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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Replacing GMA By Antonio C. Abaya Written June 14, 2005 For the Manila Standard, June 16 issue Whoever is manipulating the non-stop flow of events in the past two weeks, one thing is certain: these events have not reached the desired point of spontaneous combustion. Meaning, they have not led to hundreds of thousands of protesters massing in the streets to demand the ouster of the sitting president, as they did in EDSA 1 and EDSA 2. In fact, it can be said that the self-confessed source of the controversial tapes, former NBI deputy director Sammy Ong�s flight to the refuge that was San Carlos Seminary, which happens to be located on EDSA, seems to have been a deliberate ploy to resurrect �the spirit of EDSA.� But it turned out to be a pathetic flop: only a few hundred showed up, and only intermittently, at that. Nothing like the hundreds of thousands who massed for three to four days on EDSA, between Camps Crame and Aguinaldo where the mutineers had sought refuge. Similarly, the much ballyhooed �Day of Mourning� called by three Catholic bishops last Saturday, June 11, at the Liwasang Bonifacio drew only an estimated 5,000 attendees, mostly militants from communist organizations, a far cry from the hundreds of thousands from the middle-class who responded to the call of Cardinal Sin in 1986.. Part of the reason for the apparent apathy has been described as �People Power fatigue.� That is certainly true. My own three children, who all took part in EDSA 1 and EDSA 2, gave notice as early as 2003 that should there be an EDSA 4, they would not take part in it. They would instead watch their DVDs, or work on their computers, or sleep. This attitude must be prevalent in the urban middle class from whence came the shock troops of People Power in 1986 and 2001. It is apathy born out of disappointment, after the leaders who were catapulted to power in both exercises turned out to be such colossal ho-hum failures in building a new society, or even in trying to conceptualize one. But the other reason for the prevalent apathy in the middle class is the absence or non-appearance of a clear and unambiguous alternative to the incumbent. In 1986, it was Cory Aquino, widow of the beloved martyr Ninoy. In 2001, it was �anybody but Erap� and Gloria Arroyo just happened to be the constitutional successor, so she was �it.� In 2005, there is no overwhelming enthusiasm in the middle class for any possible replacement, constitutional or extra-constitutional, for President Arroyo. Rightly or wrongly, Vice-President Noli de Castro, the constitutional successor, does not seem to excite anyone with a high-school diploma or higher. The trapos in the opposition are uniformly unattractive as well. Besides, if President Arroyo cheated her way to victory in 2004, as many are now convinced, then most likely so did De Castro, however tenuous that reasoning may be. If President Arroyo is impeached or is forced to step down, no one, except possibly Noli�s wife and children, will insist on following the constitutional line of succession. In other words, if President Arroyo goes down the drain, so will the present Constitution and all the flotsam and jetsam that go with it: senators, congressmen and women, the constitutional bodies (such as Comelec, the PCGG, the Office of the Ombudsman), possibly even the Supreme Court. Calls for a snap election, as a way of preserving the constitutional processes, will likely go unheeded. Having shown in 2004 that it is not capable of holding an honest election, who would be foolish enough to trust the present Comelec to hold another? Besides, snap elections were a constitutional fall-back in 1986 because there was no sitting vice-president. There is one in 2005, so snap elections are not a constitutional option, if constitutional options are what we are looking for. Replacing President Arroyo will, therefore, entail a major political upheaval that will render the present Constitution inoperative and cost hundreds of politicians their jobs. A transition provisional government will have to be formed, to manage the country until new elections are held (under a new Comelec) and an elected government (under a new Constitution) is put in place. But that will take time, perhaps as long as three years. In the meantime, that provisional government must have the support of the military and the police. Otherwise, it will not be able to govern. (See my article �Provisional Government,� of Jan. 28, 2004, archived in www.tapatt.org.) By definition, that provisional government will be a revolutionary one, until a new Constitution is ratified and an elected government is in place, just as the government under President Aquino was a revolutionary government from its take-over in February 1986 until a new Constitution was ratified in a referendum in September 1987. Whether the putative revolutionary government that will replace the Arroyo government will result in anything revolutionary will depend on who will make up the revolutionary council that will be the brains of that revolutionary government. (Those who have an aversion to the dreaded �R� word should realize that if only legal and constitutional measures had been taken by malcontents of the time, there would have been no American Revolution in 1776, no French Revolution in 1789, no Philippine Revolution in 1896, no Russian Revolution in 1917, no revolutionary but bloodless de-communization of Eastern Europe in 1989, no revolutionary but bloodless collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. If the middle class had not taken extra-legal and extra-constitutional steps in 1986, our president today would be either Imelda Marcos or Danding Cojuangco.) So who would make up the revolutionary council that would replace the Arroyo government if President Arroyo were to resign, voluntarily or otherwise? I wrote in my article of June 07, titled �Junta? Maybe. Erap? No� that, according to my sources, five persons will make up the revolutionary council, but I did not name names. In her column of June 14, Inquirer Columnist Belinda Olivares-Cunanan named four of the five: supposedly Susan Roces, Sen. Loi Ejercito, and former generals Renato de Villa and Fortunato Abat. But keep in mind that Cunanan is a defender of and apologist for President Arroyo. So she may be deliberately dropping names that are patently unacceptable, for various reasons, to the middle class and thus make the idea of forcing out President Arroyo an unattractive option. My information is that only one of Cunanan�s four will be in. Whatever the final composition of that revolutionary council, assuming that it ever comes to pass, a bigger unknown for everyone is: who is manipulating all this? I am not convinced, for example, that those incriminating tapes were the handiwork of the ISAFP. Even if they have the electronic gadgets to wiretap landlines or eavesdrop on cellphone conversations, I cannot credit them with the strategic foresight to record and archive conversations that may have any value one year later or even longer. During the past one year, the NPA�s Ka Roger and the Abu Sayyaf�s various leaders were interviewed dozens of times by cellphone on various provincial radio stations. If the ISAFP had used their electronic toys to eavesdrop on these cellphone interviews, as they should have and as they allegedly did on President Arroyo, they would have been able to pinpoint, in a matter of seconds, the exact locations of the rebel honchos being interviewed, and there would have been enough time for quick-reaction teams on standby to swoop down, at a moment�s notice, on the rebel safe-houses and decapitate their movements before the interview was over. As Americans and Israelis have done on their various targets. Failing to do so once, twice, thrice, four times may be forgivable. But dozens of times? It is no longer incompetence. It is more a mental attitude and a cultural fuzziness about analyzing problems and finding solutions. We just don�t think or act that way. I have not been dissuaded from my belief, expressed in an earlier article, that the Americans are the ultimate source of these incriminating recordings, which have been released now, one year after they were first taped, because President Arroyo is no longer useful to them now as she was one year ago. Having unwittingly violated certain priorities of the neo-conservative cabal in power in Washington DC, on matters dealing with the Middle East, China and Southeast Asia (as stated in September 2000 in the mission statement of the Project for the New American Century), President Arroyo is being thrown to the wolves. Her sins are: withdrawing from the Coalition of the Willing in Iraq, signing a deal with the Chinese for the joint exploration for oil in the Spratlys (the Americans would want to keep the oil for themselves or, at the very least, deny it to their future strategic enemy, China), and failure to dismantle the alleged Jemaah Islamiyah training camps in Mindanao. In the neocon universe, there is no forgiveness for these sins, only eternal damnation. And the favored replacement, as far as I can tell, may be � horrors! � Joseph Estrada, with Fidel Ramos a poor second. Why? Because when he was in power, Erap waged total war against the Abus and the MILF in Mindanao, celebrating his troops� victory by giving away jeeploads of lechon and beer, in a deliberate affront to Muslim sensibilities. The neocons just love that kind of macho, no-questions-asked militancy against al-Qaida-linked terrorists. Erap would have made an ideal jail warden at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo prison. Becoming president, again, of the Philippines would be the next best job for him. ***** Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Replacing GMA� Hi, Tony You forgot to mention one thing. As far as I know, during the canvassing of the electoral returns last year, there were actually many people who even wished that GMA would cheat if that would be the only way she would beat FPJ. In short, better she cheats than have FPJ as our President. So now that the opposition is claiming she is cheating, who really cares. Her cheating, if she cheated, was the only possible solution to a defective constitution that allows a high school drop out to run as President. If the political analysts think there would be another people-power, they are certainly out of touch with reality. Bobby Tordesillas, [email protected] June 16, 2005 MY REPLY. You certainly have an odd sense of morality. Where does it say in your Bible that it is all right to cheat a high-school drop-out? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww We Filipino Americans are carefully watching events in Manila on the wiretapping scandal involving President Gloria Arroyo. We have witnessed many presidential scandals here, including that of President Richard Nixon which led to his resignation upon realizing that impeachment was imminent and that of PresidentBill Clinton which led to an impeachment BUT no conviction because he had the numbers in Congress. (Is this what Mrs. Arroyo is speculating?) IF the accuracy of the tape is determined, and the guilt of Mr. Arroyo and the complicity of Mr. De Castro are established, why must there be a revolutionary council? Isnt there Ms Loren Legarda who ran a pretty clean campaign for vice-president? It is about time that we show the world that we have progressed beyond the mob-o-cracy of the EDSA years and now possess a maturing democracy. We can, and must, move forward and do whatever is necessary, according to our Constitution in a speedy, peaceful, civilized manner. To do anything less would plunge the country again into great instability, pain and disaster... Cita Abad Dinglasan, [email protected] June 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, The theory you advance in this article is credible. This is a very complex world indeed. The broad general framework is still Huntington's "Clash of Civilization", the struggle of this generation, perhaps this century, which sends shivers into my bones, especially when I read about the unrelenting suicide bombers in Iraq, killing the innocents, killing themselves. The tragedy in the Philippines is the smallness of our minds, even those pretending to positions of leadership in the national interest and for the sake of the 85 million Filipinos and generations yet unborn. As usual, your analysis is very cogent. Comprehensive. And I repeat, it is not a simple world. And the Philippines is caught in a vortex of forces that could determine the future of mankind -- Islamic fundamentalism, Jemaah Islamiyah, poverty, hunger, and exploitation, greed among the military and the civilian leaders, and their pathetic shortsightedness, and the protracted war of Joma and the NDF. I have heard many friends say that we need a cathartic cleansing, through a natioinal cataclysm. But killing and torturing 17 million Filipinos out of 85 million, the ratio in Cambodia -- 20 out of 100 Cambodians dying -- when the Red Khmer had triumphed resulting in the "Killing Fields" is mind-boggling. Thank you Mr. Abaya. Incidentally, if you have the time, kindly surf our Samar News.com. I don't know if you would be interested in our posting of the interview of Gen. Liber Seregni, the founder of the "Frente Amplio", which is now in control of Uruguay. But we are interested in the lessons of the Frente in Uruguay. And Senator Aquilino Pimentel seems interested. The novelty of this "Frente" is the fact that the dreaded and fearless Tupamaros, the socialist guerillas in Uruguay, laid down their arms to compete with the equivalent of our TRAPOS for the support of the majority of the Uruguayans. Mr. Adelbert Batica, our linguist and passionate Filipino and Samarnon, translated the interview of Gen. Liber Seregni into English. We also admire the courage of the Samar News.com webmaster, Mr. Ray Gaspay and his Samarnon reporters. They are right there where the killings are going on. And it is not over yet. Cesar Torres, [email protected] June 16, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I am glad you did not defer to Bel Cunanan's being your fellow columnist by saying outright that she is a defender of and apologist for GMA. I used to respect her even when she sounded very much like Max in that she never failed to drop names and cite significant occasions where she was present, or even when she was plugging for JdV in 1998. But when Thelmo was appointed chair of PNOC, she became a propagandist for GMA. I wrote in my column shortly after the elections that my esteem of her was diminished somewhat for trying to drum up support for GMA while her husband was occupying a fabulously-paid government position. (I said the same thing of Magno, who sits in the board of DBP. But what government position does Jarius Bondoc hold? Rene Saguisag wrote that the three should not be defending GMA because they draw pay from the government.) I did point out in a recent column that her inclusion in the party that went to the funeral of Pope John Paul II (originally she and hubby as official delegates) was a reward for her trying to create a bandwagon effect in the last elections. Now, I have lost all respect for her. She questions the integrity of every witness presented in the Senate jueteng hearings but accepts all the testimonies of those who cast aspersion on those witnesses. The Senate witnesses made their testimonies under oath, her sources made their statements to the press. Bayaran din pala (in kind - Thelmo's high paying job, now SSS president.) Who among the columnists has remained free of the hold of the powers that be, Tony? Oscar Lagman, [email protected] June 18, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww President Arroyo has reached the end of the line. Her administration will no longer be effective in running the affairs of the state even if Congress declares her as squeeky clean. With the damage brought forth by allegations - pointing to the First Gentleman and their son who were caught with their hands dipping into the jueteng jar and lately, the most serious offense allegedly committed by a sitting president in the recent times - rigging the results of last year's national elections which placed her and most of her minions in the upper chamber in power, the ordinary Pinoy like me would think that democracy would no longer work in this country. "Quo vadis, Philipines?", as our favorite thinker and writer, the late Teddyman Benigno would lament in one of his columns. While most of your arguements in you piece are valid, you seem to misconstrue the middle class' silence and off-handedness on this wiretapped conversations between GMA and former Comelec Commissioner "Hello" Garci which ought to provoke people to march in the streets ala people power. This, I'm afraid is what political scientists refer to as the calm before the storm. If Congress and Malaca�ang will not be able to come up with a good show (and they better call the attention of the Presidential Consultant on Entertainment on this), I mean if the situation goes out of hand, as in all their efforts ( read: damage control) to salvage their positions and democratic institutions would come to naught, the people would likely most welcome a civilian-military junta for two years. If this goes through, I humbly suggest the following: (1) install a benevolent dictator ala Singapore's Lee Kwan Yu within a year, who is not necessarily with a military-police background; (2) make way for a people's constitutional convention banning elected officials - from city/municipal councilors up to the president from participating; and (3) invite/encourage outstanding academicians and technocrats to resuscitate our ailing economy through an assembly. But, I believe that we can still move forward as one nation in spite of all these nauseating political maneuverings. I believe that we Filipinos have finally reached the political maturity as a nation with this instance since most of us would now prefer to let the democratic processes to ensue than be provoked and amass at EDSA and call for the immediate resignation of President Arroyo. We now prefer to seek the truth and let it come shining through via the highest law of the land - our Constitution which shall serve as the lamp for truth and justice to illumine in the consciousness of our people. Niel Narca, [email protected] June 18, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi! Everybody I've been reflecting on the various arguments for GMA's resignation. This is to help me decide on whether I should get involved in the gathering effort to call for it. The three main arguments seem to be that: 1) she has performed badly as president, 2) she has cheated her way to the presidency and 3) non-performance and unresolved allegations of cheating in the last election has made her government vulnerable to destabilization attempts with serious economic consequences. The constitution takes care of the first main argument. We can't call for the resignation of a non-performing president. We just have to wait until the next election in 2010. The second main argument is tricky. We've a legal process that should deal with the cheating allegations, but the tapes aren't even admissible in court. I've been among the early organizers of the Erap resign movement here in Region 11 purely on moral grounds. This has been because the legal process was being subverted by the pro-Erap senators. In GMA's case, the legal process can't even begin. This means GMA must explain the tapes on moral grounds. Hiding behind the law, ignoring the issue and hoping that it will simply fade away is irresponsible with dire consequences. As a first step then, I'm getting involved in an effort to ask GMA to explain the tapes. If she continues to refuse, I think it's reason enough for me to get involved in an effort to call for her resignation on moral grounds. In which case, the third main argument for her resignation also becomes compelling. The situation though is becoming murky and dangeroous. I think a military revolt is brewing in the horizon. I've heard that junior military officers have been coming together for sometime to take matters in their own hands. They're deeply disappointed with the corruption of the political leadership and of their own senior commanders. I've been invited to dialogue with some of these officers who're said to command elite combat units. I hear that some of them and their units have trained with the U.S. Delta Force. I really don't know what they're up to but they're certainly a potent lot. I think it's going to be a hell of a fight should they decide to cross the line. I also hear that they have colleagues in command of combat ready units within striking distance of Malacanang. Moreover, Chavit Singson's statement about going it alone should the national leadership fall isn't an isolated incident. Political kingpins here in Region 11 are also preparing to do likewise. I've heard that police and military commanders have also been meeting with them to ensure their own place in the event of a free-for-all. The lack of moral ascendancy and political weakness of the national leadership seem to have combined to prime the country for an implosion like Indonesia. We can't let this happen, can we. So much for a strong republic GMA style. This weakness is going to continue unless GMA adequately explains the tapes. Otherwise, she and Noli must voluntarily step down to effect a constitutional succession. Noli is unacceptable as a successor. Drillon, as Senate President, is to serve as caretaker president until a new constitution is in place, the Comelec is revamped and a plebiscite and new election are held preferably within a year. We must all act quickly to ask GMA to explain the tapes. If she can't we must be resolute in asking her and Noli to resign promptly. The consequence of inaction is too grim to even think about. I hope I'm wrong but things seem to be really getting out of hand. There's no assurance that a new constitution and leadership would make things better. Nonetheless, its the only alternative I see that can keep things from boiling over. An EDSA 4 has become irrelevant. Metro Manila has lost its primacy as mover of political events. The forces at play are more varied now and we're talking about bloody confrontation and fragmentation of the country. Pahamak na GMA talaga ito. Hindi lang sa trabaho, pati sa pandaraya palpak. Damay tuloy tayo lahat. Nakakainis! Gico Dayanghirang, [email protected] Davao City, June 20, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Snap elections may be the only solution. GMA resigns, all of congress resign , all military brass from colonels on up resign likewise...who will handle the election .who will govern in the interim ? If we have the answer to this maybe there is a solution to cleansing the government. This of course we know is only a dream.. Dominic Tambuatco, [email protected] Macon, Georgia, June 19, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I strongly believe you are in the best position to lead the proposed solution I had suggested in my earlier email against government graft and its associated evils. As a background to the suggestion, I hope you will kindly peruse it in the following web site: http://anticorruption.homestead.com/Justice.html The steps to enact it into law by the Initiative process under Republic Act 6735 for direct approval by the people without going through Congress and the President are easy and they are outlined in the following web site: http://anticorruption.homestead.com/Steps.html To learn more why the suggested solution is effective, kindly also read it in the following web sites: Grand Jury - http://philippinegovantigraft.homestead.com/Jurgrand.html Trial Jury - http://philippinegovantigraft.homestead.com/Jurtrial.html I hope you will start the initiative process soon. If martial law or a coup d'etat will take place, perhaps the next chance to embark on the initiative which is currently protected by the constitution would not take place earlier than 5 to 10 years because of the possible suspension of the constitution by whoever will control the government under martial law or coup d'etat.. Marlowe Camello, [email protected] Homestead, California, June 20, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww. Dear Tony, The controversial audio tapes may have been made available only recently and not a few months after the elections when the opposition was still strongly protesting the results. Not even during the time when FPJ was still healthy, or even when the widow, Ms. Susan Roces, was the foremost rallying figure of the opposition then. It is their character to dig for vicious evidence to be used in electoral protest, and what could be more damaging, sensational and a monster scoop than the 'GloriaGate' tapes! If those could have been available then, Sen Nene Pimentel must have been salivating in front of media, both local and international, complete with all fireworks and special effects to boot. However, it seems weird that the timing is not on their side and the "usual suspects" are not principal lead characters this time. Hence, no one has yet dissuaded you from your earlier belief about the Americans as the source of the tapes. On your choice of Erap as the most likely replacement to be installed by U.S., I beg to disagree. I believe the Americans are totally aware of Erap's unacceptability by the middle class, civil society, business leaders and religious groups, not to mention the militant groups. They cannot afford another turmoil that will definitely endanger their business and other interests in the country. The issues on RP's withdrawal in the 'coalition of the willing', deal with China on Spratlys and failure to dismantle the JI's camps in Mindanao, could just be additional motivation to fuel their desire to do the unthinkable and vengeful acts. Thanks. Jerome Escobedo, [email protected] June 20, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Although it could be true there is a big hand behind all of this, and I am not talking local hand, it remains to be seen if she will address the problem squarely and tell all if she is actually the one on the tape or not for "delicadeza's sake" which we presume / assume she has (even of little na lang)...kasi kung ubos na...KAPALAN NA NG MUKHA YAN! BUT PUTTING ERAP OR ANYBODY FROM HIS CLAN IN POWER AGAIN!!!!!!!!....MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON US!!!!!!!!!! Jose Genato, [email protected] June 20, 2005 You wrote: "And the favored replacement, as far as I can tell, may be � horrors! � Joseph Estrada, with Fidel Ramos a poor second. Why? Because when he was in power, Erap waged total war against the Abus and the MILF in Mindanao, celebrating his troops� victory by giving away jeeploads of lechon and beer, in a deliberate affront to Muslim sensibilities. The neocons just love that kind of macho, no-questions-asked militancy against al-Qaida-linked terrorists. Erap would have made an ideal jail warden at Abu Ghraib or Guantanamo prison. Becoming president, again, of the Philippines would be the next best job for him.� wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww FRANK, IWAY, GERRY: MAY I SAY SOMETHING? I disagree with all those who say that President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must explain once and for all if the voice illegally taped is her own voice; that �silence is an acceptance of guilt;� or for whatever other reason others may give. It is clear to me that all this is part of a destabilization effort to topple the government. I am convinced that there is a concerted effort to bring her government down. There is just no two-ways about it. The timing is suspect, to start with. I will not try to argue with the Senate investigation on the jueteng for indeed the jueteng has been a menace that has led to the impoverishment of our people in the past one hundred years. But the appearance of Atty. Frank Chavez, a known Piatco lawyer, now a counsel to Sandra Cam, followed by the San Carlos Seminary incident immediately after the Senate went on a recess, is proof enough that the destabilization effort against this administration was all intended to bring it to a boiling point. Why do I say this? Is it only mere coincidence that Piatco�s thumbprints were clearly etched in the San Carlos Seminary incident and in the Senate jueteng investigation? Consider the appearance of the following personalities: Former BIR Commissioner Liwayway Vinsons-Chato, now lawyering for Atty. Samuel Ong is a known Piatco lawyer. And so is Frank Chavez. What made things even more clear to me that Piatco may have had a hand is the appearance of Col. Gerry Cunanan who in fact is a known appointed General Manager of NAIA 3 by Piatco who, too, has an ax to grind against this administration for endangering his position � if he has not lost it. What can one say about these people in the light of recent events? There must be more than meets the eye in the current scenario. I beg these people who are all known to me and have been my friends for an explanation just as the opposition insists for the President to break her silence and explain. When it comes to La Patria, it behooves us all to safeguard the interest and stability of the nation above all. It is easy to say that the President must break her silence. But first things first. She was not the one who violated the anti-wiretapping law. The one(s) who committed the crime must first be established. And after that has been established, the authentication of the tape or tapes must follow, not on the say-so of an American company or Australian company for not all �blue seals� are good, perfect, experts, all-knowing and accurate. The statements made by Mr. Kit Tatad that he had sent the tape for �authentication� to a company in New Jersey leaves me cold. And the same goes for the one from Queensland, Australia. What we need to do is to get hold of the �Mother of all tapes� being bandied around by Atty. Samuel Ong. So many versions have appeared which have left the public more confused. I agree with President Gloria�s statement not to dignify an illegal act; and rightfully so for at this point, we do not know which one of them is the �real McCoy�. I agree with Congressman Salacnib Baterina�s statement on �Dong Puno Live� about its �political implication� should the President prematurely say anything. This dimension must be considered for indeed the issue has reached the point that for the President to admit what has been presented so far is still too premature to do anything about it one way or the other. What is most disquieting to me which others may not discern the same way is the Piatco angle. Just when the world-class airport is about to be opened sometime soon as it was often announced, these incidents suddenly occurred. The arbitration is also expected in Washington D.C. next month. Can big business in this country disguise itself like a chameleon to put the government down for self-interest and for the interest of a few � including its foreign components? Do foreign interests in this controversial airport have a hand in it? Must we allow ourselves to be dictated upon by foreign vested interests to bring this country down to its knees? The possibility cannot be far-fetched for in this country, money talks. Does the Piatco conglomerate have a pact with the opposition to topple the government to get the airport back into their hands? Is this destabilization effort the easier solution to the pending Piatco case? Who among the opposition senators and congressmen are sympathetic to Piatco�s great fortune? So many questions remain to be answered for this operation it seems, was meant to be subtle but had suddenly become most unnerving. As far as I know, the Supreme Court decided on the Piatco case, not the Executive Department. One need not be a lawyer to see the merits of the Supreme Court�s decision. It is said that no less than 15 provisions have been added to the original contract after it had been officially signed which ultimately altered the contract and made it disadvantageous to the government. Like the tapes, this contract was also tampered. The alterations were done by the past administration. How many in that administration had benefited from it? Maybe enough to fight to re-possess it? Enough to even topple the present government? Suddenly, so many are now mouthing �to tell the truth�; that �truth will set us free� and all that garbage as if we do not know that these persons are mouthing these lines were themselves liars once upon a time. Who can forget Kit Tatad�s announcement of Martial Law on television? I have not. Bishop Bacani�s inappropriate behavior on his female secretary is not yet clear to me to this day. Had Pope John Paul II defrocked him or forgiven him? Is he still a �man of the cloth�? If I were in the President�s shoes, I�d make all these characters explain to the Filipino people. She could tell them: �Sabay tayong magpaliwanag sa taongbayan kung gusto ninyong aminin ko na boses ko nga ang nasa tape.� And there are so many others on the same boat, believe it or not. Director Reynaldo Wycoco said something on �On Line� of Gene Orejana which I also had in mind but was unable to express ahead of him. But I will give him the credit for saying it ahead of me. For the uninformed, I wish they would take note of Natalie Cole�s video recording with her already dead father, Nat King Cole. And Muhammad Ali�s video showing him in a boxing bout with Rocky Marciano who�d been long dead. Modern technology was able to blend the dead and the living in such a way as if they did it yesterday. Can anyone say that there�s splicing on those tapes by examining the final and finished product? Can you detect, audio-visually, that Natalie and her father were not singing together or that Ali was not fighting Rocky Marciano? Even Disney films can produce marvelous computer-generated images that look so real. To make an audiotape with Garci�s voice and whoever you wish to pair him with is easier to do. Even sexual acts can be made between two strangers without them knowing what will appear in the edited copy. In like manner, the voices in the �Mother of all tapes� of Atty. Ong can also easily be done. Again, if I were the President, will I bother to admit the voice clips now? Why spoil the fun? Seldom does one get the distinct honor of having the most popular ringtone. It�s cute and it�s lots of fun to hear it. It gives me a good laugh whenever I hear it. It does not offend at all. Remember, laughter is the best medicine. We must learn to laugh more. The oppositionists are always frowning. Kaya sila nagmumukhang buwisit. It is my sincere wish to see our people laugh more instead of showing anger and hatred. There was one incident in the San Carlos Seminary that gave me a good laugh. And I hope you�d laugh with me. I am referring to what Atty. Luis Sison, one of Atty. Samuel Ong�s lawyers, said on ANC. Louie is a friend, but was it right for him to say that Arlene Doble was �the first wife of M/Sgt. Vidal Doble�? There was malice in it because of the imputation that Vidal Doble had other �wives� aside from Arlene? Louie, allow me to tell you that the �first wife� is always the wife unless the marriage is annulled. The second, third or fourth kulasisi are not wives but are referred to as mistresses, keridas or kabit. The fact that M/Sgt. Vidal Doble wanted to be with his �first� wife and their two children proved that Arlene is his real wife. If he has others, it is Louie�s job to present them to us (as if we even care) just as he owes us one if Trici is his �first�. There were no less than five presidential candidates in the 2004 elections. As I know it, the other four were the ones out to defeat candidate Arroyo at all cost, by hook or by crook. Pinagtulungan nila ang isang babaeng candidate. Kaya ko siya kinampihan aside from the fact that she was the most prepared to take the helm. To blame candidate Arroyo of cheating the other four men to win is a bit beyond my imagination. Could it be the other way around? Or the four male candidates also ended up slugging each other? Baka may ibang lalaking candidate na dinaya din si FPJ. Who knows? They were all fighting to win and we can surmise that they all tried to outdo each other. A close fight normally brings contempt. The votes in the elections of 2004 with no less than five presidential candidates were fragmented which favored the incumbent. All the surveys showed President Gloria was leading by more than a million votes, including that of SWS of FPJ�s cousin, Mahar Mangahas. It is but natural for President Gloria to expect that result which eventually happened. The fight between Biazon and Barbers was so close at only 10,000 votes from each other. In the last presidential elections in Taiwan last year, the incumbent president won by only 30 votes. So, it also happens in other places, including in Florida in 2000 that caused a more bitter fight between the two most powerful presidential candidates in the world. But both honored and respected the decision of their highest court. Napag-uusapan na, noon pa, na si �Garci� (kung siya man �yon) ay naglalaro sa lahat at namamangka sa dalawang ilog, ika nga. As what my former classmate Christian Monsod said on TV, �Garci� was known for that. Kung lumabas man sa darating na araw na tiyak na boses ni �Garci�, ako man ang Presidente, I�d check on him too at baka ako na ang niyayari niya. Kinabahan na rin siguro si Presidente Gloria. President Nixon�s Watergate is completely the opposite of what Atty. Samuel Ong would want us to believe. It�s Ong who took the place of Nixon, not President Gloria. In Nixon�s case, it was he who was found guilty of violating the anti-wiretapping law. Si President Nixon ang nagpa-wiretap. Siya ang nag-utos at siya ang naalis sa puwesto. Masyadong magulo ang kalagayan natin ngayon. The so-called �battle of perception� regarding a certain tape or tapes is on the grind. The strategy of the opposition is to �let the people judge�. But how can the people judge intelligently when the idea of the opposition is to deceive them? The opposition wants us to believe that the supporters of President Gloria cheated for her in the last elections as if the leaders and supporters of the other candidates did not resort to the same practice. We have to accept certain hard realities � that cheating and vote-buying do occur in Philippine elections. As to their magnitude, I do not exactly know. But otherwise, many of our senators and congressmen won�t be sitting in the Senate and Congress today. It is not the candidates themselves who cheat but their leaders, followers and handlers. I would like to thank Susan, an old and dear friend since our younger days for not allowing herself to be used. In these times of great difficulties and confusion, she could have been thrown to the wolves together with all of us. Knowing Ronnie, he would have not have desired it either. And why get involved with goons salivating for blood? I chaperoned Susan when she was still single. Ronnie was my compadre and his mother, Bessy, my comadre. Susan, I thank you and Ronnie for coming to my private chapel in my residence the day Ronnie declared his candidacy in Manila Hotel and for coming again on may 9, the day before election day. But forgive me for not being able to personally attend to both of you anymore for it was not proper for me to so. Imagine if had we been seen together just hours before the polls opened. What would people say? That I turned my back on candidate Gloria at the last minute? It could have sent the wrong signal and I am not one to do that. I want everybody to know that I will forever be grateful to Ronnie and Susan for not resenting the fact that I supported President Gloria. Despite and in spite of knowing that I was for President Gloria and VP Noli de Castro, our friendship continued. Ronnie, the candidate, never showed any hurt feelings towards me. We related with each other as if nothing was happening between us. May God keep Ronnie in His keeping forever and ever. And to Frank, Iway and Gerry, please bear in mind that although we�ve been friends for quite a long time, there comes a time when love of country must come first above all. That �Mother of all tapes� took too long in the making. Why was it brought out only now � after a year? I cannot in conscience easily fall for it for I know Nat King Cole�s tape with his daughter, Natalie, done long after his death took less than a month to produce. And so with Muhammad Ali�s tape with Rocky Marciano. I handled the film industry for six long years as MTRCB Chairman. Thus, I know enough about the tricks they use. I am not defending President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. What I am saying is in defense of my own sensibilities and the way I see things. I always look at things as they are, not as what others would like me to believe. I have my own mind to protect. And I speak out what I feel. No one can tell me to jump in the lake when I don�t feel like doing it. Never. That�s how I�ve kept my sanity intact. To Frank, Iway and Gerry, please just tell us what�s going on for I cannot believe that all this merely happened by chance. I am old enough to be taken for a ride. And if we have to end our friendship because of this, so be it. My stand will always be for country and people. Anyone who tries to stand in between can forget me. Prefiero vivir solo que mal acompa�ado. MANUEL L. MORAT�, [email protected] June 17, 2005 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |