Cease fire?

President asks Japanese PM to list his country’s commitments. Favila points to committed investments being up (during the pre-election period, mind you). The strong showing of the Peso explained -in the context of regional currencies and not politics.

Here it is, folks: Sigaw resurrects signature campaign:

The new petition will call for the abolition of Malacañang and Congress and will pave for a new unicameral parliamentary system that will be composed of district, regional and party-list representation all over the country, said Lambino…

…Lambino said that with the support of the local government executives, they expect to get the same number they had last year of about nine million signatures — almost double the constitutional requirement of 5.16 million, or 12 percent of the total voting population and representing over three percent of all voters in each of the 213 congressional districts in the country…

…If their petition prospers, the election of members of parliament will be on May 2, 2010.

“There will be no more extension of term or the creation of an interim parliament, Malacañang and Congress will be merged together as the executive and lawmaking body of the government,” Lambino explained.

Under the parliamentary unitary system, the prime minister will become the head of government with members of parliament of the majority party holding the Cabinet posts.

And her’es another Old Reliable: Oliver Lozano says he’s going to file an impeachment complaint against the President.

As the Comelec announces its poised to announce 9 senatorial winners (and Namfrel says it will continue its counting until the weekend), fraud allegations in Mindanao get detailed; the Palace’s Team Unity’s reduced to insisting on two things: Maguindanao was a clean election (and the machinery worked) and there is a Communist-GO conspiracy. This is meant, of course, to keep two of candidates still in the fight, since efforts even in Lanao del Sur have bogged down, the breakdown in admin bailiwicks continues to be detailed, and the recriminations start.

The micro dynamics of overseas voters continues to be examined, too.

A sign of the public mood: even the House claims it won’t bootlick. Not obviously, anyway.

In the punditocracy, my column for today is Ceasafire? Poor Miguel Zubiri took exception to my previous column, but what can you do? Obviously our opinions differ.

Bong Austero insists the writing isn’t on the wall -not really, just sort of, maybe, kind of. Meanwhile, the Vice-President’s in denial, too.

Tony Abaya suggests the country’s moving backwards.

Connie Veneracion says there are times when it’s better to say one doesn’t know something; Raissa Jajurie says she knows, because she saw, fraud in Sulu; Candido Wenceslao thinks the electorate has swung to the Right.

In the blogosphere, Ricky Carandang points to the inspiring story that’s been emerging. The real story in this election is how the cheating seems to have been, if not stopped fully, then seriously derailed by volunteers eager to redeem their organization’s reputation and to stand their ground:

But something quite unexpected happened. Over a million people from the normally silent majority decided to intervene in the politician’s contest for the right to engage in rent seeking behavior. The bias-tainted National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel) whose leaders were vilified for their silence in 2004, did some serious housecleaning. Out went Bill Luz and Joe Concepcion, and in came Eric Alvia and Eddie Go. The newly revitalized Namfrel joined other watchdogs, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting, Lente, Bantay Boto, No Cheats, Kontra Daya, and many more to watch the voting, guard the canvassing, and question the cheating. They went to what’s left of the free media to report stories of cheating; and through tv, radio, print, and internet, journalists told those stories to a global audience. In Pampanga, businessmen, civic groups, and the religious cobbled together an improbabale election machinery to send a political neophyte to the governor’s mansion, rejecting in their wake the corrupt practices of the province’s traditional political factions. More importantly, a few brave souls—some soldiers, some teachers, children, and even election officials—came forward at the risk of their lives, to blow the whistle on the thugs who thought they could get away with stealing another election.

A Nagueno in the Blogosphere and Peryodistang Pinay and Patsada Karajaw look at the senatorial elections through the prism of local concerns and behavior. Interesting take on national politics from the perspective of the Bicol region and Cebu and Mindanao politics.

The Magnificent Atty. Perez has an interesting account of what it’s like to be an election lawyer during canvassing (he’s representing Joker Arroyo in Cebu. RezeRed recounts the hassle teachers like her experienced, courtesy of the Comelec.

Staying Alive and About Nina look at the messages transmitted by the elections.

In Inquirer Current, John Nery says certain conclusions concerning the election might be overstating things a bit; my entry looks at what the results tells us about 2010 crop of presidentiables.

Placeholder points to a Let’s Move On chronology.

The Journal of the Jester-in-Exile has a pointed message for overseas critics who are ex-Filipinos: STFU.

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Manuel L. Quezon III.

58 thoughts on “Cease fire?

  1. Bencard, since you don’t know my Dad, i don’t think you’re in any position to judge whether or not he studied law for the ‘wrong’ reasons. Anyway, i cited him as an example because i think his circumstance was not unique at that time and that this would go some way in explaining why many people in his day took up law.

    You would be a good speaker in promoting your profession during school job fairs though. Just don’t let them in on the fact that you’re defending Gloria Arroyo.

  2. cvj, no need to promote the profession. people of all sorts of ability are flocking in law schools but, as the biblical passage goes “many are called but few are chosen”.

  3. If lawyers we have in this country are as good as Thomas More, then the legal profession is well served.

    Too bad we can only be sure that there is only one lawyer in heaven; More.

  4. Bencard,

    The struggle that I’m talking about is the struggle to put in place a political leadership that will free Philippine society from the stranglehold of a system that concentrates political power and economic wealth in the hands of a few and keeps the great majority of the people in poverty.

    The Philippines has to re-invent itself and find new ways to conduct its national life if it hopes to achieve economic prosperity for the greatest majority of its people. It would be the height of stupidity to expect different results by doing the same thing.

    The current battle is against the Arroyo Administration that is constricting civil liberties, destroying the integrity and efficacy of democratic institutions, and perverting the rule of law, all for the sake of its political survival.

    Not to worry, Bencard, personally I’m in the fight as long as it is confined within the limits of constitutional law and democratic principles.

    You have bared a facet of your persona and I know that you are not like others who have “voted with their feet” and have renounced any identification with the country they have turned their back on, who can’t find anything objectively good about the Philippines, who find being Filipino a “stupid concept”. Instead, they never tire of boasting about how wonderful their adopted countries are, as if they were the authors of those wonders, while sneering how the Philippines suffers so much in comparison.

    You talk about our “victimhood”. Yes, we have been victimized by leaders, down through history, who have failed to create the necessary conditions that will enable our people to attain their full potentials as human beings and productive citizens of our republic.

    But not all “victims” have hopelessly resigned their fate to their “victimhood”. Some (in a way, you were a “victim” of the Marcos leadership) decided to abandon the country, my brother in Chicago included, and build a new life elsewhere. There are those of us who opted to stay (do you know that I had an approved petition and could have migrated to the US, too, but didn’t?) and, rather than blame the dismal situation of our lives to our “victimhood”, have decided that we can and must have the right leaders who will propel our people to the high level of economic prosperity that they deserve. Gloria is not that kind of leader.

    Our struggle includes confronting our leaders whenever they cheat, steal, and lie. Our struggle involves demanding of our leaders honesty, transparency, and accountability in governance. Our struggle means opposing our leaders whenever they trample upon our civil rights and liberties and make a mockery of the rule of law and our democratic institutions and processes. We are waging this kind of struggle against Gloria.

    Will you join us in this struggle?

  5. shaman, that’s well and good. we have to change the system but we can only start it by changing the constitution and correcting the mistakes made in the rush to have an alternative framework of governance after Marcos. On that objective, I will join you in every way, however small, I can.

    Let’s set our sights beyond Arroyo. She’ll be out of Malacanang, legally, after three years. The whole future of our country should not revolve, exclusively, around her.

    If GMA ever attempt to ram herself, by ruse or by force, down the throat of the people after 2010, you can expect me to be in the forefront of any struggle against it.

  6. Thanks, Bencard.

    I agree that there are a lot of things we have to change about the Constitution. But let’s do it after 2010. There is widespread suspicion, which I share, that GMA will use Cha-Cha to “ram herself… down the throat of the people after 2010.” Let’s not give her that opportunity while she is in power.

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