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| Snap Elections or Revolution? By Antonio C. Abaya Written June 22, 2005 For the Philippines Free Press, July 02 issue The present political crisis, first brought about by revelations about alleged payoffs by jueteng operators to the eldest son and a brother-in-law of President Arroyo, then amplified by the sudden release of CDs of apparently eavesdropped conversations between President Arroyo and a Comelec commissioner, taped more than a year ago, is not likely to find resolution or closure through the mere act of stonewalling on the part of GMA. She has been mortally wounded. Her credibility has been shredded into a thousand pieces and can not be put together again and look like new. Her electoral mandate in 2004 is under a very dark cloud because of massive cheating in those elections, even though, as I have repeated in this space several times, she would likely still have emerged the true winner in an honest count, but only by a very thin margin, certainly not by more than a million votes. (I am at present trying to gather data on the disenfranchisement of up to four million voters, which seems to have been the other half of the cheating process, less publicized but no less insidious than the padding of certificates of canvass [COCs]). And speaking of those one million votes � exactly 1,097,937 in the Comelec tally, and exactly 1,123,576 in the Congress tally, both based on padded COCs � with which she allegedly won over FPJ, it is more than a passing coincidence that in one of those now infamous �Hello, Garci!� conversations, a voice that sounded like that of GMA expressed concern that her winning margin might not reach one million. And a voice that sounded like that of Comelec Commissioner Garcillano assured her that it would. And, voila, it did! As that song in the musical Damn Yankees goes, �Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.� It is now also more than a passing coincidence that the same two voices, in other conversations, discussed some problems with the tabulations in places like Lanao del Sur, Tawi Tawi, Sulu and Basilan, provinces that are located in the very same regions that saw the most fraud through the padding of COCs.. As readers may recall, in my article of June 08, titled �Cheating in 2004,� I mentioned that my friend Obet Verzola compared, region by region, the extrapolated totals of Namfrel (based on election returns from the precincts) with the totals of Comelec (based on easily faked COCs), and found �huge� discrepancies in Western Mindanao (396.85%), the ARRM (310.07%) and Northern Mindanao (128.33%), and a �major� discrepancy in Central Mindanao (62.79%), all in favor of GMA. The �Hello, Garci!� conversations have provided anecdotal confirmation of the fraud uncovered through hard analysis of the statistics by Verzola and I in May-June 2004. Namfrel secretary-general Guillermo Luz, speaking in a recent press forum, said that �We never said no fraud was committed, that there was no fraud committed in the elections. We said if there were allegations of fraud, we did not see a large enough scale of fraud to materially affect the elections�We did not see enough fraud to tell us that the election results would (have been) different�.� (Philippine Star, June 23). Luz is apparently taking silent umbrage in the conclusion reached separately by Verzola and I in May-June 2004 that, based on the Namfrel�s own data, President Arroyo would likely still have won in an honest count, but by a very slim margin, not by more than a million votes. Verzola put this real winning margin at 354,084 votes (based on election returns from the precincts as collated by Namfrel itself), compared to 1,097,937 votes in the Comelec and 1,123,576 votes in the Congressional canvass (based on easily faked certificates of canvass, especially in Mindanao), or a difference of 743,853 or 769,492 votes. If these 750,000-odd votes had merely been added (dagdag) to GMA�s real total, then removing them from the Comelec�s and Congress� tallies would restore her winning margin at 350,000-odd votes. But if these 750,000-odd votes had also been shaved off (bawas) FPJ�s real totals, then restoring them to FPJ�s totals would have put him ahead of GMA in an honest final count. But we will never know which scenario held true, unless the election returns of Namfrel were opened and their totals compared with the COCs of Comelec and Congress, especially in the four fraud-prone regions of Mindanao. Besides, massive cheating is massive cheating, no matter who committed it or benefited from it, and no matter if it would or would not have materially affected the final results. Where did Luz learn his moral ethics? At the Makati Business Club? So how are we going to remedy the crisis brought about by this fraud? The electoral protest filed by the losing candidate with the Presidential Electoral Tribunal died with him and cannot be resurrected. Snap elections? But who will supervise those snap elections? The same Comelec that was responsible for the fraud in 2004 in the first place, with the help of the same Namfrel that chose to remain silent about that fraud and thus became a party to it? You�ve got to be kidding! Well, then, what about a new Comelec? Comelec is a constitutional body and its commissioners can be removed only by impeachment by Congress. Who is going to impeach the incumbent commissioners? The same Congress that railroaded the tabulation of padded COCs in 2004 and, in effect, gave its imprimatur to the work of these same commissioners? Whom they will now impeach? You�ve got to be kidding! And who will name the new commissioners to a new Comelec, a function reserved for the President? The same President who benefited from massive fraud in 2004 and who may want to run again in a snap election, if only to try to vindicate her name and recover her place in history by securing a new mandate? You�ve got to be kidding! President Arroyo should instead gather her inner strength, face the nation and apologize and beg forgiveness for her mistakes and her willful transgressions, and gracefully resign. But the likelihood of that happening is somewhere between �very remote� to �impossible.� More and more, the rationale for a revolutionary government is becoming inescapable. But the question is: Who will be the so-called �primus inter pares� in the revolutionary council that will be the heart and brains of a revolutionary government? If it is going to be Jejomar Binay at the controls, with JV Ejercito pulling strings behind the cockpit, forget it. It will never fly. The middle class will puke all over that �revolution�. The Churches, the business and professional communities, the NGOs, the communists, the media, the idealistic members of the military and the police will never support such a 64-carat farce. Neither will, I am sure, Susan Roces nor Eddie Villanueva,. That �revolutionary government� will not survive more than a few days. Stick to cleaning the esteros of Makati, Jojo. Revolution may be in over your head. ***** Reactions to [email protected] or fax 824-7642. Other articles in www.tapatt.org OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Reactions to �Snap Elections or Revolution?� Mr. Abaya, Impressive, succinct, logical analysis of this situation. As I have stated here several times, I voted for Gloria, for Loren Legarda, for Senator Pimentel, and for Amina Rasul. For Partylist I voted for Bayan Muna because I was in a hurry to go to the rest room of the Philippine Consulate in San Francisco, not because of the tenuous relationship that it has with the bakya-wearing group in the Netherlands, but because I thought that the participation of a group whose ideals and beliefs are different from those of Gen. Carlos Garcia and the corrupt in Philippine society could be a good counterpoint to the orientation of the military. I could have voted for Akbayan. For a snap election, you do not need to take a Philippine Government course to understand the convoluted process. And for a Revolution with a Capital R, if they do not hesitate to kill the "enemies of the state" just based on the fact that they are "officers" of some organizations, I am afraid that the brownish effluence of the polluted Pasig River will turn to red. Same thing that the merciless defenders of the corrupt military of Gen. Suharto will do to the PKI in Indonesia. If some psyschopaths in Samar could hack the head of a peasant Samarnon or shoot an 8-year old boy in Jiabong, Samar, they will have no compunction in leveling the Philippines into uninhabited protruding rocks from the Pacific Ocean. I hope that the "Proxy Wars" among the superpowers of the world will not intensify in the 7,107 islands of Perlas ng Silangan. I hope that the People's Liberation Army will not test its muscles by sending 1 million Red Fighters to Batanes to help the Ivatans guard Philippine territorial seas from the poaching of the Taiwanese fishing boats. Cesar Torres, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Where do we go from here? The ruling elites and the most culpable at this juncture is La Empanada's errr Emperadora's camp and her cohorts has virtually dragged us down the political muck of no return. The very institution in itself if ever any shred of credibility is left is morally bankrupt whose own existence are in itself a breach of public trust. How then do we salvage a rotten to the core system ruled by politicians whose patronage politics finally blew on their face where the casualties and those hurt the most are the very people that they have sworn to protect. We are in a nightmarish chaos where waking up may not be an option for we are doomed to fail in a society that is so fragmented based on personality politics and not based on truth and integrity in good governance for lack thereof. A cultural reawakening perhaps, but with leaders of opposing camps railroading and herding people like zombies in their direction truly muddles the predicament we are in. I dare ask once more..........WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? Ren Arrieta, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Jejomar Binay and the Crocodiles of Makati? God help us. Peter Capotosto, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, We are experiencing the same feeling some Americans felt when Pres. Bush won over Mr. Gore during his first term of office. Others say that Pres. Bush won because of some questionable circumstances during that time. This is also true when Pres. Chen of Taiwan won over his rival by a very narrow margin. GMA is now also in the same situation and there are many options for those wanting to be in power they like to happen. The real lesson in these three cases is actually the growing awareness of morality and righteousness to be practiced especially by those in power so that those they lead will follow by their examples. Will leadership responsibility and accountability guided by right moral and ethics prevail over greed, selfishness, name and fame? This is the question many of us want answered. Jesse Alto, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I am not saying Glorietta did not commit fraud and enough to tip the balance. Then we would have Poe and his thugs--would you be happy with that? I glad I'm speaking to a man who can recall 1949. There were allegations that Quirino cheated. Some bataguenos went even so far as to procalim Laurel, but Laurel himself discouraged such moves. Wait for the next election, was his message. true enough in the midterm elections the LPs were swept out of the Senate and in the next presidential elections Quirino lost by 2-1. Now every jokester wants to proclaim revolution. I would be glad if the one screaming were a real revolutionary, not just a hungry mangy dog. Nemenzo is not a revolutionary, not anymore. Ross Tipon, [email protected] Baguio City, June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww (Copy furnished) Thanks Guy for this interesting piece of information by Tony Abaya regarding massive election fraud. You might also like to look at the Daily Tribune piecetitled; 'Comelec chief must account for 30K poll returns' Part of the 1st paragraph starts with saying - "Comission on Elections Chairman Benjamin Abalos is in hot water, following the epose' of opposition Sen. Panfilo Lacson on the additional 30,000 election returns forms which the Comelec had clandestinely ordered printed.:" Jaime Calero, [email protected] Sydney, Australia, June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony: I cannot imagine you concluding that a revolutionary government (RG) will not survive in a matter of days. I agree if it is the kind of Cory's RG which easily succumbed to the traditional political machinations. Nor it will survive under a leadership of such names as Jojo Binay, JV Ejercito, ERAP, or under any popular political, movie, or media personality, or a saintly name perpetuating the same political system of almost 60 years. The political leaderships that we had either through elections (that has never been credible ever since independence) or through the Edsas had all the opportunities to reform and infuse morality in governance. But they failed because they allowed themselves to be gobbled up by a corrupt system that catered to the perpetuation of their personal and political interests. This is why I believed I was vindicated when I advocated NO-EL in 2003 because I knew what will come out of the 2004election. Fortunato U. Abat, [email protected] June 27, 2005 MY REPLY. I wrote that a revolutionary government under Jejomar Binay, J. V. Ejercito, Loi Ejercito, Renato de Villa and you would not survive more than a few days. I left open the possibility that another RG under more credible leaders would succeed. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony: I still believe in an RG that will provide a transition of 1 to 2 years to clean the dirt of our political system, infuse morality, competence, discipline, honesty in government and renew the values of our people in the manner of behaving and thinking. This should be a peaceful transition. But if blood has to be shed, God forbid, that may be the only and bitter way for us to learn our lesson. Gen (Ret.) Fortunato U. Abat, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I empathize with your frustration regarding the current political situation. Indeed, we are in a world of doodoo. You mentioned below: "President Arroyo should instead gather her inner strength, face the nation and apologize and beg forgiveness for her mistakes and her willful transgressions, and gracefully resign. But the likelihood of that happening is somewhere between �very remote� to �impossible.�" The only organization today that can effect the immediate resignation of GMA is the Armed Forces of the Philippines. That is what I have proposed in the attached paper delivered before Philconsa last week. GMA has of course placed General Senga as Chief of Staff and General Esperon as CG, Philippine Army assured of their loyalty. But I believe that there are many thinking members in the Officer Corps who understand the need for the Armed Forces to play a constructive role in governance and in promoting democracy -- as a referee, a catalyst, a facilitator and not as an interventionist. Perhaps, it is time that they be awakened by an also sleeping citizenry. Rene Jarque, [email protected] June 27, 2005 MY REPLY. I will comment on your Philconsa speech later. wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, I'd support a snap election for the following reasons: 1. The country cannot afford a status quo with GMA for the next 5 years. 2. Snap election is "perfectly legal" according to my presidential candidate Raul Roco. 3. It is acceptable to the majority than a (violent) revolution. 4. There is no danger of electing an extremely popular but pre-destinedly ineffective personality (Erap or FPJ type). (Kabayan Noli, please don't). 5. There's a good opportunity and high possibility of electing a better president from a level playing field of worthy contenders such as: Roco, Lacson, Villar, Bro Eddie, Drilon, et al. Jerome Escobedo, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Tony, I am eager to hear your thoughts on Gloria's admission of lapse of judgement. Her statement was dripping with dishonesty. She says the counting and canvassing were over when she called, implying that the results could not be altered anymore. She was only trying to protect her votes. But if the results could no longer be altered because the counting and canvassing were over, what was she protecting her votes from? Oscar Lagman, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww I have been following your very insightful column and just wanted to add a few more thoughts: 1. GMA's strategy to keep mum is the right one for now. She should not comment because doing so would be self-incriminatory. In a democracy, the right against self-incrimination is well-established. 2. Congress has been investigating in aid of legislation. We therefore expect real legislation that will prevent cheating in the future. Institutionally, some ideas are: - The COMELEC should become an independent body, its members not nominated or by the president or confirmed by the CA, both of which are partisan groups; perhaps by the Supreme Court or a separate body devoid of any partisan political affiliation. - It should be explicitly prohibited and made a criminal act for any political candidate to engage in a private talk with any COMELEC member or employee. Discussions should be done in a formal process -- in writing, in an open fora or meeting, etc. Wilfredo L. Segovia, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww SNAP elections is not the answer to the problem OR decease our country is encountering right now. A lot of people in the "know" believe that GMA 's days could be numbered, although her hatchet men are denying this everyday at the dailies. This being so because these same people don't see anyone (yet) credible to take the reigns of power from their Boss. But once this happen, you will see them crumble one by one and start abandoning ship. PATIENCE is a virtue our opposing people should learn. Hey Guys! Don't be in a hurry, kasi baka madapa pa kayo at pag-tawanan pa kayo ng taong-bayan. You wrote: �If it is going to be Jejomar Binay at the controls, with JV Ejercito pulling strings behind the cockpit, forget it. It will never fly.� It is so true that putting these type of people to run our government will "never" succeed. Mayor Binay, who was just a former professor in St Scholastica�s College before entering politics, has a civil or criminal case against him with the ombudsman in regards to amassing unexplained wealth while running the helm in Makati. (this was published in several newspaper a year ago?, if not mistaken - don't know if still pending or was resolved - have to check on this ) The other "boy" (JV) has a lot of milk in his mouth and when he doesn't like what is happening or doesn't get what he wants he starts to "cry"!!!! (If we had a crying lady before - we now have the Crying baby boy now..... Wishful thinking huh! Nice try --but ERAP's days are over my boy! An advise to the opposition, they should look for a person first who has the credentials to lead our country and must be acceptable by all and start from there. Don't pick a person who is a traditional politician from either side (TRAPOS), a military man, a policeman (God forbid!). There are people with such good traits out there, its just a matter of looking really hard. Don't be in a hurry, guys and you could get the results....... Be it known that : "The people are smarter now (reason why they are quiet still) but this doesn't mean they are not watching and listening". GMA MUST ANSWER THE QUESTION: "IS SHE THE PERSON TALKING IN THE TAPE OR NOT". It is as simple as that.... no reply is presumed GUILTY! The "wiretapping issue", although I agree, it is a grave issue, is being given more preference than the "Real Issue at hand". This looks like a diversion tactic by her allies in government for people to forget the real issue - GMA. PGMA must still answer the REAL issue to put it to rest... Do we now have a government of coercion and intimidation? Looks like it huh! Ano ito, Takutan tactics na? Takot na sila? People who come out and share what they know in the issues (Jueteng / Gloriagate) should be given their day in court to prove their allegations to be true and not being charged by the accused in court ASAP. Our courts should protect these people who speak out and not be allowed to be intimidated by the accused. This government is known to try to destroy all who oppose them even to the extent of putting other people to testify falsely just to try to discredit the accusers. Takutan system is now in place sorry to say and will always be there unless there are people who will stand by the accusers and protect them from these same people and government agency's who are trying to scare them off and retract their testimonies. (which must be true - coz why all the hassle by them if not true) I STILL HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE HAVE NOT GONE THAT LOW ALREADY IN OUR SUPPOSEDLY CIVILIZED SOCIETY IN THE PHILIPPINES? Jose Genato, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww The best solution is to sue her for lack of stature politically - by survey findings, and vertically - by way of a simple tape measure. Ricardo Taylor, [email protected] June 27, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Tony, Here's a series of reactions to your article from my circle of friends with diverse opinions on the issue at hand. FYI. Thanks. Jerome Escobedo, [email protected] June 28, 2005 Snap elections with a new set of Comelec and all that jazz is realistically and constitutionally implementable than setting up a revolutionary government. You cannot establish one without shedding blood, hence, it's called "revolutionary". So take your pick and let's be real. Bolivia had just done its part. CC (conscience is clear) I agree with FG and AE that any form of election is more detrimental than helpful. This Circle of Elders is a great concept. That, along with spiritual reform - going back to basics and collectively praying for our nation - would help us rise out of the ashes. If we could only implement... Gumps, NO TO ANY FORM OF ELECTION! Besides, COMELEC has lost its credibility to conduct an honest, clean, National Election! How can we expect to have something good out of any election now? What we need is a revolutionary Government with a Circle of elders - I can think of Jovito Salonga and Cesar Virata, who fits the criteria of FG! If they can summon their last energy and focus on rebuilding the nation, 1 or 2 years can mean a lot to the nation! AE (Against Election) Election, whether regular or snap, is the root of graft and corruption here in the Philippines. This is because, the candidates will spend millions of pesos running for public office. If not him/her,- then his/hersponsors. Now, how would they be able to get back the money spent? We all know that,- that is in our damned, stinking culture! If you're going to ask me,- then what? I'd say, there should be a circle of elders,- who are on the twilight of their lives and are committed to returning something to this country who should screen candidates for the position. My 2 cents. Again,- election, in whatever form, to my opinion, is the root of graft and corruption in the Philippines. In other words,- I have lost faith in this democratic process, because we take freedom as it is,- not even a shade or hint of responsibility. Pat i agree with all your points except #4. weren't the times when we did those the biggest blows to the country that we had a hard time recovering from? i'm not familiar with current events except "hello garci", what's wrong with ka noli? vv (vaccilating voter) wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww My god. Were still on this topic?They all cheated. Let it go. Call it patas. Morons. Now will somebody please change the channel? Were all bored. The Filipino People. as through its self proclaimed spokesman Carlos Celdran, [email protected] June 28, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Dear Mr. Abaya, You were so right in your attached article "Snap elections or Revolution", that snap elections will only be a waste of time and very precious money. As the proposal for a revolutionary government isbecoming a more and more acceptable option (thanks to your untiring advocacy for such), still we must provide the answer to the all-important question of who can be trusted to lead this revolutionary government so that the interests of the Filipino people will finally be priority number one. In this regard, I strongly agree with Tessa Torreon in her attached article "PGMA's Replacement", that a Council headed by Bayani Fernando, and participated in by Christian Monsod, Haydee Yorac, and may I add, Roilo Golez, and other people who have shown us that they have unblemished reputations, fearlessness, and competence, be the replacement of this morally bankrupt government of Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Her apology was not a real apology, but a contrived effort to escape the onslaught of public demands for her resignation. Can you imagine going to a priest for confession with a script prepared by lawyers and political strategists? And before the priest can even probe into the details of your unclear confession or say anything, you tell him to close this chapter and move forward. What arrogance!! . Michael Guardia, [email protected] June 29, 2005 wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww Hi Tony, Thank you! I have been enjoying your e-articles which I have been receiving for some time in my e-mail box. In fact, I often share them with my friends abroad. Anyway, I have taken liberty to share with you an article I wrote�with all the selfish and hypocritical positions taken by a number of our business leaders, I couldn�t resist putting down some personal thoughts on the PGMA � GARCI tape controversy. I hope you would find it interesting reading. Cheers! Romeo G. David, [email protected] June 29, 2005 GOOD GOVERNANCE AND THE HELLO GARCI TAPES By Romeo G. David An excellent opportunity presents itself to mirror the practice of �Good Governance� in a corporate setting against Malacanang�s actions surrounding the revelation of a taped conversation between PGMA and Mr. Garcillano. So, if I may add my two cents worth on this issue from a corporate perspective... Corruption does not always or necessarily involve money. It deals mainly with the moral aspect of the act to influence change from the legal norm. This solicited accommodation could be with or without consideration or personal gain. Graft on the other hand is the material motivation or inducement to commit corrupt acts. We recognize that graft (value-compensation) is normally involved when corruption is solicited to reward the corrupted for the favorable action sought. However, Corruption can and often does happen even absent or without the element of graft when the solicited illicit action is granted or accommodated by persons of authority or influence. In a corporate setting and considering the �Hello Garci� issue, we can liken PGMA to the CEO/COO of the corporation. We in turn, are its stockholders. In this situation, a CEO/COO who�s reputation is in question would not be allowed to get away with silence, especially on any integrity issue that is raised. And since the preservation of stockholder interest is paramount in any corporation, it is unlikely that shareholders would tolerate or allow the CEO/COO to stay on the job when serious moral/integrity question are imputed against its COO/COO. This corporate practice should apply to the case at hand. When a serious doubt has been raised against the CEO/COO's integrity of any corporation, you can expect that the stockholders would take the conservative route and "FIRE" the executive PRONTO to protect stockholder interest ahead of any consideration for the executive. As they say...BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY...such is a fact of life. It is truly sad that we, as a people, allow PGMA to play games with us. We should cut through the "Smoke" and address the key issue that brought on this crisis. Since PGMA's moral ascendancy is tarnished in view of the accusation regarding her attempt to influence an independent constitutional agency. PGMA had been given ample opportunity to articulate on the accusations raised against her. But her initial decision to stay silent on the matter and intransigent refusal to confirm or deny the authenticity of the taped conversation exacerbated the problem. And even considering her retarded apology for her �lapses in judgment�, PGMA should be held accountable for the irreparable damage her actions have caused the Nation. In any corporate setting, such deliberate risk-taking by no less than the CEO/COO of the company, at the expense of the stockholders, would never be tolerated. Such arrogance would be met with immediate dismissal to preserve the corporate interest. No Corporation can afford to have a leader whom the stockholders do not trust, and worst, one who does not feel any accountability to all the stockholders. PGMA views her interest to remain at the helm of Government to be superior to that of the Nation and its Citizens. Now, to make meaningful progress on the �Hello Garci Tapes� controversy, to preserve the integrity of the Office of the President and our Democratic System of Government, I believe that legal research and focus should be on the possible breach of public trust, grave abuse of authority and violation of laws reference to the situation where we have a taped conversation between PGMA and Garcillano keeping in mind the circumstance, timing and content of the conversation in question. The act between the parties in itself, even disregarding the content of the conversation, should be taken as a serious acts of "corruption" in as much as, at the time of the conversation, PGMA, seeking to be President, an elective position, was acting not as President but as an ordinary citizen, just like all the other candidates, exercising their right to seek an elected office. As president and during the election period, PGMA�s role does not extend to supervision, in any way, of the COMELECT since the COMELECT is an independent body and is entrusted with the singular responsibility, by the people, to undertake Election Management independent of any other body or office. Any interaction between the Office of the President and the COMELECT should be limited to administrative support and not any oversight or supervisory action. With the recent controversial revelation, PGMA had articulated that serious breach of the law and security had occurred. This may be fact, but one would expect that any good/decent manager would not have viewed the matter simply as a legal issue, dismissing in the process, any personal accountability. The complexities of the revelation should be addressed separately, the violation of law as an operations issue and the impropriety attributed to PGMA as a serious moral question. The early resolution of the moral issue should weigh heavy on the future of the CEO/COO with the company. Under a scenario of good management practice, one would expect PGMA to have immediately answer the issue of impropriety raised against her. In any case, she should be held accountable for the conduct of her administration and all her actions while at the helm of the organization. In an effort to defend herself, PGMA positions herself to be in normal discharge of her duties with her actuations. But had PGMA done her work diligently as CEO/COO of the Nation, the appropriate Agencies/Offices would have automatically taken initiative to address any violation of the law without need for her interference, especially so, since they are specialized Agencies/Offices tasked full-time to address any legal breach of the law. And should the heads of theses Offices/Agencies fail to act on the matter consistent with the letter of the law; there are provisions in the law to relieve the recalcitrant for incompetence and dereliction of duty. The more personal and serious issue raised by the revelation centers on PGMA's integrity and moral right to govern. This incertitude raises the question of her continued efficacy should she continue in office. And due to PGMA�s failure to immediately satisfy her stockholders, so to speak, on a matter of such importance, she should be relived immediately. To do otherwise would put the company in grave and serious danger of irreversible consequences direr than what is already known. Ideally, in a corporate setting, the scope of accountable action should not be limited to the questioned CEO/COO, in this case PGMA, all Government officers found to have gone beyond the normal course of their work just to protect PGMA should also be equally charged with corruption and if found guilty also dismissed from Government service for their involvement in the conspiracy to cover-up the wrong doing. Imagine the public abuse and fantastic expense that has been diverted from already limited operating funds and resource, the abuse and prostitution of the law, the obvious partisan and abusive use of law enforcement Agencies/ Offices just to cover her tracts. To properly bring closure to this matter, we should not forget that the use and mobilization of government personnel/resources to protect the personal interest of PGMA should also be address. It is corruption in its most basic form. And especially since the issue against PGMA is personal in nature and to deter future abuse of authority, PGMA�s personal interest should not be confused with her role or function as President. It should be addressed by PGMA in her personal capacity and responded to from her personal funds. We shouldn�t forget that regular Government employees do not enjoy this special privilege to mobilize Government resource for personal interest... so what makes her an exception to this rule! Presently, we the Governed are experiencing unbridled treats form PGMA and her Cronies in their efforts to defend against the accusations hurled against her. Are we going to stand for this? Are we going to be bullied by one whom we hired and entrusted with the responsibility to promote our interest above all? I think not� OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO |