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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
Roco as Alternative By Antonio C. Abaya October 22, 2003 There is no doubt that Raul Roco is the most attractive alternative to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2004. I have written so before, and I am writing so again now. I said so before the Rotary Club of Makati-Ayala at the Manila Golf Club at their weekly luncheon meeting this afternoon. Unlike another presidential contender (Panfilo Lacson), Raul Roco has never been accused or suspected of multiple murders, torture, drug-trafficking, money-laundering, wire-tapping or perjury. He has also not been designated successor to Erap in 2004 by the power brokers of the Erap imperial court: the Estrada-Ejercito families, Mark Jimenez and the Chinese Mafia Unlike another presidential contender (Danding Cojuangco), Raul Roco was never the number one crony of Ferdinand Marcos, is not anyone's suspect of being the brains in the assassination of Ninoy Aquino, was not implicated in 1990 by the San Francisco Examiner in an alleged plot to assassinate President Cory Aquino in December 1989, and is not accused of having illegally grabbed control of Cocobank and San Miguel. Unlike still another presidential contender (Gregorio Honasan), Raul Roco has never organized, led or taken any part in any military coup d'etat to overthrow the governments of President Aquino and President Arroyo. He is also not known to go around the military camps inciting young and impressionable officers to overthrow the incumbent president in favor of his own messianic ambitions. Unlike yet other presidential contenders so beloved by the squealing masa (Noli de Castro and Fernando Poe Jr.), Raul Roco is a well-educated, widely read and brilliant lawyer and law-maker who would be a credit to his country and people in any international gathering because he is by any and all standards world-class, and not bakya-class or tambakan-class. (That these individuals in parentheses are actual contenders at all for the presidency of this country, despite their extremely serious moral or intellectual inadequacies, is a measure of the moral bankruptcy of the Filipinos and their shameless politicians, who have corrupted, distorted, prostituted, twisted out of shape, deformed beyond recognition and squeezed dry to the point of meaninglessness just about every noble political idea conceived and developed through 3,000 years of Western civilization.) But - and this is a defining 'but' - as the leading "intelligent" and "moral" challenger to the incumbent, Roco needs to articulate his positions more succinctly and unequivocally than he has so far done. Where does he stand, for example, on the population issue? Is he in favor, or against, the use of artificial methods of population control? President Arroyo has pussyfooted on the subject out of fear of the power of the Roman Catholic bishops. Is Roco also paralyzed by the same fear? Then why should we choose him over GMA? To his credit, Sen. Panfilo Lacson has been the only presidential contender to take a strong position on the issue, and he does not care if the bishops gang up on him. That's leadership. And where does Roco stand on globalization and free trade? President Arroyo was the primary pusher of globalization and free trade when she was still senator. But she has since waken up to the inequity and iniquity of the system and has now openly and publicly criticized the rich countries for their hypocrisy in preaching free trade while practicing protectionism whenever it served their national interests. Is Roco in favor of faster free trade and globalization, or a more measured acceptance of it, or a total rejection? I honestly do not know. Everyone is in favor of fighting corruption and fighting poverty. But how does Roco specifically plan to go about waging those two fights? No motherhood statements, please. How does Roco plan to attract more foreign and domestic investments, to generate more jobs, and to spread the benefits of economic growth more equitably? Is Roco in favor of more aid, or less aid, or no aid at all, from the Americans in meeting the growing challenge from Jamaah Islamiyah? And what specific changes would he like to see in the constitution? In my article of Dec. 15, 2002, titled "Even Raul Roco Would Fail", I wrote that under the political system and political culture of the Philippines, every president is programmed to fail. Not only are the six years allotted by the presidential system totally insufficient to turn around a problem-racked country like the Philippines, the time-honored Philippine media tradition of unremitting, merciless and incessant criticism of the incumbent president, no matter who he or she may be, also guarantees that the public lose faith in the president and his/her government long before those six years are up. How does Roco propose to rise above this cannibalistic culture? And how does Roco propose to deal with the communist movement, which has infiltrated almost every sector of Philippine society and now dictates the tenor and intensity of debates in practically everything? For example, any increase in the price of gasoline, water or electricity will be opposed, and opposed acrimoniously, by the loudest and most vociferous critics in our society, the communists and their na�ve allies in media, the clergy and Congress. If he were to hold his ground against this predictable onslaught, Roco would be pilloried by the communists and made into a hate object; if he were to give in, he would scare away investments from the private sector, and this country would wind up with crippling shortages in fuel, water or energy. What solomonic solutions would Roco have for such damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't situations? The communists and their allies in media, the clergy and Congress will never be happy unless and until a communist president or prime minister sits in Malacanang. And until those happy days roll in, every non-communist president or prime minister who may be elected, including Raul Roco, will be targeted for demolition by communist front organizations among students, factory workers, peasants, fisher folk, rural and urban poor, public school teachers, priests and nuns, militant women, government employees, jeepney and tricycle drivers, health workers, OFWs etc., gleefully aided by disaffected non-communist groups excluded from the power circle, such as the Council of Pipitsugin Affairs, the Philippine Consultative Assembly of Two, the Pwet ng Masa, and the Partido ng Masang Tanga. Can the short-tempered Roco cope without busting a gut? Lastly, I warned the Makati Rotarians that the Magdalo mutiny and coup attempt of July 27 is far from over. That is so because the primary motivations that propelled it in the first place remain unfulfilled: 1) Joseph Estrada still desperately wants to be sprung from jail and restored to power (even for only three days, as in the Magdalo plan) so that, as restored president, he regains immunity from prosecution and the plunder case against him has to be dropped; and 2) Gregorio Honasan still desperately wants to be the savior of this country because his overwhelming messianic complex has convinced him that he and he alone has the wisdom, the daring and the consummate leadership to save the Filipinos, and if they are so stupid as not to appreciate his sacrifice and reward him with the presidency, then it is his patriotic duty to educate them through another power grab (his fourth, fifth or sixth, I've lost count), and this time he may finally succeed. It should be kept in mind that the original Magdalo plan involved a strike force of 2,000 officers and men. But because it was exposed in time, only some 300 managed to wander spontaneously into the Oakwood apartments. That means some 1,700 officers and men are still on call, free to stroll spontaneously into Malacanang, ABS-CBN, GMA-7, Camp Aguinaldo, Ninoy Aquino Airport, etc. at a given spontaneous signal, to be supported by spontaneous mobs organized spontaneously by Ronald Lumbao and Boy Morales. If I were strategizing the Magdalo's next moves, I would be probing for the most propitious time to strike the second and final blow. And that time would be the days and weeks immediately after the May 2004 elections, especially if President Arroyo were to lose out to Raul Roco or Fernando Poe Jr., her strongest opponents. In this twilight zone, the old government will begin to be phased out while the new one is not yet phased in. And GMA's personal ties with the loyal military, nurtured over months of arduous give-and-take, will have become worthless, while the new president will yet have to cultivate his. It will be in this gray time zone that the not-so-strong republic will be most vulnerable to that fatal blow. From Magdalo, from Gringo, and from Erap. ***** The bulk of this article appears in the November 01, 2003 issue of the Philippines Free Press magazine. |
| OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to "Roco as Alternative" Tony -- Lucid. Regards. Johnny Mercado, [email protected] October 27, 2003 ������������������....................................................... Terrific subject, elegant prose, dynamic hard hitting message, Tony. Tony Joaquin, [email protected] October 27, 2003 ..................................................... (Through the pilipinasforum egroup) Folks, So sorry for this one liner: but I have just one question and comment. With the current way of electing our national officials particularly the president -- where and how would Monsieur Rocco get the four to six billion pesos to fund his national campaign? me thinks no one, just no one would come clean if he/she runs and wins the presidential elections! And if you had that much and kind of money why go to politics ... just the interest earnings alone would make you enjoy life like Midas. Regards, Roy Picart, [email protected] October 27, 2003 MY REPLY. Ten percent of P4 to P6 billion pesos is "only" P400 to P600 million. That's chicken feed compared to what six years in the presidency can windfall the president (if he/she is dishonest), or his relatives (if he/she is honest but his/her relatives are dishonest), or his cronies and financiers (if he/she and his/her relatives are honest but his/her cronies and financiers are dishonest). Besides, haven't you heard of the psychic rewards of being in power? Ugly-duck Henry Kissinger, who dated the most beautiful movie stars in Hollywood, aptly called power "the ultimate aphrodisiac." ............................................................ Thanks. Felipe R. Diego, [email protected] October 28, 2003 .................................................................... Tony, The silence of Roco on vital issues is in itself the answer to your questions about the man. He is a politician who wants to look good to all. Alas, he can't please every group. Silence is his golden glove. But as you have said, leadership requires some daring. Fernando Poe, Jr. will be elected president fair and square if no massive cheating by the powers in position takes place. There are more of the "masang tanga" than there are of the so-called intelligent voters. That's democracy, Philippines style. Gras Reyes, [email protected] October 27, 2003 ....................................................................... dear mr. abaya, thank you so much for including me in your mailing list. this is a jewel! the least i can do is forward your article to my circle of friends and associates for some deep cranial refreshment and enlightenment. more power to you sir! epi espaldon, [email protected] 225 makiling st., ayala alabang October 27, 2003 MY REPLY. Thank you, sir. ........................................................ Tony, I know you and other columnists do not answer personal one-on-one emails because you have hundreds of thousands of readers in print and visitors in the internet. so you dont have to answer this. I archived your latest posting (above) and will visit your website and do some reading and some more archiving. One of these day I will compile my choice of your best piece and "Roco as Alternative" is my choice" until I read and find another in your website, or if you suggest another. After being in the internet for 3 years I am threatening to pull out completly and go back to my typewriter (a preowned Underwood I picked at a thrift shop for $30- until I discovered I could not buy an old typewriter ribbon. I might pick up several when I next visit Manila and look for the reinking kit that i used when I was too poor to buy a new typewriter ribbon in my youth. In my temporary storage I have one or 2 "best" by Conrado de Q, Krip Y, Pete L, Barbara G (Tweetum(s); but why did she vanish from the online Phil Star?) and Butch D, Bambi H, Ambeth O (I saw someone asking online if by the name the author would be a girl or boy?). Nice to see you online since the days of Erewon and Pesobooks or when I saw you running a videotape store in Makati. Bert Florentino, [email protected] 510 W. 46th St. (Unit# 501) [cor. 10th Ave.] New York City NY 10036 USA October 27, 2003 MY REPLY: Good to hear from you, Bert. My choices for personal favorites would be: "Filipinos as Superbeings" and "Understanding Bush". In the website www.tapatt.org, where my articles are archived, they are also rated according to the number of viewers who have accessed them. Visit the website some day and see for yourself. ..................................................... Very nice. Eros G. Kaw, [email protected] October 27, 2003 ................................................................... Dear Tony, I agree with you completely. I have also been waiting for Roco to categorically state his positions on a number of issues, such as those you mention in this article. These staterments are what a good number of still undecided voters (including many in my circle) are awaiting before they decide to pitch for him or not. FYI, I forwarded this article to someone in Roco's camp hoping it reaches him or his advisers. Best regards. And thank you for the regular flow of your articles. Grace, [email protected] October 27, 2003 ................................................................... A comment on the writing style: found it enjoyable the way you conveyed how dubious the other candidates are. I couldn't stop grinning as I read through their "qualifications" And yes, I too would want something more tangible from Mr. Roco. Hope he has a package to resurrect the country, a plan that befits his unsmirched record. You wrote: ".... That these individuals in parentheses are actual contenders at all for the presidency of this country, despite their extremely serious moral or intellectual inadequacies, is a measure of the moral bankruptcy of the Filipinos and their shameless politicians, who have corrupted, distorted, prostituted, twisted out of shape, deformed beyond recognition and squeezed dry to the point of meaninglessness just about every noble political idea conceived and developed through 3,000 years of Western civilization..." On my wish list: remove all the billboards all over the metro from now till May 2004 and replace them with the above message. Edwardson Tan, [email protected] October 27, 2003 MY REPLY. I'll be happy with just ONE billboard with my deathless prose. Thank you for your wish list. ........................................................ i agree that Mr. Roco is a good alternative candidate as president. but, indeed, he should make himself and his position on issues very visible but not obnoxious to the people and the media, lest he be forgotten in the midst of all the "infamous" happenings in our country. i hope he gets soon an effective, honest machinery going. regards to you, sir! Cecile S. Abis, [email protected] October 27, 2003 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |