Listen to “One Day More.”
Itaguyod ang Katotohanan.
It is time to be COUNTED!
Join us at the Friday Inter-Faith Prayer Rally
Ayala cor. Paseo de Roxas — 4:00 to 8:00 PM
Where former President Cory Aquino and Jun Lozada will join us as we make the call for Truth and Accountability.
Black and White Movement, together with Hyatt 10/La Salle 60, MBC, MAP, Manindigan,
and other professional and church groups will assemble at the
AIM (Paseo de Roxas) Parking lot at 3:00 PM.
Please join us.
Sa Totoo Tayo. Now Na!
Today there will be people from all walks of life and different generations and varying political and non-political persuasions, coming together to make a stand.
It’s unfortunate that the focus on Makati will obscure the efforts being made elsewhere in the country. Whether a rally in Cebu City, or elsewhere, the only divide I see is between urban and rural Filipinos: though the majority, for some time now, of Filipinos are urban dwellers. I strongly believe the sentiments among urban Filipinos are converging while rural opinion won’t be far behind.
Returning to today’s rally, the authorities are pulling out all the stops: PNP renews warning about communists, terrorists at rally. They’re spooked.Yesterday, something remarkable happened at PUP, see: PUP bomb threat fails to stop Lozada. And something else happened, see: Dirty Tricks in Uniffors.
But two bloggers say it best.
Market Manila declares he will be there:
Because we live in a democracy by choice. Because not speaking up when you know something is wrong makes you an accomplice to the wrong. Because I think everyone must be held accountable for their actions, particularly where their actions impact the welfare of millions. Because of the increasingly brazen disregard for the laws and even basic ethics that should apply to educated individuals. Because in many ways, I am embarrassed to be in the same gene pool as those who are perpetrating and then possibly getting away with such outrageous actions. Because of dozens of other reasons I will keep to myself as I know you get the point.
A reply he gives to a commenter is zeroes in on the issues even more:
mapster, I agree that we have to do everything we can everyday. I pay my taxes and a LOT of them. I have never ever slipped a policeman lunch money. I have voted with a conscience and watched at the polls. I have volunteered services for politicians or candidates which I thought rose above the rest, and I have never accepted any gifts, compensation or positions for the effort. So yes, I think we have to do our daily bit. But I also used to believe that we had a high corruption rate because we were poor… and that somehow the petty corruption of the streets and licenses, etc. were a function of poverty. But that is simply not true. The folks who are implicated in multi-billion scandals are well to do, and as someone above says, how much money do they need to live a decent and comfortable life? And the Hello garci scandal was offensive precisely because it suggests that the elections themselves are rigged, hence the votes of the people are ignored. At the very least, we have to indicate a great deal of displeasure and let everyone know they can’t get away with these kinds of behaviors.
As for being in the company of crooks and wannabees as some intimate above, I think in all democracies people from all walks of life will band together for similar causes, though they all may not look, sound, or be the same. While some of the folks who will be there at the rally this afternoon are opportunists and perhaps not folks I would normally look up to, many others could or should be every day folks who simply want to say, TAMA NA! And while I am not the biggest of Cory fans, I think she IS someone to look up to and her presence is only one of the minor reasons I would show up this afternoon.
I agree with other sentiments about changing the system et al. But I would agree more that we need to change the people on a massive scale with folks that really want to do the BEST for their country, a noble and difficult scenario, I concur.
As for others, you are definitely entitled to your opinion and free to choose what you will, can or want to do. With Marcos it took 20 years to reach the “boiling point.” In subsequent administrations the flare ups occurred with less time required. But at some point, when we all are personally so incensed or affected directly, you too will feel the need to do something.
If you re-read the post above, I would like to point out that I only said that I WOULD BE GOING. Not that I thought all of you should as well, that is obviously your choice.
Touched By An Angel says,
Though not a popular choice by our Catholic Bishops, I believe, GMA has to go. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo has to go.
I truly believe that The President and her people have engaged in so much lying that they can no longer recognize the truth even if it stared them in the face. (PDI) As to the next step to take, I will take one step, one day at a time. I do not have the answers yet but in time, I will discern it. Our Filipinos will discern it. I will be there at the The Interfaith rally…
Among young people, there will be those, like on a red day who will be there, as will Tristan’s Mental Assylum ristan’s Mental Assylum and Jamel Ignes who is attending a rally for the first time! (for the religious, see melo touch). Other young people share their views, and efforts at discernment: a slice of wine.. and a shot of cake.. points out the dividing line and respects those who have decided to speak up against the President. There are others who are still uncertain, yet watchful, like Prudence and Mandess, and such as student Timmyland or who remain ambivalent, who will not go but who will be keeping those gathered in their thoughts, see OFW jihAn.zillA. Sh, and Yeweifang’s blog .
Among more senior bloggers, Red’s Herring puts everything in perspective:
If the events that have led to People Power I (EDSA Revolution of 1986 or EDSA I) are any guide, revolutionary uprisings go through certain levels (of consciousness): First, the underlying belief by a sizeable segment of society that the rulers and certain institutional arrangements have lost legitimacy; second, certain intense participants or change agents have gotten around their sense of powerlessness and come to realize they have the power or capacity to effect the needed changes; third, the disaffected members of society have more or less formed a consensus as to the nature and or scope of the changes they desire to occur in lieu of the illegitimated rulers or arrangements, whether be it about a total systemic overhaul, a “regime change,” an extra-constitutional overthrowing of a corrupt or immoral government, etc.
My sense is that People Power III has already reached the first and second levels of consciousness described above. However, before the Great Beast “could take care of itself” today it has yet to hurdle the third level of consciousness.
For one, I have noted even the reformists in the military and the progressives in the civil society are still tentative about the scope and the nature of the changes to be sought (note should also be taken for instance that the mere suggestion during the Manila Peninsula “uprising” that a military junta was being contemplated has not sit well with potential supporters), while other veteran people power practitioners are apprehensive the next exercise “could again end up repeating a vicious cycle of simply ‘moving on’ in circle, and not leaping onward or to a higher ground” or a “new qualitative state.”…
…Now, the question once again: Why is People Power III taking its time?
My own take is: There is yet no general consensus among potential people power participants and activists, as has been in EDSA I or EDSA II, as to what change to aspire for and institute.
Arguably, proposals for reforms or transformations, at odds with each other for the most part, still abound. To cite a few: some who believe the two EDSAs were both a failure aim this time to act against a failed system and plan to overhaul it either according to some rigid ideologies or based merely on the “best practices” of ongoing successful experiments; other groups are just angry and frustrated because of “relative deprivation” (middle class weighed upon with a looming downgrade to the next class complain how come only their counterparts in other regions are having all the fun); still others are focused only on struggling for control of the state apparatuses and effecting “regime change” while keeping both the political and economic structure intact; and specifically, accused coup leader and now detained senator Sonny Trillanes is eager to transform the nation “without reinventing the wheel” or whereas Bishop Francisco Claver can only entertain the belief that “our problem comes down to this: how to correct the aberration that is the present administration without destroying the stabilizing structure that is our democratic system of government.”
…As a result, reactionary moves from old and once reliable alliances, the CBCP in particular, are silently taking place in the form of tokenism (a plea to President Arroyo to take lead in the fight against corruption) and diversion (a call for a new brand of People Power through “communal action”).
Mon Casiple on the part of the political pundits, observes,
The nature and circumstances of this political crisis is such that it can only have one resolution: the end of the Arroyo regime within the context of the existing electoral democracy. From there, it may result in the affirmation of this electoral democracy and thus the integrity of the 2010 elections. Or, more remote, it may lead to the ending of the electoral democracy itself. At any rate, these are the days of reckoning.
The people’s consciousness and readiness to action are developing by leaps and bounds. The usual tactics by the GMA administration are not working anymore and proved to be ironically pushing faster the momentum for change. From the JDV triumphal ouster to its present travails, the Arroyo administration has rapidly traversed a half-circle towards a downward spiral.
What’s Casiple referring to? I can only guess, but think of this. Did you notice the article, 52 governors troop to Palace to show support for Arroyo ? A friend encountered one of these governors on a plane bound for Manila, and the governor prattled on about how he was going to Manila on business -only for my friend to see the governor on TV lurking near the edge of the gathered governors. Said my friend: you see, they’ve begun to get embarrassed over their support for the President (the governor knew my friend’s an oppositionist; but a mere month ago, the governor would needle my friend and crow about the President every chance he got). And the news leaves an even bigger question hanging: what of the other 29 governors?
Recall that one of the officials proclaimed a convenor of the Loyalist rally in Manila on Feb. 25 pointedly told the media, “oh, I’m in Manila doing shopping.”
While Amando Doronila notices that:
Speaking to a joint meeting of the Makati Business Club, Management Association of the Philippines and PinoyME Foundation last Feb. 26, Aquino did not make a pitch for another People Power uprising, to the disappointment of many people. She merely called on President Arroyo to step down, saying it was the least disruptive way out of the “severe moral crisis” facing the country. She said, “She must give way to a credible government that could lead by example. Given our concern to protect the moral pillars of democracy, the extra-constitutional removal of the President is not an ideal we would want to aspire for.”
Aquino’s call for restraint was echoed by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines, which in a pastoral statement on Feb. 26, called on the President to allow her officials to tell the truth about the slew of allegations of corruption related to several government transactions, but fell short of demanding her resignation. Instead, the bishops urged the President to be “part of the effort” to seek the truth.
The coyness of Aquino and the disappointing position of the bishops restraining people power highlighted the departure from the dynamics of 1986, when Aquino rode the crest of a forceful people power movement driven by the activist archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, and the mass civilian participation in street protests in support of the military mutiny led by Marcos’ Defense Minister Juan Ponce Enrile and Constabulary chief, Lt. Gen. Fidel Ramos.
Today’s configuration has lost the fervor for mass action of 1986. It tells us that today’s movement is not based on mass action to bring pressure on the key support institutions of government to defect, such as the military and the bureaucracy. Today’s movement has changed emphasis. It has shifted its cutting edge from confrontation in the streets to bringing moral pressure on government. The shift is not exerting a powerful pressure on government officials to step down. It emboldens them to stonewall.
Though as the Inquirer editorial today points out,
We realize that, in itself, the language of the recommendation (“Urge the President and all the branches of government to take the lead in combating corruption wherever it is found”) seems to be neutral. But in the present context, it actually disregards a fundamental reality. In the scandal over the National Broadband Network, the President and her men have been less than forthright in telling the truth. That, in fact, is one of the reasons we have a crisis in the first place.
Apropos of the bishops, read An Open Letter to the CBCP at Brown SEO.
(courtesy of pedestrianobserver)
“Otherwise, we should jus be content with sending labor to other countries and wait manna from OFWS. Meanwhile, our country is being increasingly reduced to a land where the poor and powerful majority pine away in apathy in the case of increasingly rapacious oligarchs.” – madonna
Can’t we we EXPORT OUR POLITICIANS also?
jackast,
Don’t confuse Senators’ stance for not supporting the resignation of GMA with not voting to impeach her. You are jumping to conclusions.
I am for the resignation of GMA but I rather like it that Villar and Legarda do not state that they are for the resignation of the President. Senators in case they they sit as judges in an impeachment court need to publicly state their impartiality.
Jackast, the political maneuvers of the Senators is all the more reason for People Power. That’s how the people stay relevant.
Can’t we we EXPORT OUR POLITICIANS also? — ramrod
Hehe, sana nga. E sa tingin ko sa first stage QC (quality control) pa lang, reject na sila. As I wrote before, our pre-schoolers work harder than these bozos and clowns.
More often than not I tend to be tactless when addressing opposing views, like the pro-Glorias but really I do not mean disrespect. In fact those who defend their stand whether for or against Gloria et al should deserve to be respected and heard as these people dare to make a stand and passionately at that.
I have never liked neutrality on vital issues, or worst fence sitting, for me, it smacks of indecisiveness which is always mark of mediocrity. I admire people who because of a burning passion in their hearts will fight to the last drop, as Filipinos do, and usually this is where we see ordinary people achieve extraordinary things…
Nash, as far as Studwell’s thesis is concerned, Singapore has produced a world class company in Singapore Airlines. It says a lot that it’s government owned.
Thanks Manolo. I’ll move on. Peace to you too cvj.
Peace tokayo.
Madonna, you have so much faith in these politicans. With their “investigation in aid of legislation?” they have brought this country to the brink of chaos again. The evil and greed are so much. No, but its ok you can stay until 2010 because VP Noli might take over and he controls the government machinery to get reelected. Can’t you see what they have done?
ZTE is also making its presence known all over the world. ZTE Corporation’s full range of network products cover wireless, data, optical transport, switching, video conferencing, power supply, monitoring, etc. ZTE also provides solutions in narrowband, broadband, wired and wireless products, including a ZTE branded line of mobile handsets. ZTE operates in mainland China, Bangladesh, Hong Kong , the Philippines, Norway, Sweden, Portugal, Brazil, Romania, Pakistan, Nepal, Iran, India, Libya, Benin, Ghana, Nigeria, Zambia, Tanzania, Angola, U.S., UK, Algeria, Venezuela, Tunisia, Russia, Cuba, Argentina, Chile, Australia, Canada and Sri Lanka. Its financial report is audited by Ernst and Young.
ZTE is expanding overseas. A PSTN project in Bangladesh was its first overseas project. ZTE undertook ADSL broadband access projects at 16 venues and press centers for the Olympic Games in Athens 2004. ZTE was awarded a contract from Viet Nam Railways valued at VND1 trillion (62.5 million USD) to upgrade and modernize the railway’s signal and telecommunications systems. The multi-million dollar project, with planning started in 2001, includes upgrades on three lines out of Hanoi as well as several junctions within and around Hanoi. ZTE made headway in the international telecom market in 2006 and took 40% new global orders for CDMA networks [2] and topped the world CDMA equipment market in 2006 by number of shipments. ZTE is installing its ZTE Class 5 soft switch system in Global e Networks’ London Docklands telecoms hub for IP-based communications between the UK and European markets.
On March 13, 2007, Reuters reported that ZTE had received the go-ahead to sell equipment based on 3G in China from the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry [5].
ZTE manufacture several models of 3G mobile phone which are rebranded by Telstra for use on their NextG network. Spanish telecom company Telefónica España will jointly manufacture and distribute 3G mobile handsets with ZTE. Telus of Canada is currently offering the ZTE D90 cellphone with the innovative FastapTM keypad.
i agree that there were some opportunistic individuals in the makati rally, but it doesn’t discount the fact that gma has to go for the grevious evil she and her minions committed against the filipinos. the fact that the majority of those people in the rally really had the national interest in their mids and hearts and are outraged!
ms. monsod’s argument of having a military authoritarian government post edsa IV is just a scare tactic and can be easily refuted by the fact that edsa I & II were military backed and non of them led to such military junta government. let us give some credit to most of our brothers in military. not all of them are robots and most of them are decent human beings. the likes of esperon, razon, palparan doesn’t represent the entire military. trillanes, querubin, gundani et al proves that their are still good people in the military.
and if history proves me right, bonifacio (not even rizal initially) and the rest of our true heroes did not have the support of the entire filipino race when they started the revolution against the spaniards. and also let it be known that bonifacio did not die in the hands of the spaniards but in the hands of caviteneo(sad fact but true). but in the end we won our revolution did win. led by the few! we had our first repubic nonetheless under a caviteneo.
people who are against rallies and getting rid of gma because of being scared of who might take over will be worse. this is not a perfect world. our leaders and people in the government owe their allegiance to the common filipino people who pay their taxes. they work for us not the ohter way around. so we can FIRE them anytime we want! it’s the economy stupid!
i think there is no argument here that gma and her minions stole the election last 2004 and are atealing money from the national treasury. and her military are committing extra-judicial killings. otherwise those who stil doubt those facts are either bind, deaf or just too stupid to accept the fact!
restraint is good only up to a point. and i think we are past that point a long time ago when gma’s lapdogs in congress time and time again blocked the impeachment from proceeding because they have the numbers by their own admission. not because it was the right thing to do. and they were handsomely rewarded. too bad for jdv his outlived his usefulness to gma. e.o 464, to keep a tight lid to prevent her cabinet officials and the likes of gudani to tell the truth. here we have a userper in malacanang who is doing everything to prevent the truth from coming out. some of us still wants to give her the benefit of the doubt. now that is stupidity! i know patience is virtue but even Christ got angry when the traders turned the temple into a market, becasue the temple is the house of His Father! that is what gma is doing to our country. turning it into market where the whole country is for sale and she her croniies are making tons and tons of money while the tao are getting poorer and poorer and lef to pay for it. so ponder on this all of you who advocate 2010, see and wait and pro-gmas. have pity on the suffering filipino masses! cause patience has it’s limts too! and we are out of it!
ramrod : sometimes, people decide to be neutral. it’s not a sign of mediocrity. appreciate opinions on their own merit, dont harbor prejudices
MLQ3
the movement against corruption has all the potentials of becoming a mass movement which could at least make a dent in advancing the political maturoty of the people.
Wittingly or unwittingly, the bishops have marginalized themselves as well as the politicians.
my belief is that we can transform this movement for a positive change.
the mood is very evident. CHANGE. Don’t let our movement hijacked by the politicians (CBCP), the military (Esperon, Honasan, Triallanes, Lim), the politicians (Noli, Legarda, Villar, Roxas, Lacson, Nograles, Recto,Ramos, Dew Venecia).
Let us make this movementa against corruption truly peoples movement. Only then we can be assure that after this uncertainty, a truly enlightened society will come out.
It does not matter if Noli or any other politician will lead. My point is that’s the politician’s problem.
WAG SILaNG SASAKAY SA ATIN. Very disappointing indeed.
And please, let us not over-analyze the obvious.
Don’t let our movement hijacked by the religious(CBCP
Mga kapatid,
Pwede bra, wag na kayong maniwala kay Solita Monsod? Isang huwad na kolumnista yan. At least si Bel Cunanan, alam nating pro-GMA o si Prof. Randy David, anti-GMA. Pero itong si Winnie Monsod, balimbing yan! Kunyari pang rule of law, pero silang mag-asawa, ayaw paalisin si GMA kasi feeling nila, may contact pa rin sila sa kanya at nakikinig pa si GMA sa mag-asawang traidor na yan.
Maniwala kayo sa akin. Basahan ninyo si Winnie Monsod at ang mga kolum niyan. Kunwari patira laban sa presidente pero panay ang praise niya sa ekonomiya. Pero ang hindi sinasabi ni Winnie Monsod, ang bumubuhay sa ekonomiya ay hindi ang mga policies ni GMA kundi ang mga OCW. Kung wala ang OCW dollars, lublob na tayo sa kahirapan.
Gayunpaman, bulag pa rin yang si Winnie Monsod. Trojan Horse yan. Magaling mamangka niyan sa dalawang ilog. At saka, paboritong media personality yan ng Palasyo, kunyari panay ang tira sa gobyerno pero kampi yan kay GMA.
Basahin niyo ang mga nakaraang mga opinyon niyan, akala mo laban kay GMA pero sa kahuli huli, sasabihin niya di pwedeng patalsikin iyan.
@cvj
true. and impressive for a national carrier… but then again we don’t expect an airline company to be a beacon of ‘innovation’…unless of course Singapore Airline starts manufacturing its own planes…
we really need to trade with our ASEAN neighbours more…it will be beneficial to everyone.
Ramrod,
If you read closely on their opinions. I guess most of the so called pro-GMA are not really for GMA per se. Most still keep an open mind on all the things leveled against her. They probably have a strong sense of justice.
There are those who believes that its the rotten system which is to blame and not GMA. A system so dysfunctional that who ever leads it in one way or another will be corrupted to survive.
Others believe there is no sound alternative to her. They keep a wary eye on anybody seeking power.
A big number of them also thinks rocking the boat at this time does not bode well for our economy. The middle class and the very rich have never it so good since FDR want the status quo to remain.
Holy Fr. Suarez and St. Judiel Nieva!
Burlesque King Nograles and ‘leader’ used in the same sentence. Surely, an oxymoron….
“Nograles said he and Puno tackled the political situation as two former Philippine presidents renewed calls for Arroyo to resign and civil society groups organized protests in the wake of the ZTE-NBN corruption controversy.
“We both jointly discussed the political situation and both jointly expressed concern about it as it affects our role as Filipino leaders today,” Nograles said in a text message to the Philippine Daily Inquirer.”
jackast,
Me, trust the politicans? Now, you are being funny here. Of course, politicians grandstand. Let them grandstand, but let the people be on the lookout always for what is real and true.
“Fire her”? clueless, dumb and simplistic statement. informed adults know there is a process for ousting a president.
“the accused is obstructing justice”. brianb.
defending oneself is not obstruction of justice. not proving one’s innocence is not obstruction.
“there are two forums. the court of public opinion and the court of law”. mlq3.
if there ever is a “court of public opinion”, its verdict can only be enforced in an election. it deals with popular “truth”, not legal truth. on the other hand, a verdict of a court of law is enforceable at all times. truth is ascertained according to established rules of a civilized society on truth-seeking.
Magdiwang,
I find your justifications for the pro-GMA believers morally bankrupt!
She has pilfered, stolen and plundered the national treasury. She has used the Chinese ODA loans as a source of further corruption. And here we are, we continue to blame the corruption on the dysfunctional system.
If the system is truly dysfunctional, then whoever the alternative is should not really matter, deba? If the system is truly the problem, then that means we have to socially and legally re-engineer the political system and economy like what Lee Kuan Yew did in Singapore.
Unfortunately, it is not only the system that is dysfunctional. The president herself is leading the destruction of the democratic institutions and now filching all the money she can steal from the Chinese.
For your information, it is not true that the president suspended the 11 Chinese ODA loans. That was merely a face saving measure. The truth is the Chinese government got so fed up with all the negative publicity starting with the Northrail, then the ZTE, now the Spratleys, and the Southrail that the Chinese govt decided to screw it all and cancelled unilaterally the 11 Chinese ODA deals.
Did you guys ever wonder why all the suspended loans were Chinese? Its because they were all cancelled by our Chinese neighbors. How did i know? What if i told you that like Manuel Buencamino, i am also a diplomat?
Just a food for thought.
Bencard,
Sagutin mo muna si Manuel Buencamino. Huwag kang sulat ng sulat dito.
Hanggat di mo sinasagot si Manuel Buencamino, tatawaging kitang isang malaking duwag!
Nash, i think Singapore Airlines has had its share of innovations within its own industry. It was one of the first to introduce personal screens in economy class. Recently, it has the distinction of being the first carrier to commercially fly the A380. It’s just not into building planes and for good reason.
The point i was trying to make in saying that Sinagpore Airlines is government-owned is to highlight that the “generous state contracts and concessions, or using their sway with officialdom to keep potential competitors out” that the Economist’s article blames for the lack of “indigenous, large scale companies producing world class products and services….” is capable of producing world class companies.
The problem with the Economist is that they are blinded by their Neo-liberal ideology to see this. If China, India (and earlier South Korea) followed their prescriptions, then these countries would also lack world class companies. Hvrds pointed out in the previous thread that the economically successful countries ‘coddle’ their oligarchs. We have to do some of that as well.
It is not trade alone that generates innovation and growth within local companies, but rather a combination of trade, protection, incentives and disincentives which is part of the government’s industrial policy. In fact, trade can sometimes kill local companies.
i like mlq3’s blog because a lot of posts are intelligent discussions, and you can find occasional gems here and there on both sides of the issues. sometimes however, like the ranting against monsod above, you find pure drivel. baseless, asinine, hateful, irritating drivel.
Mindanaoan,
Really? Take a look at her column. It sounds so intelligent and so logical but you dont have a whit of idea what she tries to indoctrinate on the readers.
Irritating drivel? I suggest you read all her columns and you come back to me and tell me if what I said is utterly fallacious.
I have followed all her readings. I am not as blind as you are. I have stopped admiring monsod since I got to know her true colors.
Asinine? Think again!
Wake Up People!!!
With all these power play by Gloria, it requires a lot of resources to do it. If we dont terminate their service now, we will be charged double because they can get away from it. Act now, Manolo’s is right if we lost confident and trust to government that should the end of it.
Mindanaoan,
You said: “and ousting her will fix all that? read monsod’s piece today, and evaluate things. while ousting her opens a lot of dangerous possibilities, including lacson as president, or the return of estrada, there is only one benefit that we might get, satisfied egos.”
No wonder you got pissed! You dont have your own independent thought. You read monsod and you had an epiphany! My gulay!
If we were in the Third Reich with Hitler lording over all his domain and the economy was doing very well, you and Monsod would have turned a blind eye on all the human rights abuses and corruption in the government as long as we have a 7% growth.
Read her column! That is exactly what she is saying! A philippines without Gloria will lead us to destruction! That is the real drivel!
Ramon del Rosario said that the Philippine economy will survive without Gloria. Between Ramon del Rosario who is a heavily invested businessman in the country and a Monsod who has no business of her own to run, who will you believe?
I beg to disagree, What strong words you have there. Accusing anybody of wrongdoing is so convinient but without substantiating it is another matter. All accusations should pass some judicial scrutiny otherwise people wont buy it. The opposition should try another tact as this has proven to be ineffective. They will have to try harder to convince people like me of the culpability of the president. The senate with all its resourses and after months of scrutiny has so far not able to finish all the investigations they initiated with no definite conclusions…..Have they???? hello garci, fertilizer scam, megapacific. northrail, DM boulevard to name a few. All bombast with nothing to show for. I think we just have to sgree to diagree on this.
mlq3, these gargoyles, coldking, joker, and riddler sound one and the same entity that must have strayed from ellenville’s hell hole. i’m sure even your liberality has limits. kudos to you for putting up with these flotsams.
can you read ‘satisfied egos’ in her column? just because i mentioned her, i now dont have independent thought? still baseless drivel
From GMA website: “Church’s intelligence network confirms corruption serious”
What an unintelligent assessment. Too late the hero!
Mindanaoan,
You answer my last question: Who do you believe, Ramon del Rosario or Winnie Monsod?
Dont give me the Erap or the Lacson scare! Bhay, nabenta na na!
Bencard,
Duwag! Duwag! Duwag! Sagutin mo si Manuel Buencamino!
Abugagong Pulpol! Hanggat di mo sinasagot si Manuel Buencamino, wala kang karapatan magyabang dito. Hindi ako abogado pero hindi ako duwag na tulad mo!
Hinihintay ka ni Manuel Buencamino! What part of Manuel Buencamino’s challenge ang hindi mo gets, Attorney?
i just noticed. morag ako ra may ga tubag-tubag ani. ngano diay ni siya?
Magdiwang,
My goodness! How blind can you be? You are just like Golez, you want the rule of law but the rule of law here is selective!
You are asking for judicial scrutiny and you know very well those cases wont proceed beyond Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.
The whole ZTE investigation in the Ombudsman is a farce. Merceditas asked Dennis Villa Ignacio to be part of the team but when Dennis Villa Ignacio wanted a free rein on the investigating panel and to prosecute the personalities where the evidence will lead, he was turned down.
Dont you people find it odd that the Ombudsman did not include Dennis Villa Ignacio, the lawyer who successfully prosecuted Erap in the plunder case? How did I know? What if I told you I was a lawyer?
Come on Magdiwang, no big fish friendly to the Arroyo government has ever been prosecuted in this administration. Dont expect all the cases to pass judicial muster. It wont go through the courts because our charter requires cases to pass through the Ombudsman. Unfortunately, our Ombudsman integrity is beneath reproach!
So dont talk to me about rule of law or judicial scrutiny. It exists in this country on a very selectice basis.
Mindanaoan,
My question begs an answer: Who do you believe?
Riddler,
Who said that life is fair? Even in advance democracies, trials and litigations are not perfect, but they still proceed and go through the motions because that’s how civilized people do it. The alternative is much worse, you want us to subscribe to vigilante justice. Do you want to be in a position in not able to defend yourself?
ang lagay eh papayag silang mag-ala gma si noli eh malapit na ang 2010 specially legarda who lost to noli. 🙂
bencard, re “on the other hand, a verdict of a court of law is enforceable at all times. truth is ascertained according to established rules of a civilized society on truth-seeking.” as for the first, not when the court is in disrepute or the enforcing authorities are held in such disrepute as to inspire resistance. i have time and again pointed out that indeed, people would generally prefer the established rules for truth-seeking to prevail, what happens, though, when the authorities themselves bend or twist or simply don’t apply the rules? this is the situation we’re at. recall the 1st and 2nd impeachments with their miserable rules, which the majority hoodwinked the minority to also accept, because the majority knew it had the numbers while the minority assumed it could incubate a people power moment. the result was both sides ended up in disrepute, and the process meant to be enabled by the rules, placed in disrepute as well. and yet we know the majority prefers those twisted rules (in contrast to the quirino era impeachment rules) because they place at the fore questions of form and substance without tackling the evidence in a public hearing. the result is that no complaint can ever get beyond the initial hurdles which are impossible to surmount -because what would give them teeth, the evidence, is left for last and not first.
the same applies for an ombudsman more interested in the anti song writing competition than the other pending cases; an executive that pushed the envelope with regards to executive privilege and which continues to assert provisions struck down by the sc; and which is working on means to accomplish the same thing, under a different name (hence the ongoing haggling with the bishops who, beyond eo 464 being revoked, have simply asked the president not to invoke the privilege in the higher national interest.
and so you have students rallying precisely for the things they want -the evidence- but which has been supressed by an administration then challenging everyone else with the taunt, “where is your evidence?”
the evidence is there, in the files of neda, in the files of the executive office, etc. under presidentially-sanctioned wraps.
this is why lozada says we have a legal system but not a justice system.
\
may ibang sumagot.
your question does not beg an answer. it’s begging the question!
it’s scream therapy day, i see. but please all bear in mind there are many readers scared to death of making comments here, because they’re afraid they’ll be lynched. the more the manier sana.
Mindanaoan,
My gulay! the question is simple to answer: Who do you believe, Ramon del Rosario, a heavily invested businessman, who claims that the Philippines will survive without Gloria or Winnie Monsod, an economist who has no ongoing business concern who claimed that the Philippines will suffer without Gloria?
Simpleng tanong, simpleng sagot. Kung ayaw mong sagutin, duwag ka!
mlq3 -could be Saturday night fever for many.
Mlq3,
Dont worry! I reserved my comments only on certain people I and Manuel Buencamino find objectionable.
But I will leave the profanities to Mr. Buencamino.
if it’s not obvious to you, the question is: why do i have to choose between them?
jackast, nod.
Magdiwang,
You said: “Who said that life is fair? Even in advance democracies, trials and litigations are not perfect, but they still proceed and go through the motions because that’s how civilized people do it. The alternative is much worse, you want us to subscribe to vigilante justice. Do you want to be in a position in not able to defend yourself?”
You still dont get it, do you? I am not advocating for a perfect system. In the first place, we dont even have a fair system and thats the principle of what rule of law is. Let justice be done though the heavens fall! All legal system must be fair. If you do not have a fair legal system, then why are you asking that the cases to go though judicial scrutiny? Isnt that an inconsistent argument?
And you are so wrong! Western democracies do not go though the motion of administering justice. They have a working administration of justice.
Vigilante justice? Dont you know we have vigilante justice already? Lozada says Abalos et al are corrupt and Siraulo Gonzales of the Justice department instead wants to file cases against Lozada and not Abalos?
We are already under a vigilante justice system if you havent noticed, my dear laddie!
Mindanaoan,
Duwag!
According to his handlers, Noli de Castro will be ready “from Day 1†if he is suddenly shoved into the presidency.
That sounds similar and familiar. But it’s certainly not working for the one who concocted the catchphrase first. Ms. Hilary is trailing “Barry†because Americans as Filipinos are enamored today with “change,†and not with business-as-usual or trapo politics.
Noli should fire those dilettante ignoramuses.