Intervention for the Prosecution: Why the BJE-MOA is an impeachable offense

Well, it’s in the news: please see MILF MOA added to impeach raps vs Arroyo: Intervention filed at House Earlier today and Groups want MOA-AD in Arroyo impeach raps and Bloggers comprise secod batch of complainants in new GMA raps. There’s also Impeachment and the MOA-AD in Filipino Voices. Also, Arroyo foes try for ‘online revolution’ (visit Oust the Imp).

The official (legislator’s) response came pretty fast for some: Intervention a new complaint -solon:

Representative Matias Defensor, chairman of the committee on justice that will hear the complaint, announced that deliberations to determine form and in substance would begin on November 18.

“Since the MOA-AD is a new issue, it should be treated as a new complaint against the President,” Defensor said in a phone interview when asked about the fate of the petition.

“We cannot accept it as an additional charge to the original complaint, otherwise, anybody can just file any motion and add a new charge to the complaint,” he added.

However, Defensor said the motion filed would have no effect on the original complaint.

A line echoed in this snipped from the Philippine Star report linked to above:

But the latest impeachment complaint didn’t sit well among members of the 28-man House minority bloc, particularly Bayan Muna Reps. Satur Ocampo and Teddy Casino, who both endorsed the De Venecia impeachment complaint.

“We who endorsed the first complaint respect the right of the proponents to include the MOA-AD, but we refrain from endorsing it lest it prejudices the complaint we endorsed,” said Ocampo, former spokesman of the communist wing National Democratic Front.

“This is because any addition or amendment to the original complaint will most likely be treated by the (House) justice committee as a separate complaint, as was done in prior cases,” he pointed out.

In the past I’ve written in my column about my belief that the BJE-MOA should have been included in the impeachment complaint. Together with some bloggers and other individuals, we decided to do something about it.

So this is what we filed this morning:

Final Complaint in Intervention MOA

Get your own at Scribd or explore others: Law Opinions

Please read this document. We have signed it. We stand by it. We submitted it, today, to the Secretary-General of the House of Representatives so that it may fortify the impeachment case against the President of the Philippines. I cannot express the reasons why we had to do this, better than The Marocharim Experiment did, in his blog entry for today:

Clenched fists mean a lot of things, not the least of which is fighting.  The clenched fist is a symbol of resistance.  To clench your fist means to stand up for what’s right because you believe in it, not because you feel like it…

…I think that when you blog about political issues and social issues, you cannot treat citizenship, political participation, and social obligation from your blogging.  When we say something or write about something, we should be able to act on it when the situation calls for it.  Our words shouldn’t be empty; we should be able to stand by our principles.  It’s not a matter of winning or losing, revolution or insurrection, cost or benefit…

…I was just doing what any free-thinking Filipino will do.  I was just doing things out of principle.  I signed that document because of my convictions, not for money, not for ambition.  I’m just a twenty-something who makes an honest living.

I signed that document because I believe that it is right, and I believe that it is time. Revolution?  To some, yes, but to me, it was a simple matter of doing the right thing.

It’s not easy to stand up for what you believe in. Sure, it’s easy to blog about your political beliefs, but it’s not easy to stand by them when the time calls for it.  After all, people will just accuse you of being “used by power-grabbers.”  People will call you names, people will look down on your convictions, perhaps even spit on it.— Or mock it.  Or tell you to shut up, because you can’t do anything about it…

…The question is not who we will replace the President with, but to find the President guilty or not guilty of the charges pressed against her.  Not the least of which is the charge that she deceived the public – and compromised the integrity and sovereignty of the Philippines – through the BJE MOA-AD.  If she is, I believe that she should face the fair and just consequences of her actions.  I believe that justice is not about personalities, but about doing the right thing.

Those are the things I believe/  I believe in doing the right thing.  I may not do it all the time, but when I signed that document – even with painful hands – I knew I did the right thing.  If I didn’t, what would be my excuse? It’s not because I’m a hero or because I’m a martyr, but because I am a Filipino…

…Had you been there, you would have felt the same thing, perhaps even made up an excuse to chicken out and forsake your responsibility to this nation.  I know: I was that close to doing it.  What motivated me was not a sense of blow-hard patriotism, but a sense of obligation.  People lived and died that this country remain whole, united, strong, and be held under one flag.  What, I ask, prevents me from doing the same thing?What’s my excuse?  What makes me think for one second that only heroes and patriots, or politicians with official ambitions, have the right to speak out against the injustices and excesses of the regime?

Now, I think it’s time for our honorable Members of the House to do the right thing.  It is not right to wait for the President to finish her term; what is right is whether she has two years left or two days left, she should be held accountable.  The Members of the House should know that justice is not about numbers or pluralities, but about morals and sensibilities.  It is about fairness, justice, and freedom: words and perspectives that Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo no longer represents, at least in my eyes.

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Let me tell you about what transpired after the brief press conference concluded. We went to the Secretary-General’s office, but once there, a problem came up. She was, at first, reluctant to receive our document. Closed-door consultations took place, phone calls were made, at times, our legal counsel were asked to wait outside.

Everyone tried to keep themselves entertained.

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The elder intervenors texted or chatted.

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The media and I exchanged notes on House procedures, and I decided to have a bit of a look-see.

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So much for the separation of Church and State!

But what I found most interesting were the items posted on the Secretary-General’s cork board.

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Various official notices, and a page of statistics on the current composition of the House; and most intriguing of all:

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This editorial cartoon on the BJE-MOA!

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As media people hovered outside the Secretary-General’s door, the wrangling continued.

From what I gathered, the Secretary-General first asked for time to “read the document,” then a legal wrangle ensued over whether she had “jurisdiction” over the intervention. Now the Secretary-General is in charge of the secretariat of the House, and her job is to oversee the expeditious reception, filing, transmission and filing of documents. She is not supposed to make judgement calls about the documents themselves.

In the end, after close to 45 minutes of bringing our lawyers in, sending them out, consulting upstairs and sideways in the House hierarchy, the Secretary-General announced she would receive the document, as the intervention was “unprecedented,” and leave the fate of the document to the relevant committees of the House.

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And so she received them, and everyone got to go home.

A word on the role bloggers played in putting this document forward for the consideration of the House.

Among those who signed this document are the following bloggers, who have decided to take their personal stands not just in the blogosphere but in the institutions of our nation.

Marck Ronald Rimorin, The Marocharim Experiment
Arbet W. Bernardo, [email protected],
Richard Rivera, New Philippine Revolution,
Jeremy Gatdula, Blurry Brain,
Manuel L. Quezon III, The Daily Dose,
Maria Jose (in Davao City), Alleba Politics,
Here is the statement I read a the press conference on behalf of the bloggers who signed:

PANAWAGAN

Unang-una sa lahat, ang mga naniniwala na ang impeachment ay isang “numbers game,” ay may mentalidad ng isang tuta na sunud-sunuran at hindi ginagamit ang pag-iisip bilang isang tao.

Ang Kongreso ay may dalawang bahagi – ang Kamara de Representates, at ng Senado.

Kapag ang isang Presidente ay may hinaharap na sakdal tungkol sa kanyang mga gawain bilang punong ehekutibo, ang Kamara ay ang tumatanggap ng mga akusasyon laban sa Pangulo, at gumagampan ng pag-aaral ng ebidensya upang makilatis kung ito ay masusustansya at kung ito ay dapat ipursigi at litisin sa Senado.

Bilang mga pangkaraniwang mamamayan, bilang mga blogger, beterano, sibilyan, Kristiyano, at Muslim, kami ay naniniwala na obligasyon namin na patibayin ng husto ang mga paratang laban sa Pangulo ng Pilipinas.

Sa aming pananaw ay dapat bigyan atensiyon ng Kamara ang isyu ng BJE-MOA sa pagitan ng Pangulo at ng MILF, ukol sa Mindanao. Ang usapang ito ay nabuo na may pahintulot ng Pangulo; ang sinasaad nito ay idineklara ng Korte Suprema na labag sa Saligang Batas. Kung hindi pumasok sa usapin ang Korte Suprema, marahil ay nagkapirmahan na sana sa Kuala Lumpur, sapagkat bukod sa inaprobahan ang kasunduang ito ng Pangulo, ay ipinahintulutan pa niya ang kanyang mga kinatawan na mangumbida ng mga representante ng iba’t ibang bansa sa Kuala Lumpur.

Tinutulan ang BJE-MOA na ito ng maraming residente ng Mindanao – lalong-lalo na ang mga Kristiyano at ang kanilang mga opisyales; ang iba naman, tulad ng ating mga Kapatid na Muslim, ay umasa na may kongkretong usapan sila ng Pangulo ngunit sila ay basta na lamang tinalikuran. Maaaring wala talaga siyang intensyon na ipatupad ang kanilang usapan, at sinadya niyang itago ang kasunduang ito sa mamamayan upang masabi niya na hindi naman nya ito maitutuloy sa dahilang hindi pa hinog ang panahon.

May panindigan o pananaw man o wala ang ordinaryong mamamayan sa usapang ito, ang naidulot lamang nito ay perwisyo at sakuna: sa buhay, ari-arian, kapayapaan at ekonomiya hindi lang ng Mindanao, kundi ng buong Pilipinas.

Ang ibig sabihin nito ay ginawang laruan ng Pangulong Arroyo ang buong Mindanao dahil lamang sa paghahanap ng malulusutan upang isulong ang pag-amyenda sa Saligang Batas o ang Cha-Cha.

Ang ibig sabihin nito ay inilagay sa peligro ng Pangulong Arroyo ang lahat ng naninirahan sa Mindanao dahil lamang sa kanyang mga ambisyon.

Kung kaya’t dahil sa mga ikinilos at ginawa niya; sa paglabag niya sa Saligang Batas; sa pagtalikod nya sa kanyang sinumpaang obligasyon na protektahan at depensahan ang Saligang Batas; sa paglihim niya sa mamamayang Pilipino ng mga patungkol sa mga probisyon na nais niyang isulong sa kasunduan; sa malinaw na panloloko niya sa mga kapatid nating Muslim; sa maraming nasawi or nabawian ng buhay na sibilyan at militar; at dahil sa kaguluhang idinulot nya sa Mindanao; ay pinaninindigan namin na dapat maisama sa impeachment complaint ang usapin na ito.

Ayun kay Atty. Neri Colmenares, kailangan lang namin ma-isumite ang interbensyon na ito, upang maaksyunan ng Kamara. Hindi na daw kailangan i-endorse ito ng sinumang diputado o kinatawan. Kami ay naniniwala kay Atty. Colmenares at sa mga kinatawan ng oposisyon sa Kamara.

Ngunit nananawagan pa din kami na kung maaari, sa darating na Lunes, ika-17 ng Nobyembre, ay i-endorse pa rin ng mga kinatawan ng oposisyon ang aming inihahain na dokumento na siyang pinagaralan namin at nilagdaan bilang pagpapatunay na ito ay ang aming panindigan. Kung kaya’t umaasa kami na sana ito rin ang maging panindigan ng mga kongresista sa oposisyon at ng mga kinatawan na miyembro ng mayoriya, na tumutol sa kasunduang BJE-MOA.

Sa paraan na ito, ay mawawakasan na ang bangayan sa ating lipunan, mabibgyan ng pagkakataon ang Pangulo na sagutin ang mga paratang sa kanya, at makakasiguro ang Kongreso at ang taong-bayan na hindi nagtatago ang Pangulo sa likod ng kanyang mga patakbuhin.

Ang impeachment ay hindi nasasakluban ng executive privilege. Walang executive privilege ang impeachment. Kung tatalakayin ng tapat at ng walang kinikilingan ang mga paratang na nasasaloob sa impeachment complaint, kung pakikinggan ng wasto ang mga testigo, at kung pag-aaralang mabuti ang mga ebidensyang inihain ng mga complainant sa Kamara, ay makasisiguro tayo na magwawakas rin ang alitan ng administrasyon at oposisyon at ang pagkakahati ng ating mamamayan.

Nananawagan po kami sa sambayanang Pilipino na sana ay suportahan ang aming interbensyon.

Nais po naming magpasalamat sa lahat ng mga tumulong sa amin, sila Joey de Venecia, ang mga bloggers na lumagada, ang mga kapatid naming Muslim na siya ring lumagda, ang mga taga iba’t ibang hanay ng oposisyon na tumulong upang maging masustansya at matibay ang interbensyon na ito.

Pagkatapos naming isumite itong intervention na ito ay padadalhan namin ang bawat miyembro ng oposisyon ng kopya ng dokumento.

Kami ay nananampalataya na sa Lunes ay i-endorse na rin nila, kahit hindi kinakailangan, bilang pagpapatunay na buo ang loob at sentimyento nila na panagutin ang Pangulong Arroyo sa kanyang paglabag sa ating Saligang Batas at sa mga katiwalian niyang ginawa at patuloy na ginagawa.

Maraming Salamat po. Mabuhay po Kayo.

And here is the cover letter attached to CD-ROMs containing this document, which will be provided members of the House minority bloc. The bloggers have asked the House minority to reply, by Monday, stating whether they will fight for this intervention or not; and inviting them to formally endorse it as a stand they will take. Some fellow columnists and I have also asked them to answer two questions.

November ___, 2008

Hon. _________

Representative, ____ District, ________

House of Representatives

Quezon City Dear

Rep. ________:

Today, together with ____ other intervenors, I have filed an intervention to add the Memorandum of Agreement concerning the proposed Bangsamoro Juridical Entity to the impeachment charges being considered by the House. Our intervention is based on the following premises:

1. That the House of Representatives, in deliberating upon the charges against the President of the Philippines, should strive to put together as strongand comprehensive a case as possible, in order to properly and thoroughly address all the issues that demand accountability from the chief executive.

2. That the citizenry is obligated to do its part to help fortify the case against the President of the Philippines.

We are of the opinion, and submit for your consideration and endorsement, that:

1. The President of the Philippines must be held accountable for violating her oath of office in authorizing and supporting an agreement that has been proven to be contrary to the Constitution. Any President is duty-bound to operate within the parameters established by the Constitution, and when a President deliberately disregards our Constitution’s provisions, there must be an accounting made to the citizenry.

2. The President must therefore be held accountable for what the Supreme Court has ruled to be an agreement that violated our Constitution.

3. That furthermore, the President must be held accountable for setting back the peace process; and for placing ordinary citizens, Muslim and Christian alike, in Mindanao, in peril because of the recklessness and faithlessness, with which she conducted the negotiations for the agreement. She has done grevious harm to the prosperity and tranquility of Mindanao and the entire country and her doing so is a violation of public trust and her Constitutional responsibilities.

She betrayed the public, and all the parties that participated in the peace process in good faith and with a historic resolution of ancient grievances in mind. We believe that we have made a strong case for including the BJE-MOA among the charges against the President.

We believe that this is a matter of such seriousness as to require the House of Representatives providing the President with an opportunity to explain herself to you, our representatives, and through you, to an alarmed and outraged public.

We further believe that the President will find it impossible to satisfactorily explain herself and that as a consequence, the House will find it necessary to include our intervention among the impeachment charges.

May I respectfully invite you, then, to endorse our intervention, so that ample opportunity may be provided for the President of the Philippines to air her side, and for the public to be informed, through you, once and for all, about the circumstances surrounding the agreement.

I am confident that you will respond to the overwhelming clamor of the citizenry, throughout the country but particularly in Mindanao, for public policy to be conducted in good faith, without recklessness and imprudence, and with the true interests of the nation at heart and not just partisan political convenience for the administration.

May I also invite you, on behalf of myself and my colleagues, Jarius Bondoc and William Esposo of the Philippine Star, Ellen Tordesillas of Malaya, and Manuel Buencamino of The Business Mirror, to state, for the record, your response to these two questions:

1. How do you intend to vote on the impeachment complaint already filed before the House? Will you be present at the committee level and plenary voting on these charges?

2. Are you in favor of including the BJE-MOA among the impeachment charges, and why or why not.

We trust you will give your answer to us by Wednesday so we can publish them.

And we further trust that you will find our intervention meritorious and worthy of your endorsement.

Respectfully yours,

Manuel L. Quezon III

Avatar
Manuel L. Quezon III.

333 thoughts on “Intervention for the Prosecution: Why the BJE-MOA is an impeachable offense

  1. Khris on, “be intelligent! dont just think of the impeaching her. think about the consequences of impeaching her.”

    I am a supporter of MOA-AD. So I take a different position than MLQ3. However, the Supreme Court ruled that the MOA-AD violated the constitution. That being the case, it is up to the House to take up the impeachment complaint, rule on it, if necessary pass it with required vote and constitute the impeachment court with the Senate to hold the President accountable for the violation.

    There is a lot of work to be done to get from point A to B. Let Democracy spin its wheels. That is the proper thing to do. Philippines have gone through a lot of troubles because of shortcuts. The President is notorious of shortcuts from Garci tape, 2004 election Bolante funding to Esperon MOA-AD.

    Even if you jump ahead to exaggerated fear of impeachment consequences, there is no guarantee that the House will do its job. Equally notorious of shortcuts is the house kill of impeachment complaints for the last 4 years.

  2. Khris on, “PGMA wont go down easily. she would bring many people with her. she will fight to stay in power.”

    That is exactly why impeachment is needed. The house had not been up to the constitutional task of impeachment – the only solution to corruption in the highest office. Until the house can do its job, the next Philippine president can only rule with exploitation like in the pasts.

  3. Whoa! I admire your guts, Manolo. But filing another case against her at this time is like, hmmmmm… suntok sa buwan.

    Just look at how the attack dogs of GMA have reacted. From the mighty halls of congress to the bloggerspace, they see it as nothing but an attempt to wreck a house that is now moving well (kuno).

    But one point I totally agree with you is this: punish the guilty! And one cannot determine the guilt unless the process is allowed to reign, rather right killing it at the start (including shooting the messenger).

  4. During normal times this kind of maneuver is effective. I’ll still give you guys an A for persistence.

  5. If the President cannot deliver, she has two options, voluntarily resignation or be impeached.

    The move is an awareness.

  6. leytenian: There is always more than just two options.

    GMA can also attempt a Putin. Putin chose the option of orchestrating an election that put a Putin-puppet into the presidency with Putin pulling the strings.

    Or…. GMA can attempt a Mugabe. Mugabe chose the option of getting himself re-elected with the help of persuasive shock-troops unleashed by some of Mugabe’s friends.

    And I don’t how you had fogotten (because many have not forgotten) another option is for GMA to attempt a Marcos.

    And then, there is the “Musharraf-option”, about which the UK-Newspaper Telegraph commented — : Musharraf’s departure is certainly a victory for democratic forces, but it will not necessarily pull the country together.

    And the “let’s move on”-option — end-of-term-2010 per Constitution IS an option.

  7. UP n grad:

    I don’t think she can do a Mugabe unless the constitution is changed to allow her running for another term. As for all of the other options, they are certainly on the table and my personal guess is that she may be tempoted to do a Putin by having useless harmless Noli annointed to take over and warm the seat for her until she comes back in 2016 (possibly for two terms if Noli is to do a Medvedev) .

  8. GMA is already looking what diminish capacity after term expiration would mean to her. At best, she will no longer enjoy executive privilege or immunity. And that would be a nightmare easy to imagine.

    Her best option is the Putin solution.

  9. it’s the day of Untruth for JOCELYN ISADA BOLANTE.

    if only the JAILED CLAN BOY ATONES

    (literally and anagramatically),

    his marred reputation can be saved.

  10. if the complaint is sent to the senate, the impeachment is deemed accomplished.

    thus, erap was impeached.

    impeachment per se does not necessarily mean removal. the desired end result of an impeachment is removal.

    “impeachment” is more like the formal filing of charges, placing the person charged in jeopardy of losing his/her post

    anyway, to those supporting the latest impeachment complaint – asa pa kayo. sabi nga ng isang comment sa taas, “suntok sa buwan” lang yan.

    puro engot talaga ang opposition (redundant na nga ang ‘engot opposition’). hindi pinaghandaan ang latest impeachment complaint, as the info on the BJE-MOA was left out. kanya-kanyang diskarte pa rin.

    mga engot talaga

  11. what will the latest on bolante accomplish? nothing but:

    – something for media people to write about/cover
    – giving media reason to raise ad fees
    – giving our honorable senators media mileage
    – delaying the passage of pending urgent bills
    – something to blog about

    in short, we are given something to fill our daily routine. especially the senate hearings, they make for good listening on the road!

    lalo na if bolante does not give the kind of answers our honorable senators are looking for!

  12. khris,

    your ‘bitch gma’ won’t fool anyone, you are as terrified as your tita of this impeachment move, hehehehe.

  13. “have you ever though that the reason she’s not doing her job well coz she has so many things to think other than solving our problems?”

    hahahahaha…..hahahahaha…hahahahaha….best joke ever!
    much better than joc-joc! lol!

  14. “have you ever though that the reason she’s not doing her job well coz she has so many things to think other than solving our problems?”-

    –better yet…like…ummm….cheating?!…lying?!….stealing?!…
    yes i would think those things gets in the way of solving problems. and she is the biggest problem!

  15. If there’s more option for Gloria out there, then that option is not acceptable nor suited for our culture. 🙂

  16. Group 1 — leftists militants who will never shut up.

    Group 2 — politicos (including their biz backers) who are not in power, but want to be. This includes military and church types who have grand political dreams.

    Group 3 — politicos who hold positions but are in the minority…and want to maximize their exposure while making as much noise as possible against the majority.

    Group 4 — political groups who won’t fair that well in regular elections in 2010…or fear they won’t…and need to get into power BEFORE the elections can be had.

    Group 5 — some of the media, who want as much noise as possible…as this is good for their business.

    Group 6 — some of the media, who are politically aligned with anti-administration, and are surrepticiously promoting regime change.

    Group 7 — characters who need/want attention and claim to represent the general population, God, justice, and/or The Truth (based on their unique moral authority).

    MLQ3 — At least you are not pretending to be from Group 5 and have now even openly moved on from Group 6 to Group 7.

    A successful Philippines (at least for now) is not helpful to the agenda of these groups. Hence, expect wasteful, purposeful distractions at an even louder volume…as these groups need to reach their goals before 2010.

    Too bad. We all lose.

  17. I can only respond to geo’s groupings of what I assume to be people who are motivated to oppose the present regime with the only sensible comment I can come up with, and the only comment it deserves:

    Pfsh!

  18. Well who do these groups represent? Who have asked them to take any actions? In toto, do these groups represent the majority? If not, what fraction of the general population do they represent?

    If these groups can only prove a teeny backing, then why is it OK for them to derail the country’s economic and national progress?

    Seems to me that a selfish minority are negatively affecting the much wider population…with no possible positive result available!!!

    That, my friends, is an ugly and immoral waste.

  19. “Seems to me that a selfish minority are negatively affecting the much wider population…with no possible positive result available!!!”

    –and…your claim is?….you represent the much wider population(majority)? hahaha… another comedian! 🙂

  20. Geo,

    ikaw naman oo. pagbigyan mo na.

    in case you are forgetting, dito sa atin, political rights are much much more desired than a full stomach

    better yet, if a stomach can be filled by the exercise of political rights! just ask those who attend rallies

    ayaw na ayaw nila yung set-up sa beloved Singapore ni cvj, na wala ngang political freedom pero full stomachs naman!

  21. I claim no such things. But those groups do. However, there is no evidence which supports their claims.

    Noise, noise, noise. But nothing positive gained. By now, I think it’s a fact that 4 years of this junk has been a waste of time….

    …oh, unless one believes that we have narrowly averted martial law and dictatorship.

  22. istambay_sakalye :

    “Seems to me that a selfish minority are negatively affecting the much wider population…with no possible positive result available!!!”

    –and…your claim is?….you represent the much wider population(majority)? hahaha… another comedian! 🙂

    ————————————————————————–

    bakit nakaupo pa rin si gloria? bukod sa it highlights the obvious fact na engot ang mga opposition, it shows that the majority really does not back up this ‘selfish minority’!

    oh yes! nakakatawa talaga! di na nga umubra ang isang type ng diskarte, pinagpipilitan pa ring gawin uli! tapos magtataka pa kung bakit pareho pa rin ang resulta!

  23. scalia,

    I’m all for open political expression. (And I am opposed to Singapore’s system).

    I’m also all for responsibility. All rights come with responsibilities.

    There is a big difference between “Opposition” and “Loyal Opposition”. Note the smooth, amicable (publicly, at least) transfer of power in the US, for ex.

    Anyway, one can express themselves freely. No prob there. But knowingly helping to repeatedly slow the country’s growth is going too far.

  24. Geo,

    your group is the ‘move on’ group, right? so is khris’ and loy’s, right? your ‘move on’ group aka ‘gloria forever’ very afraid of impeachment, right?

    don’t be afraid of impeachment, after all, your country’s interests is more valuable than your tita gloria’s, if that be any consolation to you guys. Hehehehe.

  25. “anthony,

    shall I continue w/ my countdown now?”-grd

    yes, yes, grd. please do. and make it fast before it’s too late, heheh.

  26. Bert,

    Don’t be silly — the impeachment is dead in the water. It is being launched for other reasons.

    I am not from any movement or group. I speak only for myself. I do not want Gloria to be in power after 2010. I want fair elections. I’d prefer cha-cha, actually, but that must wait for less politically-charged days in the future. (And no, I would not want a return of Gloria later)

    If one worries/cares about this country…”it’s the economy, stupid”. (No offense, that’s the saying). This is a time for national survival…not circuses.

  27. The ‘s abdomen is in his chest because he testified under oath that he had abdominal pain when he arrived.

    His many years of having “erratic” blood pressure would mean uncontrolled hypertension. I guess he only needed to replace his doctor.

    His long-standing evasion of Senate summonses, and even arrest warrant, is not true because of circumstances beyond his control. In fact, he filed for asylum in the U.S. so as not to avoid the Senate inquiry. He chose to be deported in order for him to tell the truth.

    Being a rotarian gets in the way of being a patriot…or, vice-versa.

    gloria and the is not to be blamed for their underlings were responsible for the scam…if ever there was really a scam.

    It’s a matter of semantics when you become confused with terminologies like “funding” or “program.” It’s not actually a cover-up but only a misinterpretation by the unwise.

  28. “–and…your claim is?….you represent the much wider population(majority)? hahaha… another comedian! ”

    istambay, you have to remember that anthony thinks surveys and statistics are figments of imagination so not credible therefore he thinks gloria is loved by 80% of the Filipino people and more positively popular. hula ko lang ito, pero baka hindi naman.

    ang sigurado ako inis siya kay mahar mangahas kasi ang lakas kumita.

  29. to grd,

    “shall I continue w/ my countdown now?”

    oo nga pala? yes, please. what day is it?

    ——————————————————————-

    to Bert,

    para masaya, mag-countdown ka rin like grd. if yung kay grd eh counting forward, ikaw naman, counting backward (parang counting to lift off, 10, 9, 8 ,7…)

    matagal mo nang tinaningan ang pag-upo ni gloria, eh bilangan mo din.

    you have to start with a number,like 100 days from now. so bukas day 99, makalawa day 98 etc. parang ultimatum kay gloria

    ————————————————————————–

    to geo

    “…But knowingly helping to repeatedly slow the country’s growth is going too far”

    for them, removing gloria is much much more preferable than the country’s growth.

    yet they are the same people taking the lead in ousting gloria. ugh!

    thats why our country is in very deep sh*t – those wanting to get rid of gloria are no better than her! puro papogi, wala namang substance! like that joke of a senator Jinggoy! and media hogs Cayetano and Escudero! yikes!

  30. Bert,

    “ang sigurado ako inis siya kay mahar mangahas kasi ang lakas kumita.”

    korek! of course! sinong di maiinggit kina Mahar at Felipe!

    all you have to do is (1) find a rich opposition guy willing to fund a survey that will confirm his prejudice and (2) find 1,200 people who are willing to affirm that prejudice!

    tapos kuwarta na! sinong di maiinggit diyan! Mahar and Felipe have a lock already in the survey racket I can’t form a new competitor to them!

  31. Bert,

    The majority of the people clearly does not love Gloria. I agree.

    But the majority has also not heeded the calls from these same groups calling for GMA’s ouster. What support existed before has consistently dwindled over the past couple of years.

    Impeachment is a dead end and unconstitutional means have been clearly rejected. The never-ending “scandals” being raised and pursued — with no results — have become circuses.

    But here we go again. All these groups, in unison, coming out again. One final assault, I guess. This has always hurt the economy, but My Lord — this is the one time that it’s suicidally crazy to be fooling around instead of scrambling to man our economic battle stations.

    My analysis is (until I hear a better one) is that these groups are scared of 2010.

    They have whittled themselves down to a meaningless, foolish, anti-progress…and ultimately scorned minority. Perhaps they realize that the future is not theirs.

  32. “oo nga pala? yes, please. what day is it?” anthony scalia

    it’s DAY 290. malapit na….

  33. “The majority of the people clearly does not love Gloria. I agree.”

    Shhhhst, Geo, don’t say that pleeeeze, the ‘move on’ aka ‘gloria forever’ crowd will surely impeach you from their group.

  34. “They have whittled themselves down to a meaningless, foolish, anti-progress…and ultimately scorned minority. Perhaps they realize that the future is not theirs.”

    Now, now, Geo, your slip is showing. 80% of the the Filipino people scorned minority? And the future not theirs? Do you mean your future is with Gloria?

    huhuhuhuhu, hikbi.

  35. Bert,

    Sorry, I don’t know if I can make things clearer for you.

    1. Fact: I am not part of any group. I definitely do NOT want Gloria in power after 2010.

    2. Fact: GMA has been supported by ~1/4 of the population during her tenure and has been disliked by ~1/2…with another ~1/4 floating. A majority don’t love her.

    3. Fact: A sliver of the population has ever responded to calls for her removal; has ever taken to the streets. The crowds have steadily declined since 2006.

    4. Fact: The House had repeatedly proven that impeachment numbers are impossible to achieve.

    Therefore, it is safe to assume that the impeachment (and other actions) are a waste of time, slow or stop the legislature from doing it’s primary functions, create a lot of media noise and accomplish nothing….

    Nothing except diverting attention from crucial issues, creating a negative environment and other non-productive results.

    So who are these people in these groups? Not 80% of the population. Probably not .8%. But I’d even concede 8% for argument’s sake. All the militants, all the Magdalo leftovers and old generals, all the Cruz and Lagdameo Bishops, all the B&W’s, all the Lozada caretakers, all the Hyatt 10, all the media, etc are a tiny group.

    That’s the minority I’m talking about.

    That’s the minority which has been roiling the waters for several years…with absolutely nothing to show for it.

    That’s the minority which was never elected by anyone and which repeatedly failed to get the open and clear support from the general population.

    Yes, many don’t like Gloria, but many also don’t approve of all of this BS.

    And they may even understand that this stuff is counter-productive. That’s why they throw up their hands and just get back to their personal lives.

    The only ones left banging their pots and pans look silly.

    But they continue. They say the people are stupid and are being fooled and that’s why they keep telling us that they know what’s right for us.

    And the media eats it up and spews it everywhere…including overseas.

    Gee, I wonder why the OUTSIDE world things the Philippines is screwed up. But who needs foreign investment anyway????

  36. Geo,

    di nila ma-gets ang motivation of those people.

    they have to step into the shoes of erap – sino ba naman ang hindi magagalit sa interrupted na pangungurakot?

    sino ba naman ang di magagalit – dati anak ng diyos ngayon hindi na?

    sino ba naman ang hindi maglu-lust after the nakurakot nina gloria at FG? “Amin dapat iyon!” ‘ika nila.

    Kaya ganun na lang ang pagka-poot nina Jinggoy at JV kay gloria.

    ang nakakainis pa dyan, Jinggoy, JV et al. are hiding behind a facade of “righteous indignation.”

    lalo na si Binay!

    the nerve of those people

    talagang galit ang magnanakaw sa kapwa magnanakaw. so its true there’s no honor among thieves.

    siguro mas effective pa sina Binay, Jinggoy JV et al if they don’t present themselves as anti-corruption crusaders

  37. “That’s the minority which was never elected by anyone and which repeatedly failed to get the open and clear support from the general population.”

    -…you forgot….gma never got elected as president!
    and all those tong-gressmen get away by playing the so called numbers game!

    “Gee, I wonder why the OUTSIDE world things the Philippines is screwed up. But who needs foreign investment anyway????”

    –yes the Philippines is screwed up!!! you think?!
    sad but the Truth does hurt…and if there is any pride left in every Filipinos ,we should do what is right!

  38. ….and at least MLQ, B&Ws and et al have the balls to stand up and shout against gma! against the oppressive governmnet! against plundering!against lying!against cheating!

    di gaya ng iba dyan…antay na lang sa 2010…may eleksyon daw?…ok naman ang ekonomiya..daw?!

  39. “…we should do what is right!”

    and the right thing to do is to focus on the economy, create jobs!

    “…ok naman ang ekonomiya..daw?!”

    di nga ok, pinalalala lang lalo!

    buti sana kung job creators din sila. e they are good for nothing other than being anti-gloria

    talagang the country is screwed up! the supposed saviors of the country are good for nothing beyond being anti-gloria!

    kaya Binay, paki-usap lang, kung hangad mo ang kapakanan ng bayan, hangggang mayor ka na lang!

  40. “and the right thing to do is to focus on the economy, create jobs!”

    –first job vacancy…presidency.. palayasin ang squatter sa malacanang!

    “buti sana kung job creators din sila. e they are good for nothing other than being anti-gloria”

    manolo, good for nothing daw kayo other than anti-gloria?!

  41. Geo, your fact no. 1 is reassuring but it’s not fact but just a statement, the same kind of statement representing the views of this administration you are trying so hard to cover up and deny. Statement like, for example, ‘there will be presidential election in 2010’ but they keep on pushing and attempting to dance the Cha-Cha which as everyone knows just a ploy to perpetuate Gloria in power forever.

    I’m sorry I might have been misjudging you but you are talking like a duck so I’m thinking you are a duck.

  42. geo, you were for her when the economy was doing relatively well, you’re now for her when the economy is going to have some hard knocks, just say you’re for her and be done with it.

    but yes, i do think a dictatorship and martial law has been narrowly avoided thus far.

  43. istambay, yes. i merely juggle several jobs instead of being poised to take over meralco and having poised to control transco, and so forth. and my partnership in a modest publishing company that has at best managed to break even for five years is as nothing compared to incurring multimillion dollar losses in the states (gsis, sss, landbank) which is a tremendous help to the economy.

  44. but i’m being a bad host. i’m glad to have the legionnaries back here, it will once more enrich the conversation and long live diversity.

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