THE LONG VIEW Complicity’s price By Manuel L. Quezon III Published on Page A11 of the July 6, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer I’M not convinced that airing the videotape that shows Gen. Danilo Lim withdrawing support from President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and asking her to recognize a new government, serves the interest of [...]
To be ducks in a barrel, and in the line of fire of a government engaged in reliving the tactics of the martial law government and the Japanese Occupation?The last thing a person owes a regime to which he is opposed is cooperating in his own destruction…. And for people to cackle at a supposed lack of courage on the part of those being dared to put the noose around their necks, only shows how easy it is to demand courage from way behind the front lines. After all, the President on down has the might of the armed forces, police, the investigative and prosecutorial arms of the civilian State, to secure them; the rest have nothing but their wits and wiles.
Armed Forces pickle: to prosecute, or not to prosecute, that is the question. Even the scuttlebutt is interesting: an additional benefit of Philippine Army troops swarming Bulacan province, is that they not only liquidate rebels, but serve as a buffer should the Scout Rangers make a gambit for the capital.The administration decides it can’t risk a two-front war; so it’s hopes of peace with Muslim rebels (under the scrutiny of oil- and dollar-rich Arab countries) and an it’s hopes of peace with Muslim rebels.The joys of parliamentary government can be seen in Thailand and Malaysia, where Prime Minister Thaksin has set out on a comeback, and where former PM Mahathir is fighting an insurgency within his own party over basically patronage-related issues.
Today is Republic Day. It has always been far from perfect, but today marks sixty years that that Philippine flag has flown alone, and Filipinos, unless they’ve chosen otherwise by emigrating to another country, have been born the subjects of no other nation but their own.
I’m surprised at the carping that’s taking place in the wake of Manny Pacquiao’s victory, from people complaining about the prices of tickets (almost USD$1,000 for a ringside seat, to tickets having apparently been given away to fill up the Araneta Collesium), to wathing that old Marcos relict Ronnie Nathanielsz asking aloud on ANC this morning why Pacquiao didn’t seem all that eager to really finish off his opponent, to the extent that the promoter was ticked off…. Columnist Jojo Robles comes up with the perfect administration party line:The problem with Yñiguez and other politically active Catholic clergymen is, as another recent editorial in this newspaper inferred, they never hesitate to use whatever influence they have over their flock to push their own private political agenda…. What’s interesting is that even in the 1930s, when the generation that lived through the twilight of the Spanish era were still alive, what was not questioned was the right of the clergy to comment: what was deemed wrong was lobbying, in effect, purely to promote Catholic interests (therefore: devoting normal class hours to catechism was wrong, from the perspective of the separation of Church and State; as were Catholic objections to Rizal’s heretical ideas being taught to the public; inviting the Papal Nuncio to witness the repeal of the Death Penalty was a violation, but that was one committed by the Speaker and magnified by the President).The woes of Comelec Commissioner Rex Borra continues to be grist for the mill.And here’s a story.
Rick Saludo last night that: “Cardinal Vidal denies signing One Voice manifesto as claimed by Monsod in Inquirer June 30, p…. Dacay denied that the Cardinal signed the One Voice manifesto. Dacay told Bobby that the Cardinal got the manifesto in May but didnt sign.”Christian Monsod issued the following statement:I personally met with His Eminence Cardinal Vidal on June 26 at a residence in Wack-Wack subdivision regarding One Voice, during which time the Cardinal gave his express permission for us to announce that he had joined One Voice.I understand that Cardinal Vidal will make a statement on our conversation when he comes back on July 14.The permission on June 26 confirmed an earlier text I received on June 21 from Fr. Melo Diola, of Barug Pilipino in Cebu, that the Cardinal told him he signed the statement of One Voice.As to the matter of an unsigned form that is in the possession of Msgr.
