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| President Eddie Villanueva? By Antonio C. Abaya Written May 31, 2005 For the Manila Standard Today, June 02 issue In my article �But How?� (May 10, 2005), I had written �Who can say if � and I realize that this is a big if � a revolutionary government will not bring to prominence individuals who are both scrupulously honest and creatively visionary, but who could never win in our scandalously polluted electoral system? Haydee Yorac readily comes to mind, but there are, no doubt, others�.� Gico Dayanghirang of Davao City wrote: �You�re right. We�re in a bind. We can�t elect good leaders because of a failed political culture. We can�t fix our political culture because we can�t elect good leaders. But you�ve just supplied the answer to this Catch 22 situation. Let�s have an EDSA 3 and install Haydee Yorac as head of a revolutionary transition government. We can�t fall back on the Constitution this time, can we? Unless we want Noli de Castro to be president. �But Haydee and her transition government need not assume responsibility for initiating the entire range of fundamental reforms in our country. These reforms must take time. It�s too dangerous to have a revolutionary government stay that long. The unknowns in our unique situation are too many for comfort. They may not have the means to deal with them, and the consequence of failure will be greater than the problem��.. �Fierce resistance to reforms from vested interests, corrupt politicians and the mercenary elements of the military is certain. Haydee must maintain the moral ascendancy of popular support to prevail over these rogues of Philippine society��.� Dayanghirang�s letter appears in full in www.tapatt.org, under Reactions to �But How?� Gico is, of course, assuming that Haydee Yorac would agree to head a revolutionary government, in the first place. We know that as Joseph Estrada�s presidency foundered on the shoals of jueteng, some concerned Filipinos, alarmed at the prospect of the constitutional successor, Vice President Gloria Arroyo, taking over, approached Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. to ask if he would agree to head a revolutionary government. Davide was not interested. Either because he was not made of sterner stuff, or out of a sense of noblesse oblige: having supposedly knelt down and kissed the hand of Erap when Erap appointed him Chief Justice, he couldn�t possibly have done anything to help bring down his benefactor. As for my friend Haydee, it can be assumed that she will not give a categorical answer if asked to lead a revolutionary government. Her answer will probably depend on a) who is doing the asking; b) who else will be in the revolutionary council; and c) how this council expects to take over the reins of government. Offhand, though, it can be said this early that some opposition will be voiced against her, even by those who will otherwise support a revolutionary government. And this opposition will be in the form of �Oh, no! Not another woman!� After disappointment with Cory Aquino and Gloria Arroyo, this admittedly sexist response will find resonance among the middle class, the shock troops of EDSA 1 and EDSA 2. Dayanghirang is correct: a revolutionary government should not stay too long. It should give way to an elected government after certain electoral reforms are instituted to cleanse the system of trapos, family dynasties, ambitious ignoramuses and built-in fraud. How long is long? President Aquino�s revolutionary government ruled for 18 months (March.1986 to Sept. 1987), unfortunately without doing anything revolutionary. But 18 months are enough time for such a government to prove its intentions, its capabilities, its vision and its resourcefulness. Another reactor to �But How?�, Venjo Tesoro, who identified himself as a penologist and faculty member of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Muntinlupa, proposed Nilo Tayag as head of a revolutionary government. His letter also appears in the Reactions to �But How?� Most people will ask, �Nilo who?� I knew Nilo Tayag in the 1960s as a contemporary in Joma Sison�s Kabataang Makabayan. He eventually rose to be secretary-general of the Communist Party of the Philippines. But sometime in the 1970s, he left the CPP to become the resident ideologue in the Malacanang of Ferdinand Marcos, with his brand of nationalism that he called Filipinism. In the late 1980s he helped organize young AFP officers into the Young Officers Union or YOU. Which prompted me to write a column titled �Is that YOU, Nilo?� in the now defunct Manila Chronicle. Nilo eventually gave up advocacy politics to become a preacher in the Aglipayan Church. Sometime in or around 1990, Nilo and the late Teddy Lansang, one of the few Filipino communists that I genuinely enjoyed talking to � because he was not doctrinaire and rigid, even though he had lived 17 years of his life in the People�s Republic of China and the USSR � arranged for me to meet the leader of YOU, then a clandestine organization. We waited and waited at our designated meeting place, but he did not show up. We found out the next day that he had been arrested by military intelligence operatives on his way to our rendezvous. But I digress. It is really premature at this stage to be proposing names of possible heads of a revolutionary government. If there ever will be a revolutionary government in the next two years or so, the dynamics of the emerging situation will bring to the fore the leader or leaders that the situation demands. The most that can realistically be done at this stage would be to suggest names of possible members of a revolutionary council, and even that could be counter-productive. No nominee for such a council could possibly give in public a categorical answer to such a nomination. A lot would depend on who is doing the nominating, and who the other members of that council would be. Furthermore, proposed members of such a council would become targets of pre-emptive strikes by those who want to preserve the status quo. Case in point would be the evangelist Eddie Villanueva, one of only two persons now living (the other is Susan Roces) who can rouse one million people or more to converge in the Luneta for a political-religious meeting. Malacanang political technicians have identified Villanueva as the strongest potential challenger to President Arroyo between now and 2007, and they have moved to isolate and neutralize him. Villanueva faces a P70 million estafa suit filed against him last Feb. 17 by a cousin of First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, and a warrant for his arrest was issued on April 4. (Manila Standard Today, May 31.) Villanueva has apparently gone into hiding and is now a fugitive from justice. When he is arrested and photographed in handcuffs, that could well be the end of his political career. Or it could be the beginning of a new phase in that career, if he can rouse his followers in the Jesus-is-Lord movement and those non-members who voted for him in 2004 to launch a non-violent protest action in the style of Mahatma Gandhi. Even in jail, Villanueva could then become the central rallying figure of a real opposition � non-trapo and non-communist � which would appeal to a wider constituency in the middle class, the business and professional communities, the Churches, even to the unpolluted elements in the military. If Susan Roces were to throw her support behind Villanueva, that would draw a good part of the masa into the protest movement, without necessarily including the much despised trapos that her late husband FPJ consorted with.. Malacanang would then be the one in a bind. If they prosecute and persecute Villanueva in order to eliminate him as a challenger to President Arroyo, they risk turning him into a bigger martyr than he really is. If they use the softly-softly approach in an effort to win him over, Villanueva could use that breathing space to maneuver himself into a stronger position. Malacanang could, of course, try making a deal with him by offering to drop the estafa suit of Mike Arroyo�s cousin in exchange for his silence. But if Villanueva were to accept such a deal, then he would not be the revolutionary leader that we are looking for and that he has styled himself to be, and we would be back to Square One. ***** Reactions to [email protected] or ax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org. |
| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �President Eddie Villanueva?� To Mr. Abaya Tama po kayo. I am supporting Haydee Yorac for president and Roy Seneres for vice president. Both are competent, hard-working, exemplary public servants and incorruptible. It is time for all of us to start campaigning for candidates like Yorac and Seneres. All the best. Oscar R. Landicho, [email protected] Sydney, Australia, June 03, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww WHAT ESTAFA CASE IS VILLANUEVA FACING? I VOTED FOR HIM IN THE LAST ELECTION THINKING HE WAS GOD=SENT AND ALL THAT STUFF. IS HIS ESTAFA CASE ONLY A MACHINERY TO DESTROY HIM LAUNCHED BY MALACANANG? IF THIS IS THE CASE, THEN WE MUST SUPPORT VILLANUEVA. HOWEVER, IF HIS ESTAFA CASE HAS SUBSTANCE, AND HE IS PROVED GUILTY, THEN HE IS NOT THE MAN THAT MUST HEAD THIS REVOLUTIONARY GOVERNMENT YOU ARE REFERRING TO. WE MUST FIND THIS MAN OR WOMAN SOON., VERY SOON. WE ARE FAST SINKING. NO, MAKE THAT VERY VERY FAST SINKING. WE MAY NOT HAVE A COUNTRY TO GOVERN IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE! INVESTMENTS ARE NOT COMING IN. ARROYO IS NOT ONLY FOOLING HERSELF, SHE IS FOOLING THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD. AND NOBODY IS LISTENING TO HER. IT IS TIME WE TAKE HER OUT OF OFFICE, INCLUDING HIS FAT HUSBAND AND THAT STAMMERING NINCOMPOP OF A SON, MIKEY. HE, MIKEY, SHOULD GO BACK TO ACTING. ON SECOND THOUGHT, HE SHOULD NOT. HE WAS ALWAYS A Z MINUS ACTOR, AND HIS FILMS ARE SO UNFORGETTABLE, NOBODY IS AWARE HE JOINED THE MOVIES AT ALL.! THANKS FOR YOUR INSIGHTS. I ENJOY THEM, AND MAKE IT A POINT TO FORWARD THEM Ed Valenciano, [email protected] June 03, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, The topic seems to throw me back to my earlier comment to you on your "Democratic Solutions" article published on Feb 13, 2005. (see below). I don't want to sound sexist but another woman at the helm, be it Haydee or Susan, is not a strong solution. Given the current situation and flow of events, I'd rather choose a non-traditional leader but not in the mold of Bro. Eddie Villanueva-type of personality. In my list of possible alternatives, Sen. Manny Villar is among those that I have endorsed. Sen Manny Villar is a very good and highly-acceptable option to lead the nation back on its feet. There are no other viable choices looming in the horizon. He may not be as spotless as a virgin when it comes to controversy, but who else is, (again I hate to use it) the "lesser of all evils" from among the present contenders? With all his vast resources and wealth, as the richest senator in the land for the nth time, and his wife sharing the same distinction in Congress, who would ever accuse the person of graft and corruption, enriching themselves and dipping their hands into jueteng and the like? If the equally-rich Prime Minister Thaksin (Shinawatra?) has successfully transformed Thailand into Asia's new "tiger", I firmly believe Sen Villar can do it for the Philippines in due time. God bless our country. Jerome Escobedo, [email protected] June 03, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, You've got to be kidding. The last thing this country needs is a theocracy. Of course one can argue that we already have that, but look where its gotten us. People who think they have a direct line to God never feel accountable to their fellow man. And we need more accountability to each other, not less. Just becuase he and Susan Roces can gather million of people to a rally does not qualify them to lead the country. If that were the criteria, lets just ask Kris Aquino to form a revolutionary government. Looking forward to your reply.... Ricky Carandang, [email protected] ABS-CBN, June 03, 2005 MY REPLY. It would be hard to form a revolutionary government with unknowns or unpopular people up front. You need popular support especially during the first weeks and months. Otherwise the rev govt might not fly at all. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, What GMA is doing to EdVil is surely unjust! I think at the time EdVil was called to the palace a few weeks before he was to pursue his candidacy with vigor he was presented with a scenario of what was in store for him if he continues his fight against the administration. I believe the P70M tax case was one threat shown to him and poor EdVil with all his Lordy ideals can't be threatened in that way. EdVil chose to fight and perhaps was hoping he could take away from GMA enough votes to make Erap (you mean FPJ. ACA) win. I don't know, but you and I am sure he fought the administration not to win the presidency. Be that as it may, I wish EdVil's fugitive status would help this nation rise up to its feet again. Ogie Reyes, [email protected] June 03, 2005 MY REPLY. Correction. Brother Eddie is not in hiding, as I had erroneously written. He is very much around, but the warrant for his arrest, issued on April 04, has not been served. The GMA people are probably afraid of turning him into a martyr. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I have read the US Constitution, but not the Filipino one. I guess I need to before I retire there in a few years when the Army decides I am too old to do my job (around 45 years old). I do know that you have the separation of Church and State in your constitution, but in the malls, there is an evening prayer and such. Anyway, what do you think of your current Constitution, in theory. I may be ignorant, but isn't it based on the US one? If so, is the problem not in the lack of implementation of a good Constitution? As always, I enjoy your articles! J. Larry Tilby, [email protected] US Army, Germany, June 04, 2005 MY REPLY. The Philippine Constitution, as far as I know, also acknowledges the separation of Church and State, but does not specifically forbid members of the clergy from running for public office. However, if they win and show partiality towards their religious grouping, they could be impeached. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I support the idea of Eddie V as the next leader. May God grant my wish. Generoso Octavio, [email protected] June 05, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, Should we believe that GMA is sincere...Does she truly think she can save the nation? If so why does she keep all these thieves around her? Why can't she break away from all these undesirables ...Why can't she stand up in front of the nation and say "I've had it with all this graft and corruption; I'm tired of all these drug dealers and jueteng lords. I'm sick of all the tax evaders and smugglers...I can no longer tolerate the dishonesty in government service including the military .." and get the hell out of the palace and face the people with a broom as Joe Climaco did many years ago in the bureau of customs and clean up ..The hell with who gets hurt and the hell with the political consequences... Of course this takes brass balls which I'm almost sure she ain't got ...but I could be wrong ..and I hope I am.. Dominic Tambuatco, [email protected] Macon, Georgia, June 05, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww God, are you serious about this? I've been reading some of your stuff in my email some of which i find off the wall but with this one you really hit the mark. Ii guess it�s just a reflection of the state of Philippine society. If you look back in our history no one had been successful in leading this country to its right path. Ffor one thing Filipinos are natural rebels. Remember that our malay ancestors left their place in search of their own. It is in our very being that we don't want to be lead by anybody. Here everybody considers himself as a king of his own castle. Look at the way we drive. Every driver does his own thing even if there are rules and regulations to be followed to insure the smooth flow of traffic. Eddie Villanueva is no different from any politician. He has the charisma and the know-how on what to do in order to command people to do his will. The only difference is that he is using God as a tool for his trade. His wealth comes from the people believing that they are giving it to God instead they are giving it to man who enriches himself by using God. If he is truly a man of God then he should follow what Christ had said "Throw away your riches and follow me" that is what the Christ apostles had done. they left behind their families and riches just to follow him. You would never read anywhere in the bible that they lived in a mansion and rode expensive cars. Even St. Mathew a rich tax collector left behind everything to follow Christ. Tell me one religious leader at this time heeding the word of Christ................none ................I rest my case. Gener Morada, [email protected] June 06, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya : I circulated your subject article among close friends, and received quite varied reactions - ranging from : I could only conclude that there's no solution to the current state of the Republic. It's so sad it's sickening. I quit. Let me crawl back to my shell. to someone who passed on to me the article of Fr. James Reuter - THE ONLY HOPE FOR THE PHILIPPINES. These were my rejoinders to the above 2 - I am providing 1st my comment to Fr. Reuter's article, and then after that, a longer one re the seemingly hopeless situation of our country : This was my comment to Fr. Reuter's article - certainly, we need prayers. Nothing is impossible if God so wills it - witness the fall of both communism in Eastern Europe and the break-up of the USSR. Didn't Our Lady so predict it? But this was achieved thru human tools that Our Lord utilized - principally the beloved Pope John Paul II. I think it will also be true in the Philippines - we must try to help ourselves, and our only hope lies in a good leader. Regarding the comment on the seemingly hopeless situation of our country - I think that as Christians (Catholics, especially), there should never be any such thing as "no hope". I do not want to sound like a preacher or, God forbid, come across as a "holier-than-thou" zealot. I have therefore been giving this matter of our Philippine situation much thought and a lot of prayers - and thus tried to set down what are the attriibutes we believe is needed in a leader that could possibly get our country out of this rat-hole that we are in. I came up with these : God-centered, impeccable credentials for integrity, intelligent (not merely in the academic sense but also "street-smart"), possessing a deep love of country and not personally/politically ambitious, keen analytical ability, instinctively pragmatic orientation when considering solutions to problems, the will and intestinal fortitude to carry out what is good for the country - not what is popular. Seems like a tall order - Haydee Yorac would indeed be a good choice, but she is ill. Then out of the blue, I suddenly thought of (inspiration from the Holy Spirit?) --- Mr. Oscar Orbos (of the Debate - Pare/Mare TV show), the brother of Fr. Gerry Orbos.. I don't know him from Adam, but he does have impressive credentials insofar as "performance" is concerned - and his analyses of sensitive issues debated in the TV program showcase his analytical ability and pragmatism. The more I think of it, the more convinced I am that in him, we have at least a credible candidate for the leader who can/could save our country. What say you, guys? Pls. give it some thought - I would appreciate hearing from u. If your comments are anywhere near favorable or supportive, I will start and try to "light my one little candle instead of cursing the dark". Perhaps you will want to join the bandwagon. ANTONIO B. ELICA�O, [email protected] June 14, 2005 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |