation," and the cliched label about being "the only Christian country in Asia " make a mockery of justice. It's all a sad display of the amorality that prevails in the Philippines wwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir, This would be interesting to watch � unfortunately it�s not possible here in my location. If you have transcript of this interview and publish it in your column would be fine for us here abroad who has no access on ANC channel. Thanks for the info. Best regards, Javier Ailes, (by email), Kazakhstan , Oct. 27, 2007 Saipem Kashagan Project, Republic of Kazakhstan wwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Good. We will all be watching. Pero ako ay nag ngingitngit. Wala na ba tayong magagawa? Tatanggapin na lang ba natin ito. Lahat ng nakakausap ko ay galit. Wala bang pwedeng mag umpisa dyan ng isang hakbang upang ipakita natin ang galit. A noise barrage or some form of civil disobedience perhaps. Anything. If there is another Edsa now, I will be there because it seems that Estrada and Arroyo are now on the same side of the fence. Nagsama sama na at nagkasundo na ang mga mandurukot. Mukhang mas lumilinaw na as things start polarizing a little bit more. Epi Espaldon, (by email), Ayala Alabang, Muntinlupa, Oct 27, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, We couldn't get it on our Destiny with no access to ANC. Please copy us in on the interview, as I am sure many others here and abroad couldn't see you. I am personally shocked! How could anyone in any civilized and law abiding country be pardoned for such a crime, simply for admitting he is guilty. He was already found guilty by the court and a people's initiative. (Erap has never admitted guilt. ACA) R. Stager, (by email), Quezon City , Oct. 28, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The Erap Pardon Minutes ago, Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo granted executive clemency to the convicted Ex-Pres. Erap Estrada, by virtue of and within her powers vested into her by the constitution and her office. Her executive clemency will restore all the rights to the convicted ex-president. As I see it, the executive clemency is premature due to the following reasons; 1. Convicted Ex-president Erap Estrada has not impliedly and explicitly admitted his guilt and no tinge of remorse is expressed and displayed up to this time. 2. Ex-President's Plunder conviction will go to the Supreme Court for final review and decision because it is a Capital Offense, therefore it is wanting and premature. 3. Executive clemency is given to a convict who asks and prays for it in the venue after the convicts remand/detention in the Bilibid Prison, Erap has none. 4. President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has gravely abused her authority because there is'nt a final conviction from the Supreme Court and it is therefore deem a mockery and travesty of the Judiciary which is supposed to be independent of the Executive Branch of government. 5. Albeit, Senator Sonny Trillanes should be freed from jail including all the soldiers detained for trumped up cases filed by the cohorts of President Gloria. 6. The United States can now demand for the executive clemency of Sgt. Smith who is also convicted by the Makati Regional Trial Court for rape. 7. Convicted Congressman Jalosjos at Bilibid Prison must then ask for executive clemency for raping a minor. 8. Plunder convict Dominga Manalili an ex-BIR employee should also be granted executive clemency because they have the same case as Eraps. 9. The Soldiers who were convicted for murdering Aquino-Galman must be granted executive clemency. 10. All political offenders like the members of the New Peoples Army must be unconditionally be granted executive clemency. 11. The Senate of the Republic of the Philippines must now stop investigating all cases of corruption in aid of legislation. 12. The Sandiganbayan (Anti-graft Court) and Ombudsman must now be abolished by the Senate and the Constitution be amended and delete all the provision creating the said court and the Ombudsman, because they are just a decoration to the Philippine Government and a LAUGHING STOCK of all the anti-graft drives in the WORLD!!!! Alberto Abogado, Jr. (by email), Oct. 25, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Yes you have cc/ed me this. but what most of the observers here have not yet mentioned is this pardon for Erap does not guarantee that Gloria will not be impeached anymore. At this point, with the pardon already given to Erap, there is nothing to stop Erap from working with the Danding Cojuangco group (which is the biggest swing vote in the House of Representatives) from working with the opposition to push the impeachment proceedings against her next year, or in 2009. Also something that must be kept in mind is that the cold war between Joe de Venecia and Gloria --as an aftermath of the failed, exposed, NBN/ZTE deal--is still going on. And with that, there is nothing that guarantees that Joe de Venecia will not align himself and his group with the Cojuangco group to swamp the administration House members to impeach Gloria. Now she is the HOSTAGE of most members of the House of Representatives where the impeachment must start and finish. If she makes a political --personal or otherwise, never the national welfare (because these professional, traditional politicians never had the common weal in mind anyway) misstep or displeases any faction, she may go down the presidency before 2010 completely as disgraced as Erap did. Gil Santos, (by email), Oct 26, 2007 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This piece was written right after the Sandiganbayan convicted ex-President Estrada of plunder "beyond reasonable doubt." Trivializing the Estrada Conviction for Plunder By Dr. Jose V. Abueva President of Kalayaan College and U.P. Professor Emeritus of Political Science and Public Administration Pandemic corruption and abuse of authority by those in power have plagued governance and public administration in our country for a very long time. These evils reflect the weakness of our democratic institutions. The virtual impunity of dishonest and abusive high officials is due to the lack of public accountability in our dysfunctional system of governance and political parties. The personalized and elitist �rule of men (and women)� has dominated our traditional, oligarchic politics. We have not yet developed the impersonal and institutionalized �rule of law� practiced in modern, industrialized democracies and in some modern, semi-authoritarian, industrializing countries. EDSA Uno in 1986 gave us hope of realizing the promised �justice, freedom and democracy,� as well as development, when we overthrew the plundering Marcos dictatorship. But because our leaders refused to have Marcos return for fear of destabilization, he could not be prosecuted for his plunder and massive abuse of human rights. And of course he soon died. All we have achieved is recover a small part of his stolen wealth. Several of Marcos� partisans and supporters are still in power. The only judicial conviction for the abuse of human rights of Marcos was handed down by a court in the United States . The conventional wisdom remained: �Corruption pays. Corrupt powerful leaders are practically untouchable. They are above the law! Only small fish are caught and punished.� Human rights violators enjoy impunity, it might be added. But the televised impeachment trial of President Joseph Estrada for corruption and betrayal of the public trust, and the attempt to withhold vital evidence in his prosecution, led to EDSA Dos in 2001. President Estrada was forced to resign and Vice-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo became President. For the second time in recent history empowered citizens exerted �people power� to remove and chastise an unwanted president. Then the unthinkable and unprecedented happened. The former president, still very popular, was charged, arrested and detained for plunder, a non-bailable offense. As a concession to his high status and his power to destabilize the regime, he was allowed to stay in his country home instead of in prison. It took all of six years of an open and transparent trial by the constitutional anti-graft court, the Sandiganbayan, to reach a verdict of plunder by Estrada �beyond reasonable doubt� and a maximum punishment of 40 years in prison and the confiscation of his ill-gotten wealth. Estrada maintained that he was innocent of the charges and that he had been convicted by a kangaroo court. He would not accept a pardon that would be an admission of guilt. His lawyers made known that they would ask the Sandiganbayan to reconsider its judgment, and if it did not they would appeal to the Supreme Court. Estrada claimed that the people had already exonerated him by electing to the Senate his wife, Loi (in 2001), and his son, Jinggoy (in 2004); by his higher approval rating than President Arroyo in the SWS surveys; and by the defeat of most of the senatorial candidates of the Arroyo administration in 2007. Again partisan, elitist politics is asserting its primacy over the rule of law and the newly empowered, independent judiciary. Even before the verdict was given, representatives of President Arroyo had begun talking with Estrada about a presidential pardon. As the historic judgment became known, two presidential aspirants in 2010�Senate President Manuel Villar and Senator Manuel �Mar� Roxas�made known their desire for a presidential pardon or an amnesty for Estrada who can help them realize their highest ambition. All of these self-serving compromises among our political elite will weaken and even trivialize our emerging �rule of law� and independent judiciary. Instead, the proposed pardon or amnesty should be postponed. Let the judicial process take its full course. Let the former president and his lawyers seek the reconsideration of the verdict by the Sandiganbayan, and, failing this, appeal the case to the Supreme Court, as they have announced. In this way we shall strengthen our democratic political institutions by giving the �rule of law� an extraordinary chance to prevail over the personal advantage of favored members of the ruling political elite. Let us change our political culture and conventional wisdom so our people can say: �Corruption and abuse of authority do not pay. Nobody is above the law, not even the most powerful politicians.� President Arroyo�s best and most memorable legacy of her embattled presidency might very well be to wait out for the final verdict on appeal, and let the next president be the one to pardon or offer amnesty to her predecessor in Malacanang. ***** wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dick Gordon on Erap�s Pardon Oct. 26, 2007 Senate Press Room INTERVIEWER: Sir, reaction sa Erap pardon? SEN GORDON: Nakakalungkot. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang pakiramdam ko. I am revolted by the whole scenario. Talagang may pardon power ang presidente pero itong pagkakataong ito ay ngayon lang tayo nakahuli ng isang pinakamataas na tao sa bansa at talagang malinaw na convicted siya ng tatlong mahistrado. Hindi pa nga nakapasok sa selda eh preso cavaliero all the way. Mayroon siyang tv doon, nakapaglilwaliw siya doon at mayroon siyang golf cart. Hindi parusa yun. Hindi napunish. I'm not asking for punishment because I don't like him, I am revolted because the law has been mediocretized or trivialized. Balewala na at ang itinuturo nito sa mga tao natin lalo na sa mga bata ay pwede pa lang magnakaw at kapag malaking tao ka ay pwede nang makaligtas sa mga sintensya na dapat ibigay sa iyong parusa. Nakakalungkot at may balik ito sapagkat lumalabas na dalawang pangulo ang nag-usap dito na pareho seguro silang looking for survival on their own. Yan ang problema natin dito and of course ang mangyayari dito sa banding huli ay pagtatawanan tayo ng buong mundo. Yung dalawang presidente ng Korea ay umamin at umiyak pa sa harap ng madla. Binigyang ng karampatang kaparusahan na dalawang taon bago pinardon. Ako sana kahit na papaano kahit isang taon lang. Nakakalungkot yan sapagkat natalo ang tao dito. People are hungry for justice. They were robbed. Hindi sila napagbigyan. They were not given justice. INTERVIEWER: Pero, can not be challenged yung pardon? SEN. GORDON: That is why may pananagutan. When you execute a pardon or executive clemency, you are responsible for it. Hindi porke poder mo yan ay pwede mong gawin. Hindi justified yan lalo na't malinaw dito na talagang hindi nabigyan ng karampatang pagkakataon yun anim na taong pinaghirapan ng gobyerno, pinaghirapan ng mga prosecutor na magbuo ng kaso. Alam naman natin dito na napakahirap mag-prosecute ng isang criminal. Nararamdaman ko ito sapagkat ang tatay ko noong araw, nang mahuili yung pumatay sa kanya kinumute (commute) ni Mr. Marcos yung sentence from death to life. I can feel it at ganuun na naman dito. Parang ang taumbayan ay hindi nabigyan ng pagkakataong magkaroon ng talagang hustisya. INTERVIEWER: Ang timing, ang sabi nila hindi naman talaga kahapon sdchedule ilabas yun pardon pero inilabas kahapon para matabunan yun ZTE kung saan idinawit ni Joey de Venecia si Pangulong Arroyo? SEN. GORDON: It doesn't matter kung ano ang timing. Sa akin mali ang ginawa. Period. At lalong nagiging mali sapagkat pwedeng sabihin nga na yung timing ay tama. Pero hindi dapat isinusukli yung pardon para yung tao ay maiwan na holding the empty bag. Kung ikaw ay mahirap, paano ko sasabihin na mayroon pang pwedeng makulong na malaking tao? INTERVIEWER: Nagdusa na raw po ng 6 na taon? SEN. GORDON: Nagdusa naba yun? Si Fujimori, hinuli siya. Dinala siya sa kulungan, sa police camp. Nagdusa din yung mga tao na gustong ipaglaban ang katarungan. Nagdusa din ang tao na nawalan. Ngayon, ubos na pala yung pera doon sa forfeiture, hindi na bale yung pera pero yung prinsipyo natin ang nawawala. This weakens the moral fabric of our country. Hindi ko talaga matanggap dahil sayang ang pagkakataon. Sa Senado ako lang ang nagsasalita laban sa pardon na yan. You know President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo disgraced her position. Sayang ang pagkakataon ni Presidente Arroyo na ipakita niya na ang legacy niya ay isang legacy ng katarungan. Sayang din ang pagkakataon ni Presidente Estrada na sinasabi niya na hindi niya tatanggapin ang pardon. Bumaligtad. Parang mga politico natin, baligtad ng baligtad sa posisyon. INTERVIEWER: Political survival kaya nagiging justifiable�? SEN. GORDON: No. As President, you took an oath to uphold the law. Sure, pardon is your power. Use your power to benefit the people. You do not use your power to make yourself survive. The presidency is the best gif the people can give. Binigyan si Erap nito ng tao at yung pagtitiwala ng tao. Sinira niya yung tiwala ng tao sa kanya kaya siya naparusahan. Pinaglaban ng 6 na taon yan. Ngayon ang pangulo naman natin (Gloria) ay pinagtiwalaan rin pero tila hindi marunong mag-sukli ng tiwala ang mga lider natin. Yun ang nakakasakit. Hanggang hindi tayo naninindigan at magkaroon ng pagkakataon na makita ng tao na walang exempted ay wala tayong katarungan sa bayan. This is a game changer. Talagang para akong nawalan ng pag-asa sa katarungan. Tatlong mahistrado iyan at hindi basta mahistrado yan. Pinaghirapan yan. Ano yan, laro lang? Okey na? Eh di palabasin natin lahat yung mga taong nasa kulungan lalo na yung mga maykaya. INTERVIEWER: Pero, is it not the judgment of history everytime your name is mentioned � Estrada, convicted for plunder? SEN. GORDON: Wala yan, That is for history but in the meantime, the people are hungry for justice. Gutom ang tao sa katarungan. I call it a game changer because it will perpetuate division in this country because talagang alam ng tao na guilty si Erap. Ang thinking ko ay talagang fighting for survival sila ni Speaker De Venecia ngayon. Kakampi niya (Gloria) si Erap seguro ngayon. Si Joe De Venecia hahanap ng bagong kakampi. INTERVIEWER: Pinili niya si Erap over�.? SEN. GORDON: Pinila niya ang mag-survive rather than be right, rather than be just. It's not even a question of mercy. It's a question of survival sa kanya. It is a transactional leadership at its purest form. INTERVIEWER: Sir, nasa survival state po ba si Gloria samantalang�? SEN. GORDON: Hindi ko maaalis yung perception na yan. Sunod-sunod ang eskandalo kaya iyan ang nangyari. Ang problema we are left without choices kaya wala rin options ang mga tao. Kaya dapat matuto na ang tao dito. Hindi natin naisara, nagbukas pa lalo ng malaking gulo. Pagkatapos ng barangay election ay puputok uli 'yan. INTERVIEWER: Si Mayor Sanchez pag-umabot 70 pwedeng i-pardon? SEN. GORDON: Ang totoo yan talaga naman pwedeng i-pardon pag 70 years old. In fairness, mayroon naman yan sa batas para sa pangulo. That is why I am not questioning her right to pardon but I am questioning her responsibility. Hindi niya ginamit yung authority properly. Sundin mo na lang precedent ng ibang bansa gaya ng Korea . Si Tanaka ng Japan , convicted sa lower court, convicted sa appeals, namatay lang sa Supreme court pero iko-convict yan. Si Fujimori hinuli at kinulong. Nakakulong hindi sa bahay niya. Pumunta naman kayo sa Tanay, nakita naman ninyo ang laki ng bakuran. Yun ba'y kulungan? Hindi naman kulungan yan? Bakit yung preso pag kinulong mo may selda. Si Sen. Enrile kinulong sa selda. Si Ninoy kinulong sa selda. Si Rizal kinulong sa selda. Hindi si Erap ang isyu, it's justice. Marami tayong pagkukulang pati tao dito nagkulang. Bumoboto tayo ng mali . Hindi na tayo natuto. ***** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |