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| ON THE OTHER HAND |
| Sleeping with the Communists
By Antonio C. Abaya Written Feb. 26, 2006 For the Standard Today, February 28 issue The Arroyo government has given as the reason for the declaration of a state of national emergency a growing tactical alliance between young military officers and the Communist movement, in their common desire to force President Arroyo out of office. I realize that among the liberals in the burgis community, it is fashionable to dismiss the communist bogeyman as a figment of someone�s imagination. Or that this concern is a throwback to the Cold War era, especially during the McCarthy witch hunts in the US of the 1950s, and should no longer be taken seriously half a century later. But in its Jan. 28 issue, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the favorite newspaper of those who seek to overthrow the government, confirmed such a tactical alliance in a front-page story headlined Left-Right alliance vs GMA confirmed. Reported the Inquirer: �Disgruntled officers of the AFP and the PNP are reaching out to people�s organizations to get support for their grievances,� Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casino told reporters�.Casino said that as in the ouster of Presidents Marcos and Estrada in 1986 and 2001, the military�s withdrawal of support would be �crucial� to the removal of President Arroyo from power. �But their exact role in her ouster will be determined, to a large extent, by what the people�s movement can accept ,� Casino said. This means � oh, you na�ve warriors of the Magdalo � it will be the communist politburo, not you, who will decide what you can and cannot do in the struggle against President Arroyo. The same warning can be directed to the ideological naifs of the Black and Blue Movement, the Hyatt 10 and the likes of Tita Cory and Triccie and Bettina and Josie who have naively chosen to ally themselves with the communists in their efforts to unseat the embattled GMA. You � Magdalo idealists and burgis ideological naifs - will all be playing mere supporting roles.. The communists intend to play the central starring role because they want to dominate the subsequent �transition council,� almost certainly the one being stitched together by Boy Morales, chief political lieutenant of Erap (who is the likely financier of all this as he was of the Oakwood Mutiny in July 2003) and co-founder in 1972 of the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political arm of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP). Even Joma Sison was supremely confident, in a recent message from Utrecht, that the Arroyo government would be replaced by this �transition council.� Again, the liberals among the burgis will scoff at this interpretation, but the fact is that a communist insurgency is raging in this country with renewed vigor in 2006, and its goal remains the same as it was in 1949 and in 1969: the violent overthrow of the bourgeois democratic state and its replacement with a Marxist-Leninist �dictatorship of the proletariat,� in which the CPP of Joma Sison will be vested with monopoly of power. In other words, no opposition parties in Joma�s paradise state, let me remind Chiz, Peter Alan, Gilbert, Rolex, Devill, Frank, Digs, Kit, Herman, Manong Ernie, Jojo, JV etc. The Arroyo government claims that Brig. Gen. Danilo Lim, head of the elite Scout Rangers regiment, tried to talk AFP chief-of-staff Lt. Gen. Generoso Senga into withdrawing support from President Arroyo before Black Friday. Instead Gen. Senga took Brigadier Lim into custody. This is a credible claim. It has now come out, during the current brouhaha in Fort Bonifacio (as I write this), that Marine Col. Ariel Querubin, also under custody for suspected anti-government sentiments, had planned with Lim to take their men to the Friday EDSA rally, without arms, to announce their withdrawal of support from the Arroyo government. Not quite a coup d�etat, but still an overt attempt to collapse the incumbent government. Now, I have no problem with soldiers and officers, as well as ordinary civilian folks, becoming disenchanted with their governments and walking out on those governments. That was how the people of Eastern Europe (East Germany, Poland, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Albania) got rid of their communist regimes in 1989, after 40-45 years, and peacefully too, except in Romania. But in our present situation, the opposite is being attempted: to ultimately install a communist regime, through the ruse of a people power exercise, financed by a disgraced president who, more than anything else, wants to be restored to the presidency so that he can unilaterally clear his name of the plunder charges pending against him. The communists plan to ride on Erap�s popularity to transit from the �transition council� into a majority position in the second Erap government. One can forgive Erap for his ignorance, that he is prepared to be a willing dupe of the communists, but one is amazed that more educated burgis types like Tita Cory and Triccie and Bettina and Josie and the Black and Blue Movement are so blinded by their antipathy towards Ate Glo that they willingly ally themselves with the communists to achieve their common goal. Tita Cory seems to have forgotten that in 1987 she naively freed from detention, over the objections of the military, Joma Sison and other top communist prisoners, apparently on the wishy-washy prayer that if she were nice to the communists, the communists would be nice to her. Never happened, of course. As soon as Joma reached Europe, he and his NDF organization in Utrecht waged a disinformation campaign among Europe�s generally leftist media, bad-mouthing Cory Aquino to make her look unworthy of the Nobel Peace Prize for which she had been nominated. That�s how Tita Cory missed being the first Filipino Nobel laureate. The ideological naifs in the Black and Blue Movement, the Hyatt 10, as well as Triccie and Bettina and Josie and others, should be reminded that they are innocent vestal virgins compared to the seasoned communist revolutionaries that they have naively chosen to sleep with, politically speaking. Everyone seems to be unaware that their communist friends are not out to establish a more perfect Jeffersonian democracy. They are out to establish a Maoist dictatorship, with no political opposition parties, no private enterprise, no private media or schools or banks or industries or agriculture, no freedom of the press, no freedom of assembly, no freedom of speech. When hundreds of thousands of student demonstrators massed at Tienanmen Square in Beijing in June 1989, demanding more political freedoms, they were driven away by the armored personnel carriers of the People�s Liberation Army, their machine-guns blazing, killing hundreds of students. And two of the few worldwide who applauded that massacre were Joma Sison of the CPP and Crispin Beltran of the KMU. The Communist Golden Rule is: Do not do unto Us what We will do unto You once We are in power. The Roman Catholic Church in China consecrates its bishops subject to the approval of Beijing, not the Vatican To this day, Beijing does not allow a mere meditation cult, the Falun Gong, to hold public meetings. It is afraid that such a mass organization might form the nucleus of a political opposition. Fidel Castro does not allow elections in Cuba on the grounds that they are �divisive.� In the late, unlamented Soviet Union, elections were allowed but the ballots contained only the names of candidates from the Communist Party. A voter approved or disapproved the Communist candidate by marking the ballot with a check or an X. But those who wrote a disapproving X must drop that ballot in a box separate from the box for approving ballots, in full view of electoral officials. Since most citizens did not want to risk losing their jobs or apartments or food ration cards or school slots for their children, they willingly voted for the Communist candidates. That was how the Communist Party always won 99.5% or more of the votes in communist countries. There is no reason to believe that Joma�s CPP would be any less brazen. Under the concept of �democratic centralism,� all debates over policies are �centralized� within the inner sanctums of the Communist Party. Outside of these inner sanctums, there must be only total agreement and compliance. Bettina, your thriving food business would not be allowed in a Maoist or Sovietized economy. In the Soviet Union, all means of production � even small restaurants, shoe repair shops, tobacco kiosks and taxis � were owned and operated by the state. This was based on Marx�s theory of surplus value that equated profit-making with exploitation. The reasoning is that no one should be allowed to make a profit from the basic needs of others�.in your case, Bettina, the need to eat. In the Soviet economy, not only were all enterprises owned and operated by the state, they also had to follow the quotas set by an incredibly mammoth Kafkaesque bureaucracy in Moscow, called Gosplan, that dictated, for example, how many meals every restaurant was supposed to serve each year and how much you were to charge for them, as well as where you were to source your ingredients and at what prices you were to buy them for. Even schools, Triccie, all government-owned and operated, had quotas on how many students to accept and how many students to pass to the next level each year. This was all part of central planning in the socialist economy, which was organized largely to prevent anyone from making a profit from the needs of others. China under Deng Xiao-ping at least had the good sense to reintroduce capitalism and the profit motive, starting in 1979, at first only in the rural areas, later even in the cities. Unlike in the Soviet Union, entrepreneurs in Dengist China were allowed to operate and to hire a maximum of seven employees each, without being accused of exploitation. Later, this ceiling was raised to fifty employees per entrepreneur. And still later, the ceiling was removed entirely. That was how China became, in the memorable words of Ka Roger, �a stinking capitalist country,� which Maoist Joma would never allow in a Communist Philippines. Filipino communists are the most vocal oppositors to a national ID card. But in the Soviet Union, as in all communist countries, all citizens were required to carry an internal passport called propiska. This document, subject to random checks by the milicja, contained the name, photo and address of the citizen. No one was allowed to spend more than 72 hours in another address, without the knowledge and permission of the milicja or neighborhood police, even if that new address was another apartment on the same floor in the same building. Big Brother had to know at all times where you were. In the end, of course, everything collapsed in 1989 and 1991, from the accumulated weight of Communism�s failures, after 40 to 45 years in Eastern Europe, 74 years in the Soviet Union. Burgis ladies and Magdalo gentlemen, do you really want to help impose this colossal catastrophe on your children and grandchildren, just because you hate Gloria Arroyo? I could go on and on, but you get the picture, na�ve burgis ladies and idealistic Magdalo warriors. Oh, you will protest, but our communist friends are not that kind of communist, especially that Teddy Casino. He is so cute! But how do you know that? What do you know about communist ideology and methodologies? Cute Maoists are still Maoists. Haven�t you seen the film �The East is Red!�? It is full of cute Maoist Red Guards, male and female, all waging serious Maoist revolution.. ***** Reactions to [email protected]. 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| Reactions to �Sleeping with the Communists� I appreciate your thoughts! You are a very smart journalist and a thinker. The reds are creeping like outbreaks. How many red congressmen? How much "pork barrel" do they get each year in millions? Can you imagine the "arms" they can produce or buy from the government's "pork barrel"? I mean, it's not "pork" but real "barrel". LF, [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony- Yes, EDSA's 1 and 2 were middle class initiatives. But they were also specifically urban Metro-Manila middle class initiatives. Very few if any people, middle class or otherwise, from Cebu City, Iloilo City, Davao, General Santos, Cagayan de Oro, or other provincial cities, participated. They may have listened on the radio, or watched on TV, but as far as I know, nowhere did they stage significant supportive marches or demonstrations. And of course even fewer people from the smaller towns and more rural areas participated at all. And because these people make up the vast majority of the electorate, the provincial barons and trapos will continue to purchase votes, get themselves elected, and form the majority in Congress (or Parliament if the country goes that way). My own sense is that until rural poverty, insecurity, and vulnerability is vastly reduced, and a large middle class grows in the provinces both in numbers and in political clout -- and doesn't just move to Metro Manila or go overseas -- and is seriously willing and able to counter the provincial barons, the barons and trapos will have the votes to maintain political control, and continue to assure self-interested elite domination. Not so? David Szanton, [email protected] Durban, South Africa, Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Excellent article! It confirms all my misgivings about these misguided vanguards of our republic, the Magdalo. It also underscores, with even more reason, why Cory Aquino never deserved to win the Nobel Peace Prize. A woman as naive and devoid of leadership qualities like Cory would only make a mockery of such a prestigious award. Unlike great men like Nelson Mandela, Cory only set our country back by bringing in the old "trapo" class, making a pact with the Marcos-era warlords and allowing herself to be hoodwinked by Communist rebels and Muslim separatists. Unlike Nelson Mandela, Cory never stopped her family members from robbing the national coffers and even defended them by saying that they, too, had a right to make a living, even if it meant dealing with government. This is the only time that I find myself agreeing with Jose Maria Sison. As for Communism, I still believe that the deeply-ingrained Filipino values of placing family and clan above the state will assure that this foreign ideology will not prosper in this country. The concept of the proletariat, as symbolized by the state, being supreme to self, family and the clan would be anathema to most Filipinos. However, because we have so much poverty, many may use Communism as a leverage to try to improve their lot. This will create much instability and lay havoc to our economy. Instead of lifting the poor from poverty, Communism will only sink everyone into misery. However, until everybody realizes that fact, we will have to go through much more hardship and poverty than we now have. Even countries like China and Vietnam have realized the errors of this discredited ideology and have now mended their ways. We, on the other hand, retrogress from bad to worse. Carl Cid S.M. Inting, [email protected] Cebu City, Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I am one of your avid readers. What about Senator Ramon Magsaysay as President and Senator Rodolfo Biazon for Vice President? I believe that they are both credible and honest. What do you think?. Michelle Picart, [email protected] Finland, Feb. 28, 2006 MY REPLY. Magsaysay and Biazon are both good men. But I think we should not hold another election until after a) the Comelec and Namfrel have been thoroughly cleaned, and b) the rules of electoral engagement have been re-written. Otherwise, the cheating will just go on and on, and many stupid and undeserving idiots will continue to be elected. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Now that the cat is out of the bag, do you think it's high time GMA unleash the wrath of General "Berdugo" Palparan, self-proclaimed enemy of the Reds ? As I have mentioned before, maybe it's not a " New Magsaysay" that is needed on the home front, but rather a "New Suharto," an unforgiving figure who will not hesitate to waste a million lives (including collateral damage) to end the problem once and for all. A blood-letting, might just put some sense into the addled brains of some of our supposed leaders. The non-violent EDSA series didn't dent our collective KATIGASAN NG ULO, maybe, blood and fire might soften it. What do you think ? Auggie Surtida, [email protected] Tigbauan, Iloilo, Feb. 28, 2006 MY REPLY. A bloodbath will not solve our problems, it will just make them worse The best way to defeat an idea is with a better idea. That sounds corny, but I still believe in it. Unfortunately, our leaders, from Marcos to Arroyo, did not, and do not, have that �better idea.� I think I have one, but I will give it only to someone who, I think, can implement it with credibility. It does not involve killing anyone, nor does it involve making common cause with the communists. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear ACA, Wow! Such a daring, "mission impossible" expose on the communist plot and the dancing burgis like Tita Cory, Ate Bettina and Josie (who is Bettina and Josie?) Democracy is such an illusive concept, it is not livable or possible to live when half of your population goes hungry. AL Jose Leonidas, [email protected] Faculty Member, Miriam College Feb. 28, 2006 PS: I got the materials you sent. Sonnabagan! You could have scootered from Moscow to Vladivostok! MY REPLY. Correction, please. I could have scootered from Moscow to Vladivostok and all the way down to Luzon. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I WISH THAT THE PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER WOULD PRINT THIS ARTICLE ON THEIR FRONT PAGE. These communists get more media space than they deserve! Grace Abella-Zata, [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Bravissimo! While we concede that among those vociferously demanding that PGMA be deposed, there may be a very few who sincerely want to improve the lot of our countrymen, these few are sadly, as you have pointed out in this article, misguided to the point of being not only stupidly naive and myopic but clearly either blind as bats or hopelessly dense or empty up there. No one will dispute however that the great majority in the present unholy alliance are not clean of mind, clean of heart nor clean of hands. No matter their sanctimonious pronouncements, bistado na ang private agenda nila - and more and more of our countrymen are beginning to wake up to recognize this and be vocal about it. Antonio B. Elica�o, [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I am one of those opposed to Proclamation 1017, and as an ordinary citizen (as a medical school teacher) oppose the warrantless arrests, ban on rallies and intimidation against media. As I have disagreed with you in past e-mail forums (Never Again) about the chances for nonviolent transformation in human society, particularly in the Philippines, I believe that the Left should continue to participate in parliamentary politics so it can help shape genuine Philippine democracy along peaceful lines, and not just part of a dualistic program of legalism and armed struggle. The past mistakes of foreign and Filipino communists is lesson enough for the Left, of various shades, to participate in nonviolent means to transform Philippine society. I do not share your paranoia abut a resurgent armed Left, (you mean the renewed vigor of the NPA is just a figment of my imagination? ACA) although I believe that by default, armed insurgency may continue for decades until and unless both moderate middle-class based and left political parties make advances in electoral politics in various levels of Philippine society, providing the alternatives to draw the energies (successful economic and political gains) away from military means. Or should we find a more benevolent Philippine oligarchy doing the initiative of rapid reforms. Unless there should arise a despicable dictatorship which I have not yet personally experienced (even under the dictator Marcos), there is always hope for nonviolent means. In 1989 I was one of those who protested Beijing's violent suppression of student demonstrations, and joined protests in Nagoya, Japan (as a student) then. I still see the Left in various countries as a counterbalancing force in shaping societies, and the antagonism between the historical left and right decreases as compromises in the economic and political systems emerge from conflict . There will always be sources of new antagonisms, as a natural course in development of human societies and all natural phenomenon. I do not see the Left as simply Maoist or Marxist-Leninist; it has evolved through the decades, as an anti-thesis to the resistant forces to change, even from its own community. And the Left can become "right", as they resist or do not adapt to change, and new "left" forces arise within their respective societies. Maoists in power in the past in other countries (for example, Pol Pot's regime) who do not adapt to the demands of change become rightwing, and resisted by emerging forces, the "left" within or outside their ranks. Even Mao's comrades (the "Gang of Four") had to be replaced by more "moderate" ones in continuing conflicts in their own society, something incomparable to us with a very different history (of an archipelago of tribal communities compared to ancient imperial China). As I believe that protracted guerilla war in the Philippines will not be successful, as long as there are peaceful alternatives to change, all the more should the Left be allowed and their share of the space protected so they are involved in electoral politics, and make their gains there, not in the battlefield. So in the political battlefield against emerging suppression of efforts of various citizens' movements to force Gloria to resign because of her lack of credibility due to the electoral fraud and fund-juggling scandals, there is no problem with Leftwing solons like those from Bayan Muna to be actively involved. They are part of the political equation, together with other forces. I believe in the convergence of forces, naive as you may call me, and hoping that a Gandhian solution may emerge in this crisis. I therefore express my concern about the views expressed in your column that Proclamation 1017 is necessary to oust the Left from the protest movement. (I don�t recall writing anything like that. ACA) On another topic I have commended you in the past for your support for the Vietnamese struggle in the 1960's against American military intervention in Indochina, and your criticism of US intervention in Iraq. (You failed to mention that I am also a critic of free trade and globalization; as far as I know, the only one in Manila critiquing the neo-conservatives in Washington DC; and, since the 1960s, the most ardent admirer in the Philippines of Scandinavian socialism. ACA) Although I was confused when you branded your late uncle Hernando Abaya hardcore Marxist-Leninist for his nationalist views on history in his book "Untold Story of the Philippines", a favorite of mine in Ateneo Grade School in the 60's. (I also cannot recall calling Tio Hernan a hardcore Marxist-Leninist. At worst, he was a na�ve, left-leaning anti-American nationalist intellectual. ACA) Filipinos, including the emerging democratic left, learn from history too, sir, Mr. Abaya, and the growing strength of the more pluralistic democratic left will be a counterbalancing force for other political forces, including the more radical left as well as the right (which have been historically strong) . Hopefully, as we have seen since 1986, protest movements in the Philippines have become more civilized, having been a participant in the First Quarter storm too as a grade school/ high school student then. I do not see black-and-white, even those on the more radical legal left, but a more colorful political spectrum. I do hope then that whatever support you have for Proclamation No. 1017 you can reconsider and withdraw, if that was the impression I got from your recent article. (I discussed 1017 before the Pasig Rotary Club last March 2 and that will be the topic of my column on Thursday next week, unless the you-know-what hits the fan earlier. ACA) I hope I do not find myself being branded as "Marxist-Leninist" in your column, for which I may not have time and opportunity to respond, and that may subject me to warrantless and unreasonable arrest ( he he he). Yours in peace and may you always be in good health, Jun Simbulan, [email protected] Philippine Greens Feb 28, 2006 MY REPLY. I appreciate the gentle and civil tone of your reaction, compared to the insulting language directed at me by some of your followers. I have no problem with Communists in the parliamentary arena as long as the armed struggle is terminated. And Leftists of all stripes should be humble enough to admit that there have been serious errors in theory as well as in practice. Otherwise 1989-1991 would not have happened at all. Thank you for your kind wishes. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Thank you for this incisive and bravely written article. Jun Apolonio, [email protected] Singapore, Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, You won't remember me. We met a long time ago in one of Bettina's parties and that's how I got included in you mailing list. We were at a table together. Anyway, I just read your latest work, "Sleeping with the Communists" as well as your other articles as they get to me. I have always enjoyed your clarity of thought and your ability to cut through the confusing aspects of any issue, in particular, the complicated and emotionally charged issues affecting the politics of our country today. I only wish to tell you that, in my humble opinion, this is your best work ever. You have hit the proverbial nail on the head perfectly. You can't get any more accurate than this. Thank you and keep up the good work. Louie Zabaljauregui, [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished by Auggie Surtida, [email protected]) Thanks Auggie. Indeed it (the Soviet internal passport referred to by Tony Abaya) is still true in Kazakhstan. Everybody has to inform the local intelligence agency that the bearer of an ID or passport has arrived at a particular oblast or province. Failure to report one�s presence within 48 hours, once detected or randomly "discovered," is subject to invitation or "terrifying" interrogation from the local KGB. This occasion is not just a vexation but could be a very traumatic experience. Ironically, people here are not denouncing this practice. Why can't it be done here in the Philippines? Felix Zamar, [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 MY REPLY. Old Soviet habits die hard. According to Auggie, Mr. Zamar spent two years in Kazakhstan as a volunteer in the British Volunteer Service Organization. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, I love your article. Please write more! Lynley Agsam, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I would like to address this to those in the military and PNP who entertain violent or nonviolent extra-constitutional means for a change in leadership. Please give this careful thought and consideration. We as a country and people are not prepared for this. I also address this to my fellow Filipinos who are tired and frustrated with the current situation. I personally believe that GMA is the worst leader this country has had so far. Her own corruption, along with her acceptance of the corruption of her husband and relatives, is no different from the corruption of Marcos, FVR, and Estrada. For Marcos, the staggering amount of sequestered cash, accounts, jewelry, and properties, showed us the magnitude of his greed. Cory was an honest president. However, her hesitation to condemn/stop the corruption of her immediate relatives was seen by others as a welcome sign, saying "come join the government and make your fortune." Ramos comes next to GMA as our country's worst leader. He used the media to show the country how "good" we were doing. In reality, we were doing quite badly. The world economy then, with the USA in particular, was performing well as it recovered from mid-90's financial crisis. Hot money was flowing to this part of the world. It was allocated to Thailand, China, Malaysia, Hongkong, Indonesia, and, lastly, the Philippines. We had the smallest allocation. We were last and got the latak. If you look closer then at the economic growth that FVR was bragging about, we may have had positive figures but we were actually the worst performing country in Southeast Asia. Today, even Vietnam is ahead of us in growth. It was during FVR's time that I first heard of corruption in the billions for single incidents. NAIA3/PIATCO, PEA/AMARI, Clark Centennial project, NPC/IPP anomalies, these were all started during FVR's term. Now, they are still existing problem projects, though he made his money already. He privatized a lot of government assets and got his percentage. This percentage, to his mind, was not corruption. What I know is, he was elected as president by the Filipino people and paid as president. Therefore that money belonged to the country. He was selling Philippine assets. Ask people who knew about his shenanigans. It was under FVR that a surrogate/mistress first lady was given presidential security guards. This practice was something Estrada merely continued. FVR and Estrada had the same womanizing values and corrupt way of life. Public service was their way to enrich themselves. FVR was just the smarter one, whose corruption was of a grander magnitude but so cleverly hidden. GMA, in terms of corruption, was the same as FVR. What makes her worse was that, to remain in power and perpetuate herself, she would lie and make promises. She wheels and deals with jueteng lords, drug lords, politicians, and the military and PNP hierarchy. She ridiculed and manipulated the Law of the country. She kept herself, her family, and selected cronies above and exempted from the Law of our country. Garcilliano and Joc Joc Bolante now laugh and look down on the Filipino people. They can brag about how smart they were to get away with their schemes. GMA would deal with the devil himself, offering our country just to remain in power. My fellow Filipinos, whether you are a common citizen or a member of the military and PNP, we all have the same negative views of our country's leadership. We are all frustrated. However, I seriously believe that we are not prepared for another extra-constitutional change in leadership. The country's condition will probably just get even worse. The fact is we do not have a sufficient alternative to replace the GMA administration. We might end up with a leadership that is even more corrupt and inept. Or my greater fear is that it will splinter and destroy our Philippines. Marcos was the Philippines' nightmare for 20 long years. God/Allah, gave us the chance to prove ourselves capable by allowing EDSA 1 and 2. We were given these 20 years and yet we have failed. As a people, as a nation, we have failed. I was there for EDSA 1 and 2, with the courage and enthusiasm to support the change in leadership. There was no EDSA 3. If there was, I would not have gone out to support it. These are my thoughts then: 1) EDSA 1 produced the results I already mentioned. Cory is a good person but lacked the will to apply the law to her relatives. Corruption took hold within the administration, congress, judiciary, and local governments. FVR took over and we were left with a corrupt leader and the same corrupt government. He legitimized womanizing and made it acceptable in government. Our values deteriorated. Estrada merely continued FVR's legacy. 2) With EDSA 2, hopes were again raised but disappointment soon followed. Politicians merely changed parties and continued their plunder of the country's budget. Now we have a first family just as greedy and entrenched in the corruption. The corrupt officials, who were supposed to be removed by EDSA 2, merely became the opposition. There is no way I would respect these individuals to lead the government again. 3) The military/PNP leadership is also plagued by people just as corrupt and possessing the same womanizing values. Look at Gen. Garcia's case. The amounts in the hundreds of millions were shocking. There is still no conviction with the appropriate penalty. The magnitude of that crime is equivalent to plunder and the law prescribes death as a maximum penalty. There are also several sectors of the military that are guilty of civilian atrocities. 4) In terms of civil society and NGO's, time has proven that their leaders also had their own selfish agenda. The sector was weakened as it fell prey to corruption and politics. Dinky Soliman's mea culpa is an example. It was too little, too late. 5) Who will step up and lead with the complete trust and confidence of the Filipino people? I started thinking then: is this is a question of leadership or a question of our people's values? Within the government, in the military/PNP, and among the citizens, I know we still have a lot of good people. Why are they silent? Why are they not making their good values and voices heard? Why are they not testifying? Are we waiting for a HERO? I am just as guilty as most Filipinos. I was waiting for a hero. I wanted a quick solution to solve our problems but I was not willing to get involved. I was scared to come out and risk the uncertainty. There is no quick, easy, and painless solution. This solution involves me. It involves all of us. It will have to involve the Filipino people and it will take time. I will start by being brave enough to wear a ribbon with our flag's colors: blue, white, yellow, and red. I will wear it on me at all times. I will put it in my vehicles. It will be a sign of personal commitment. I want it to tell and show people, that now I will try to truly follow the law. I want to be a proud Filipino. If I see someone breaking the law, no matter how trivial, I will remind them that the law is both for you and me. If you see me breaking the law, remind me of my commitment. The ribbons will be a way to remind and force me to honor my commitment. A good Filipino named Alexander Ledesma Lacson outlined it so well in his book "12 Little Things Every Filipino Can Do To Help Our Country." I will try and follow these. I am an individual Filipino. I have no political ambitions. I just want a country at peace. A country whose leadership in reality serves the people, and not the other way around. I look forward to a country whose leaders don't go around bragging that they are God's/Allah's answer to its problems and that they are the best leader for the country, when in fact hunger and poverty prevail. They cannot even leave the palace or their homes if not surrounded by a sea of bodyguards. I do not want a country whose leader blames all but herself. I am an individual Filipino. If you are like me and believe in what I write, wear your ribbon of our flag's colors. It is not illegal for military/PNP or government men and women to wear these ribbons. Pass this letter around. I am sorry but my limitation with the languages does not allow me to communicate in the other dialects. Please help me if you can and translate it into the other dialects and then spread it around the Visayas and Mindanao. Our government has agencies and organizations; our civil society has numerous movements and organizations as well. There is no need to create more. What is needed are individuals with a commitment to work towards a good Philippines. No big flashy campaign, just something personal and heartfelt. This is not a quick solution. It will take time but it will be peaceful. Besides, we have wasted 40 years already. What we need are individuals who want to leave a good Philippines for their children. Pilipinas Kong Mahal, [email protected] March 01, 2006 MY REPLY. Next time, please have the courage of your conviction by attaching your full name to your opinion. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Sir ABAYA; Explicitly explained and boldly delivered! Just like a knight in shining armor executing a final and clean cut blow across the neck of the creeping head of this red serpent, the CPP/NPA. Others in the media community should focus instead in the "Chilling Effect" of this scenario (since you will be the first in the file inside the mass graves of enemies of the communist state) rather than what the government is trying to do to prevent this from happening. I just don't know how deep the media by itself been infiltrated. Nevertheless, as long as there is still "A Few Good Men" left standing (you, E.Jurado and the rest) with a crystal clear vision of the political scenes, these things will not pass un-noticed. From my view, if and when these forces succeed to overthrow the present government, either the reds manage to get control overall of the opposition forces' alliances or the country ends up in a civil war. Both of which is a nightmare for the Pinoy Nation. God bless you, all true knights of journalism, and please spread this crusade for the sake of our children and grandchildren. Ador Ramoso, [email protected] Atlanta, Georgia, March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This Communist BS is actually more like a broken record to many of us who are able to interact with people of all kinds of ideologies, beliefs and creeds, for over here in Japan, the communists and the socialists are not considered fugitives from the law but are equally capable of being useful citizens as those who call themselves democrats or liberal-democrats. I have pictures of Arroyo hobnobbing with these people she now calls "Communists" but who no longer refer to themselves as such like Satur Ocampo and Lisa Masa, who was in the foreront of the Oust Erap Movement in 2000-2001. EDSA 2, according to a friend, "was a sea of red flags." On both sides of the stage where the Midget took her oath as "Acting President of the Philippines" were flags of Gabriela and KMU, whose leaders she now wants incarcerated in order to validate her declaration of a state of emergency even when charges like that against Crispin Beltran had already been dropped in accordance with some amnesty granted to the ex-Communists by Cory Aquino. Talk of the proverbial "Dugong Aso"! I am not surprised. The Midget is definitely living up to this description of people from her province due to a similar treachery done by her forebears more than a century ago. BTW, I won't apologize for daring to call the Midget that and other derogatory name. Over here, in fact, we call lawbreakers, "criminals" which the Midget is as a matter of fact. Here, calling by phone an official in charge of an election is definitely considered a violation of the Election Code punishable by disqualification, imprisonment and fine. In the Bible it says, "He is proud, knowing nothing." (1 Tim 6:4) Yuko Takei, [email protected] Tokyo, Japan, March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya: Thank you for your sober analysis of the current situation in The Philippines! We expats are on edge over what's going on there, and through your column we start to see a bigger picture than what's in the news. Since Pres. Arroyo has declared a "state of national emergency," can martial law be far behind? Or is the former a covert name for the latter? The raiding of the Tribune offices is reminiscent of a similar raid on the offices of The Manila Times by goons in military uniforms of a bygone era! Please continue to keep us informed of what's really happening behind the headline news. Thank you! Rome Farol , [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww This is very eloquent, very erudite, Mr. Abaya. I am impressed, of course. Your discussion was very comprehensive, given this mind-boggling subject. I just wish to touch on the fact, however, that I don't think that Joma, et al, could impose themselves on the 7,107 islands and their 87 million inhabitants, including the 8 million who are in Diaspora and 8 million who are Muslims, just like that. (Henry Kissinger used to point out that in that most Catholic country, Poland, only four percent of the population were communist or pro-communist. Yet they managed to take over the entire country. About ten years ago, the Philippine military claimed that seven percent of all barangays were controlled or �influenced� by the CPP/NPA/NDF. That figure must now be over 12 percent. ACA) First, those whom you refer to as "naif" soldiers will re-organize and turn their sights on the NDF and its allies, assuming that they can get rid of Gloria and everything that she represents. America will encourage this for their own strategic reasons, especially the war against terrorism and their need to contain Al Qaeda and Jemaah Islamiyah. Result? A Suharto in Indonesia in 1965 when a high estimate of three million Indonesians perished, some were hacked to death by their neighbors, some were fed to hungry crocodiles. (Such a bloodbath would be morally and politically unjustifiable, and it would also be totally unnecessary. ACA) Of course, Suharto became No. 1 in the list of Transparency International. Will the National Democratic Front get international support? If ever, I don't think this support will come from the Filipinos in America. The Filipinos here will curse Joma and his group for rocking the boat and calling attention to themselves. (The NDF/NPA do not need international support. They get sufficient funds from �revolutionary taxes� as well as from the pork barrel of the party-list representatives. ACA.) How about the People's Republic of China? Will it send a million soldiers of the People's Liberation Army to help the NPA fight the Filipino soldiers and their allies, the American soldiers? (The PROC could conceivably send one million soldiers to recover Taiwan, but they will not send one blind, crippled and geriatric soldier to Luzon to help the NPA overthrow the Philippine government. ACA) Perhaps. In that case, the proxy war that I have been dreading would become real where the US and China will test their battlefield theories on the 7,107 islands and the effectiveness of their weapons, including weapons of mass destruction. This would be a process of "validating" the various scenarios of futurologists. Even if the NDF could field thousands of red-flag waving Filipinos from Baguio to Davao and can claim that they have 13,500 armed guerillas operating in so many fronts all over the country, I can only see a bleak future for our country. I am not enamored with Gloria and her ilk. Her presumed machinations to get elected which has been associated with massive corruption is almost unimaginable. But in the Philippines, anything can happen. But I was not jumping with ecstasy either because a high school dropout who was going to be dictated upon by Angara et al might have been a better replacement to Gloria. I know you do not have a high regard for our ex UP President, Dr. Jose Abueva. I don't even know if you have any regard for him at all. But his group and what they have done -- with certain modifications -- could provide us with a possible way by which a bloodbath can be avoided. There has to be a less bloody way out not only for Gloria, but for all of us -- the 87 million Filipinos as well as the innocent believers in a dream society where the ruling principle would be: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs." Cesar Torres, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Mr. Abaya, Another excellent article! [email protected] Feb. 28, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Why don't you initiate a credible on-line petition or polls on the establishment of a National ID System and Abolition of the Senate? Credible in a way where an authentic identification like, say, passport number, shall be required, because we don't want paid bugger just simply clicking all day long in favor of the Senate. Perhaps you can target OFWs or Pinoy immigrants because we are in a position to render judges impartially as we are virtually out of reach by the TRAPOS influence. Thank you and GODSPEED. Joe Dominno, [email protected] Singapore, March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Dear Mme. Arsenio: Please refer to your posting concerning Mr. Antonio C. Abaya, which is reproduced below. Mr. Antonio C. Abaya, whom I have known since the 60s, belongs to the Abaya family of Cagayan de Oro that controls Cagayan Electric. Mr. Abaya is a man of independent means. A journalism graduate of Ateneo de Manila, he also holds a chemistry degree from Northwestern University. He is the author of Europe by Scooter and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Communism. He is the founder and Chair of Foundation for Transparency and Public Accountability Today and Tomorrow, Inc. - also known as TAPATT Foundation Inc. TAPATT is a non-stock, non-profit, non-partisan NGO focused on demanding transparency and accountability in and from government. I am not an apologist for Mr. Abaya and neither is he an apologist for GMA. I have known Mr. Abaya to be strongly independent in his commentaries. During the Marcos years, his bookstore Erehwon, carried books which were deemed 'subversive'. On Feb. 14, 2006, Mr. Abaya wrote: " In 'Uncle Dick and Ate Glo', I had written that 'The Americans are looking for a New Magsaysay. Assuming they find one soon, I would not be surprised if Uncle Dick (Cheney) were to give Ate Glo a choice. Either abdicate soon and be assured of safe refuge in the US, with all assets intact. Or resist and be thrown to the wolves and risk losing everything. Which will it be?'" Perhaps, oblivious of the security implications or after calculated risk analysis, people might decide to resort to dangerous courses of action, e.g., aligning with the Reds in the case of Lee Quan Yu and eventually edging them out after grabbing power. In short, Mr. Abaya is an independent-minded writer who speaks out candidly and is not subservient to the establishment or special interests. Victor S. Barrios, [email protected] San Francisco, California, March 01, 2006 ================= On 2/28/06, Global Filipinos <[email protected]> wrote: To: [email protected] Ernie: I remember receiving Abaya's articles/write ups in the past 4 years . I found him a defender of GMA. The Filipino people are not too idiot to allow communism in the country. I doubt if he is saying that the women like TRiccie Sison-a professor, psychologist and a well read like the other women he mentioned are too idiot to just support the communist because they are angry at GMA. I just wonder how is he related with the pro admin Cong.Abaya now the budget secretary? (I am not related to him. I don�t even know him or of him. ACA) During election or even before that, he also wrote a lot of things against GMA's opponents. Sorry, I really do not believe him and people should be more cunning in getting into the prey of both sides. Lou wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ACA, With all the bravado in front of TV cameras, Teddy Casino showed his conceit bragging that he wears like a badge of courage the honor to be called an enemy of GMA. Since when are communist anarchists not enemy of the state? After all that bluster and raised clenched fists for everybody to see, why are the "heroes" of the left so deathly afraid to be arrested? Having said that, they immediately turned to their colleagues in Congress screaming to be saved from illegal arrest. Did they not commit illegal acts for which they are being arrested? I thought these perpetually anti-government antagonists were prepared to sacrifice and die for their cause. What a farce. Cesar M. de los Reyes, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Mr. Abaya's analysis is very logical, from my point of view anyway, based on international realities and the collapse of "Communism" in Eastern Europe, in Nicaragua and even in China and in Indochina. Based on the title of his column, he is almost sarcastic. We are not exactly ignoramuses. But having a "United Front" composed of the Right and the Left just so Gloria is ousted or even killed, seems difficult to understand. I reacted to this column and told Mr. Abaya that assuming that Gloria and her ilk have been taken out, the next item in the agenda would have been these two armed groups shooting each other. The soldiers will not shoot each other. They will shoot everybody else before they shoot each other. And it is almost a certainty that the anti-Gloria military will get the support of Karl Rove and Rumsfeld. Would the NDF get the support of the People's Liberation Army? What do you think? Would the Filipinos in America risk everything to provide moral and other support to the "Communists", as Mr. Abaya condescendingly refers to them? My answer: They will just curse them for rocking the boat and bringing attention to themselves. Would the non-Filipino Americans support the NDF? Don't know. There is only gloom in the Philippines Ado, Mr. Arrieta. (Mr. Arrieta, I have been drafting something in response to you.) My anxiety these days is this: Eventually, Gloria is going to be discarded. And who will take over? Would it be the NDF "Communists" or Laban ng Masa? It would be the Military and their oligarchic supporters and the powerful in America. I am just hoping that we can avoid a bloodbath. We need to save our lives and resources so that we can declare war on Vanuatu. Cesar Torres, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww ACA, I'd like to share with you an email I just sent to Enteng Romano of eLagda. Dear Mr. Romano, Thank you for your invitation. I regret I cannot join you this time. If Edsa Uno was successful it was because the Communist left were significantly left out save for a few. Today we see a lot of them everywhere, even in the halls of Congress. You see them in all democratic rallies. Now they have succeeded in joining forces and formed alliances with some disgruntled military and well- meaning civil society groups. The mix is dangerous. History tells us communism is destructive. Anything the communists had done resulted only in chaos. You were successful in gathering the people in Edsa Dos, but I doubt if you will this time because of the communists in our midst. This is the fundamental reason why people no longer want to go to the streets. Many people now realize the futility of changing governments by unconstitutional means. It is no guarantee that such actions would produce a better leader. I can understand the antipathy of many towards the government leadership. We have laws to address those problems. Let us stick to the laws, but not be a hindrance to good governance. There is great danger that the obstinate few may destroy us all. The problems of the country today are deeply rooted in poverty. We have been trying to resolve a political problem with political solutions and nothing worked. For a change, I would like to see the politicial problem resolved by economic solutions. It has not been tried but I believe if the country is able to recover its economy to the fullest and people have jobs and contented the political problem will resolve itself. Let's all work for the economic solution and give this country a chance for peace. Cesar M. de los Reyes, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Same gripes, same issues, same characters. They rush to every occasion where the TV cameras are aimed at. They blamed everybody except themselves. They never stop with their ministrations. The politicians. The so-called civil society. The communists and their legal fronts. So deeply divided in ideology but united in one consuming desire: to topple a common enemy � Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. They plotted her ouster almost a year ago. They shamelessly conspired to overthrow her through people power, which never materialized. It never did because the military and the police have nothing to do with their selfish and dubious scheme. They failed and then failed again. Recently, they realized that their plot would never succeed without military backing. Obviously they revised their strategy. They lured the military and baited them to get them to their trap. They feasted on the idealism of the young officers and the discontent of senior officers, including generals who felt they are left out in when the stars fell. Some were subjected to endless intrigues. But who knows some succumbed to the promise of glib politicians who always had the gift of sway. One day soon our military men will realize that they are being used as peons by the scheming politicians. By the looks of things, it is becoming apparent that the only factor remaining, which keeps our nation intact, is in fact the military. Soon they will realize that they have the power to assume leadership of this fragile democracy. If the protesting left and legitimate opposition have not realized that yet and continue to cajole the military to oust their Commander-in-Chief, then all of us will wake up one day soon that we are under a military junta. Some quarters described the State of National Emergency and the crackdown and arrests of suspected conspirators to topple the Arroyo government as reminiscent of martial law excesses. Well, they have not seen the likes of it. What has been happening so far is fiesta and television extravaganza. Where the ABS-CBN klieg lights are, we see a throng of exactly the same faces rushing to the arena. Arrests were done, but looks like they were merely tender tap on the knees of those concerned. But if things turn from bad to worse, we will likely get the bogeyman we created. For some people who have gotten tired of politics the military in the helm of government is starting to become a viable option. Menardo Wenceslao, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I really can't understand why Cory, kung kailan tumanda ay naging political prostitute. (Apology to Vic Corpuz for borrowing his term). She has been sleeping with anyone and everyone who would like GMA ousted. She and her company are naive if they think they will survive a military or communist regime post GMA. Ang Tanga!!!!! Rosario Billano, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I have always read your emails with great interest. Communism is evil. The question now facing you and I and those who know communism for the unrelenting evil that it is, is this: "What prompt action must we now take to defend this, our democracy?" If you should decide that now is the time for an active defense of our democracy by the more aggressive use of knowledge and intelligence, then tell me. I will fight with you. Art Villasanta, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Even if there was a tactical alliance, it would not last. So deep is the antipathy of the military to communism that it would fail. Note how the likes of Lacson hate the guts of once Red Victor Corpuz. It is different from some Latin American countries where there were Reds in high military positions, But there government did not last. These noises are more puerile than a threat to anything. Ross Tipon, [email protected] Baguio City, March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Whew! Well-said, well-said, Tony. Carlos G. Baniqued, [email protected] March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Some of them may be naive. But you would be naive yourself to think that any such alliance would ultimately result in the communists taking over this country. Everyone in that alliance obviously plan to drop each other as soon as Gloria's out. Which means the cute communists would never really succeed in going mainstream. It would never happen. The people would never support it. Which means your painting of a Maoist Philippines is really more abstract than realistic.... Fernando Lapongga, [email protected] March 02, 2006 MY REPLY. Henry Kissinger once remarked that in very Catholic Poland only four percent of the population were communist or pro-communist, yet they wound up taking full control of the country. Was Kissinger na�ve, too? wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Good day! I read your article 'Sleeping with the Communists' and this is really very interesting. While I read on, I kept on continuously reading 'til the last paragraph which is very enlightening, especially to those who do not understand what 'communism' is all about. I sympathize with you and I agree with what you have said in your article. As a form of my appreciation to it, I will disseminate it widely to my colleagues and friends thru the internet. Prime Delta, [email protected] March 02, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony! I just got this very article, Sleeping with the Communists, forwarded to me by some people in the US military. I kid you not! Jose Custodio, [email protected] March 03, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I fully agree with some of the points you raised here, Sleeping with the Communists. First, I agree that Joma does not tolerate dissenters. That is the reason why in their Great Debate (in the early 90's) there was a division in the CPP into what is now known as the RPA composed of those who did not agree with the policies of Joma. Those who were perceived as injectors of new ideas, were asked to go - take it or leave it per se. The CPP believes that the government can kill some or all of them but it cannot kill their idea - it will be taken up by others whom they recruit and their fight will continue until their mission is fulfilled - the freedom from hunger and want of the poor people of the Philippines - the peasant revolution to achieve their goals. Another point is that those who are the leading officers of the NDF, the political arm of the CPP are the ones who are slated to head the transition governmentt (should this ever happen that the CPP with its armed contingent, the NPA, succeeds to take over). All these happenings that lead to the Proclamation of 1017 is not being understood by the GMA administration. Rather, the people's cries are being ignored. Why is there unrest in the military? Any reason? First, the military officers have not indicated to be President of the Philippines, not yet that we heard any of them except during the time of Marcos that FVR and Senator Enrile had presidential ambitions. That led to Marcos booted out of Malacanang. Why did the Hyatt 10 resign? Was there any one of them who wanted to replace GMA? No, for what I now know. They just wanted an honest, truthful, dedicated public service that they themselves tried to maintain. I remember Loida Nicolas Lewis, the Filipino-American billionaire who runs more than 120 stores chain in China, saying in Cebu Global Conference of Filipinos last Jan. 2005, to Pres. GMA, at the Ayala Trading compound (I was in that reception sitting at a table next to the Presidential table), that (not an exact quote) we just want you to run this country honestly, truthfully, and for the welfare of the Filipinos, and we will be behind you! Again last Feb. 3, Loida Nicolas Lewis was keynote speaker at the National Inner Wheel Clubs of the Philippines Inc. at the Manila Hotel Fiesta Pavilion, before an audience of more or less 1,000 female delegates nationwide that "there is nothing wrong with GMA, but there is something wrong with us". I interpret it this way - whatever is happening to us in this country is really up to us. We are the kind of people who build this kind of government. "Us" also means those who govern and those who are governed. Including the leaders, they are the epitomes of our past.present and who continue to shape our future. It's about time we tire of them or they relegate themselves to their own time. They had their chance and they cannot convince us that they'd do otherwise than what they did before. Our son who was 12 years old when he left the Philippines in 1981 and had just returned to RP for three weeks in January (25 years away from home) said, in his young unadulterated thinking, "the Filipinos had their one and only chance to undo the vestiges of abuse and corruption under Marcos when he got deposed in 1986, but AQUINO blew it up". The corrupt elements before Marcos declared Martial Law who fled to foreign countries after 1972, including Aquino, returned after 1986 and since then they governed this country - not to change it but to corrupt it further and further and further up to this time. I agree, and for all that Cory Aquino stands for, the 1987 Constitution provides protection for her own interest, the Hacienda Luisita, from being granted to tenants in a weird arrangement that purports ownership of the vast tracts of sugar lands. Notwithstanding the fact that the Agrarian Reform Law was intended to dismantle landed estates, the 1987 Constitution even protects her and the landholdings of the Arroyos in Negros Island which were named after corporations that were created to hide their direct ownership. The business of governance is a serious business. It can only be fully appreciated by following the law and the rules that implement them. It rests upon full respect of the individuals who perceive their roles as public servants and respect for the decisions that they make in the course of discharging their sworn duties. It makes people sad when their public servants do not do their jobs. I have been a public servant for 12 years (1962-1974) and served one more year under Martial Law (1972-1974). The first thing Marcos did - to assert his authority under the new regime - through Letters of Instructions and Presidential Decrees - asked all heads of departments, agencies, quasi-government corporations, and those with pending undecided cases of corruption, malversation, other charges that prejudice their integrity as public servants that are pending and undecided in courts and other agencies that handle cases against govt. public servants and civil service cases against employees - TO RESIGN VOLUNTARILY or they will be removed thru cause. Many executives and his presidential appointees from 1965 resigned from public service. When we speak of checks and balances - that the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary Branches of government are on equal footing - that neither one exceeds the authority of the other - subject to checks and balances in their acts - how come the Executive Branch, particularly President GMA, ignores the authority of Congress and suppresses the process of checking and balancing her acts? That there is no respect of the President for the authority of Congress, and other cabinet officials defying orders to appear before Senate during inquiries vital to the institution of public order and accountability? I stare with awe but think with great dismay upon the progress that Korea has made within the last decade. The City of Incheon in Korea is a showcase of governance that is not easy to task - the infrastructure that is well-planned, designed, and a well-coordinated city planning is one example of a government working to enrich its people with facilities and the convenience of good living. Another example is right here in our city which we call home - Little Rock, Arkansas. The once little airport in 1981 has grown to a spectacular public facility of an airport and looking at the gleaming steel beams and lamp posts, a sprawling modern parking building, baggage claim renovations, and well-lighted roads as one leaves the airport, I get so depressed thinking of the airports in the Philippines - wala sa kamalingkingan - dahil the construction of any public works projects is riddled with scams, overpricing, overestimates, kickbacks, processing takes for fund release - imagine the Diosdado Macapagal Expressway costing P800 MILLION PESOS PER KILOMETER OF A HIGHWAY? Think of that high-rise tower behind the Quezon City Hall that is held back from being finished - up to somewhere like 20 floors, more or less, already up, the construction was questioned due to allegations that Quezon City Hall funds was used while the building is supposedly privately owned - individual or corporation. What a waste. Also think of the new airport terminal across the old NAIA which cannot be opened due to questions regarding misuse of funds or anomalies in financing contracts? Even court orders to settle the controversy is not respected by the parties in the litigation - the government vs. PIATCO. Here in the US, as President Bush continues to ignore the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, many states are now taking the task to deal with the imminent problem now being felt - drier winters, long summer droughts, dwindling water supplies, warmer winters - cannot wait for the federal government to act. My bottomline is - we cannot wait for the Philippine government to solve our deep problems - we take it upon ourselves to do some or most of the solutions confronting the population. We cannot let GMA put words in our mouth while she reaps the gains from it - such as Declaration of Fiscal Crisis - that resolved in less than 30 days. Declaration of a State of National Emergency - there is no national emergency such as incidence of rebellion and treason, and coup d'tat It had not happened at all. It is not even a pre-emptive declaration that would warrant her to react in response to the situation. Example - when the Twin Towers were hit in Sept. 2001 - from the findings of the investigation regarding the perpetrators of that dastardly act - the US response could very well have been a "pre-emptive strike" which means - direct response to the hitting of the Twin Towers, etc. Even in the light of that 9/11, there was no Declaration of National Emergency - only the alert levels changed from bad to worse, vice versa. In the same token of citizen protection, THE US GOVERNMENT GUARANTEED THE PROTECTION OF EVERY AMERICAN CITIZEN AS IT FOCUSES ON OUTSIDE ELEMENTS THAT LED TO THE 9/11 ATTACK. There was no overt act that warrants the Declaration of National Emergency. However, if it were warranted to declare such state of emergency, the PHILIPPINE GOVERNMENT SHOULD GUARANTEE THE PROTECTION OF EVERY FILIPINO CITIZEN and not to engage in warrantless arrests of government officials and innocent citizens. GMA LITERALLY BIT THE HANDS THAT FEED HER! The Filipino people whom she sought to love and to cherish - to protect from harm and from sadness, and to hold dear till her term is over. Does she? We are the hands that feed her! Elsa Bayani, [email protected] Little Rock, Arkansas, March 01, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, Thanks for the insight. I am attaching a short article that I wrote about the current issues and hope that it may add to your wealth of information. Jesse Alto, [email protected] March 01, 2006 OPPORTUNITY FOR CHANGE Jesse D. Alto Some people of the Philippines are again expressing a call for change in the leadership of the government similar to when the people initiated EDSA One bloodless revolution in 1986. The change in government leadership was successfully repeated during the EDSA TWO revolution in 2002. The change in the leadership of government in the first two bloodless revolutions was triggered by perceived abuses of those in power, cheating in the election votes, and corruption in government. The people twice supported successfully the effort expecting that the new government will learn from such leadership abuses and excesses. The renewed call for change in the leadership of the government is again initiated by some who perceive that the present leadership in government cannot be morally trusted by the examples being shown in ferreting out the truth on the charges involving anomalies charged on some high ranking government officials, vote padding in the last election; and the same corruption is perceived to be prevalent as it was during the first two EDSA revolutions. The present attempts by some disgruntled sectors of the society so far to gather people to participate in the changing of the present leadership have not gain enough following from the masses, the middles class in particular, since many are yet unsure that there are a few who can really be given such authority and responsibility for the much needed reform and trust to govern the nation. Many middle class who supported the first two successful EDSA revolutions consider several leaders in oppositions who are aspiring to take over the government have the same records of dishonesty and selfish interest and will perform the same as the present one once given the rule of government. Some are now resigned to the idea that those aspiring to be in power will just be as corrupt as those whom they want replaced. A few accept the popularity of the �taglish� Filipino saying �Weather, weather lang yan;� or �Pana-panahon lang yan;� a fatalist approach and the acceptance of the perpetual corruption facing the present problem of our nation. Those in government also charged that some of those who want a reform in government even try to cooperate with the communist group to topple the government. Is this a sign that the country will be in turmoil in a much longer period of time? The solution to the problems get bleaker in the long run if we consider that the present youth is not being given right priority in education both in intellectual and in more serious part, the moral and ethical aspect of education. In fact the problem is worse by the example shown by some immoral and untrustworthy leadership examples shown by those leaders in government. Furthermore, the drug addiction perpetuated by unscrupulous businessmen and blindly tolerated by some government officials in exchange for grease money resulted in the unabated spread and increase of drug addiction that are sipping in and affecting many sectors of the society. This aggravates the ethical and moral reforms needed. In spite of the said problems, the present leadership in government that is perceived to still enjoy the majority support of the people can take advantage of the present opportunity for the much needed reform and change. The fact as some say that the majority of the middle class group of the society have so far not supported the effort of some to change through another revolution the present administration, the present leadership through sincere effort to be trustworthy and by exercising strong political will can drastically cut down corruption by implementing the laws forcefully against its perpetuators from within its own party and supporters, and from the opposition promptly without delay. In the implementation of the laws, those in power can offer some kind of amnesty or negotiated settlement, within specified time and period, for all those who committed corruptions in the past and present so long as they commit firmly to reform and stop their illegal practices and pay certain amount of money to the government in term of taxes commensurate to the amount perceived to be illegally earned, without penalty and civil and criminal charges. After a certain deadline date required paying such penalty, all will be treated alike to comply strictly and fast without delay the force of the laws of the land. A consensus and or a coalition to this strong will to reform can be negotiated politically by those in power and those in oppositions for effective implementation by passing a law or issuing an executive order of such for implementation, which is legal and practicable. After all, no one or very few of those in power or in the opposition can claim that they are totally clean from abuses in power or corruption to some extent while holding power in government. The Philippines then can experience a brand new social and political system without revenge and political backlash to worry about. Are we not reminded in the Bible about Jesus challenging anyone who is accusing Mary Magdalene to cast the first stone on her those that are totally clean of wrongdoings? This solution to grant amnesty on corruption so long as one will reform and create leadership trust later may be a far fetch approach but still a solution if those in power and the opposition have the political will to reform the governance of the nation. This can initiate and prove to the public that the leaders in government meant well to regain the trust and confidence of the people. Later, once the tax evaders start paying taxes and penalties, and law breakers go to jail, all will obey the law and so will bring peace and order to our nation. At present, those in power will be questioned declaring a state of national emergency and the effort to change the constitution. These are natural process in trying to enforce a reform and changes in the laws especially by those who perceive the untrustworthiness of those in power. The strong political will for the implementation of the needed reform and changes will be tested by these oppositions and must be welcome so long as the objective and motivation to reform the leaders in government is sincere, true and pure. Once the above issues are resolved, the leaders in government can then focus the work in creating social and economic activities that will rebound to the prosperity of the nation. There is a need to address the poverty, health, and ignorance of the people so that all citizens are given opportunity to decently live and to contribute their best for the welfare of the whole. In the economic side, there is a need for the nation to find products that will find its niche in the global market. We need to produce products that are competitively price and within acceptable quality that the global community need. Otherwise we will be left behind farther and farther away economically from the rest. According to Thomas Friedman in his recent book �The world is Flat� there is a fast changing way of doing business in recent years. Fast deliveries, cost competitiveness, and ready availability of products are essential in global market. Many companies are now aware of this changing business model and are recasting their way of doing business according to this change. As a whole, the leaders of the nation need to gain the trust and confidence of the people, provide the necessary discipline and order and respect and obedience to the laws of the land, and provide a business climate necessary for the investors and business to flourish and do business in the nation.***** OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |
| Sir Tony, Please forgive me for the indescretion but sir the military is not that naive. We have a lot of scholars who are well learned on the topic of communism. In fact, Col Fermin De Leon's (PMA 77) dissertation deconstructed the Philosophy of Jose Maria Sison. There are a lot of graduates of PMA who are adept in thepPhilosophical enterprise of marx and lenin. The Idea in itself does not bother the military conservative psyche. The military to me I believe should not consider communism as a disease but rather as philosphy that would try to explain the flights of the poor and why the problem of insurgents persist in our country even though the time seems already inappropriatte. Imagine that our insurgency is now becoming the model of other countries insurgents. Common enemy to unite a warring faction is not a new concept. But if there is a chance of success, and if there is a cure that would help heal the wounds that would later on merely leave a scar behind a smile of peace and prosperity. The Question then is why not? Vonne Villanueva, [email protected] March 04, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Excellent! This should be beamed at the highest decibel possible to the communists, naive burgis and idealistc Magdalo warriors "in da istupid Pilipins" and to Comrade JOMA who fights for the dictatorship of the proletariat in the safe haven of capitalistic Utrecht. Peace and Joy Every Conscious Moment! Tom and Ruth de Guzman, [email protected] March 06, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |
| Dear ACA, Thank you for sending me this, I really appreciate it. My only comment on this .........This communist group is very few in numbers. If the government is really serious to keep them quiet or eradicate them as threats to the democratic government, they could do this in a "zap"...but why they are not doing this? What are the intelligence division of the AFP doing? They have unlimited budget to gather information to keep them abreast of whatever this group is doing and planning to do. This keeps me wondering...is the government agency in cahoots with them? In order to keep the budget to fill their pocket? Or to have an alibi to issue this "state of emergency"? Guillermo Mateo, [email protected] March 07, 2006 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, I truly enjoy reading your articles, most especially the ones about communism (i.e. the Brown Mao series). As an idealistic college student and volunteer (we taught kids in an urban poor community) not too long ago, I, too, found solace in leftist rhetoric whenever I tried to make sense of the rampant injustices I saw in the little world I moved in. Deep inside, however, I also felt that there was something amiss about communism -- for it flew in the face of human nature and the practical realities of daily life. I figured that human evolution has somehow programmed "greed" (or its more recent descendant, the "profit motive") into human nature (They say greed is good? But nature does not even distinguish between good and bad.) to enhance one's chances of survival. Perhaps we are all born capitalists, and communism (and altruism and hedonism and all other -isms) is just something we learn along the way? Because we are "moral" animals, etc. Capitalism in its wildest or purest state (God save us from dog-eats-dog globalization) may be a cruel jungle, but it is perhaps the natural order of things. If so, the whims of the market are too powerful a force of nature for communism to defeat roundly. Tame it, maybe, like what the social democrats and civil society are doing? While I continue to believe in man's innate goodness, the real world I discovered after college turned out to be a harsh (if not deadpan) teacher. I slowly shed off my leftist inclinations, more so after I became an OFW in China several years ago. In Shanghai, almost every young Chinese I know (from the suit monkey types to the xiao-long-bao-hawker kind) are avowed capitalists. They cannot imagine, for the life of them, ever going back to their parents' brush with the Cultural Revolution. This despite their continued allegiance to the communist government. "Socialism with Chinese characteristics" does not really seem that socialist anymore. But it doesn't seem that "capitalist evil", either. Sure, the transition is not without problems and China is always on the brink of social unrest, given the widening gap between the rich and poor. But in general, most Chinese seem to agree that they could work together in promoting prosperity and harmony in society, without necessarily "imposing" communist-style "equality". It is quite an eye-opener, really, and as I watch firsthand how China rides on the wave of capitalism to emerge as the world's next economic superpower, all eyes are on the "other" giant, India. Like the Philippines, India also has a "proud" democratic tradition and a burgeoning communist movement. But it seems that some Indian communists are following the Chinese example and are having a change of heart. Please see below an excerpt from an article that came out in Forbes magazine (ok, consider the source) in October of last year. It quotes the chief minister of West Bengal, which is the heartland of the Indian Communist Party. His pronouncements remind me of Deng's famous line, "we had it all wrong, comrades". Curiously, the paragraphs I've marked in blue below, which contain most of his heretical statements, can be found in the print edition of the magazine but are omitted in the online edition. No erratum was published explaining the omission. Having read this article, do you then think it's possible for some Filipino communists (particularly the younger, presumably more open-minded, ones) to also tone down their hard-line stance and cooperate with more moderate forces for the good of the country? If yes, then "sleeping with the communists" can't be that bad. It might even be a small step towards better things. Like you said, violence is not the answer. Perhaps a "better idea" could win them over? Given their respective countries' similar size and scale, the communists in communist China are showing the communists in democratic India that it is, after all, possible to tame the market beast. Perhaps, the communists in democratic Philippines can also learn something from their communist brothers in communist Vietnam? Maybe I'm being naive, too. But I continue to believe that many communists (except those who espouse violence) have only the best intentions for our countrymen. It's just that we follow different means to attain the same end. In the final analysis, however, I am inclined to think that humankind's eventual redemption can be found neither in the left nor in the right because, as in most things, the "truth" is somewhere in between. Best regards and keep on writing! Ryan Maniago, [email protected] March 07, 2006 ** http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/10/31/8359173/index.htm India on the move (In India) some communists have begun to recognize the absurdity of the party's position. This summer, while the leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) decried the perils of privatization and imperialist domination of the corner grocery, the chief minister of West Bengal--his party's heartland--was touring Southeast Asia to drum up foreign investment. The minister, Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, stopped first in Singapore, where he invited business leaders to invest in Calcutta's river ports and help fund a new airport. "We are not fools to ignore the changes taking place in the world," he assured them. "We have keenly studied China's policies, and we have learned." In Jakarta he met with representatives of Indonesia's largest business conglomerate to finalize a $10 billion investment in his state. "We know that it will take some time to convince people we are serious, but we are sincere in our desire for more foreign direct investment both in industry and infrastructure," Bhattacharjee says, honing his pitch a few weeks later in his Calcutta office. "This is a safe place to do business." Bhattacharjee's party has ruled West Bengal without significant opposition since 1977 and is revered for pushing through bold land reforms that empowered low-income farmers. But over the years the party's dogmatic approach to business drove private industry away. Now Bhattacharjee--a silver-haired playwright with a penchant for traditional white dhoti kurtas and the novels of Gabriel Garc�a M�rquez--is trying to coax the capitalists back. "China has taken the correct stand," he says. "They have learned from the mistakes of the Russians, where we have not. They have seen that socialism can be compatible with markets and that state ownership need not be the only model for development. Now they are an economic power, and they are bargaining from a position of strength." Bhattacharjee--"Buddha," as he is known in the Indian press--argues that investing in a state where communists call the shots makes business sense. "Our involvement with the trade unions is an advantage," he says. "Workers support this government. And we are trying to change their mindset." Investors are beginning to change their mindset, too. Japan's Mitsubishi Chemical is expanding its multibillion-dollar plant in West Bengal. And Frito-Lay recently opened a potato-chip factory. Bhattacharjee has plenty of detractors. In Jharna Pramanik, a settlement of 5,000 families encamped along the railway tracks near Lake Calcutta, residents charge that the Communist Party has sold them out. "How come this government of so-called Marxists is giving away land to rich foreigners but can't manage a few acres to resettle people like us?" demands one squatter, Koshalya Chatterjee. Stilll, Buddha is expected to win reelection next year with little difficulty. Because West Bengal is the party's operational center, a source of both votes and money, some analysts see him as the best hope for reining hardliners resisting reform. "In Delhi, they know they can't afford to overlook the agenda of local leaders in Bengal," says Shekhar Gupta, editor of the Indian Express. Indian politicians often profess affinity for the elephant--huge and plodding, but capable of movements that shake the earth. If Buddha has his way, the tiger--fearless and quick, the mascot of choice in Asia's other economies and all but extinct in India--may soon be making a comeback.***** wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww |