Wake-up call for ‘civil society’

mabuti naman. people are thinking these people have hitched their star on gloria and have benefitted and are continuing to benefit from her presidency that is why they are keeping silent, or even siding with her.

parang si amando doronila, up for ambassador to brussels pala kaya tepid and mga commentary and instead of being critical with gloria, limits his criticism for the opposition. heaven help us from these kinds of people, that is, those who put their self-interest above integrity.

erap… nagnakaw… di kaya ng utak ni erap yun.

1. he cant count.
2. he didnt run like marcos or garci.
3. he didnt even take his salari when he was in office.
4. yung ninakaw nya na nasa equitable… if i remember…. pakihanap kasi wala na ngayn.
5. the whole scene was a plot of fvr, gma… and you knw the lwayer behind? … none other than romulo himself. its a real plot.
6. talagang plano against erap…
7. kahit ganun yung tao.. may compassion…

Today, there is hint of thievery on a different plane. GMA may not be accused of robbing the national coffers

Can somebody please tell me what mr. enteng romano 3 is smoking? must be strong stuff.

Kudos to e-Madirigma! People in KOMPIL have benefited one way or the other under GMA’s adminsitration thats why they are quiet about the whole controversy. They have come out with the position of establishing a truth commission as their response to the allegations controting the administration. But, when are they going to move? What’s taking them so long to set it up? Their slow response to the point of almost not doing anything about it leads me to think that if ever they will be able to establish the truth commission,how would they be able to convince the “common tao” that it is a credible commission.

Siguro tame po ang masa… wag na nating ilagay ang ating laban sa kamay ng mga burgesya tulad ng karamirhan sa KOMPIL members. ang totoong rebulusyon naman po ay pangungunahan ng mga proletaryo!!!

Pwede kaya citizen’s arrest na lang para sa mga magnanakaw ng boto? There were rumors then that FVR withdrew 200 million from Urban Bank before its collapse. FVR should forget believing in himself that he is our messiah.

one thing i can say is that.whoever was in that disguised voice of the president is a very good impersonator we should look for her and give her a career.now im a bit compassionate for Erap…they say he steels jueteng money cool…he has midnight contracts cool…he has too much many wifes cool pa rin…pero mandaya sa election at mang agaw ng kapangyarihan parang hindi cool…

“Civil Society” is a very misleading term because it is a self-serving, self-praising term. I think it is a linguistic descendant of the term “civilized people” — living primarily in Europe and North America — as distinguished from “heathens”, “barbarians”, “cannibals”, and others in Africa and Asia generally understood to be “inferior” to them for being “uncivilized”.

Likewise In recent Philippine usage, ie. Edsa Dos vintage, it is a term used to indicate “moral superiority” compared to Erap’s social and political supporters, who by constant implication “civil society” considered to be “evil society”.

Now the shoe is on the other foot. Ample evidence is coming out tending to show how little real difference there really is between these two “societies” in their ability to be self-serving.

The members of so so-called civil society are stunned to silence at the discovery of this equivalence within their own selves. They are unable to rise to the moral heights they once claimed a monopoly over because they realize their true interests lie in the person of GMA herself and in the regime of which they have become an integral and inseparable part.

They realize their own personal, professional, commercial and political interests are in mortal danger along with hers. They are struck dumb by the growing recognition that they are actually not morally superior to “evil society” and are in some ways worse for being hypocritical about that reality.

They are in denial about this, a denial that is the root of the oft-repeated argument about “who will replace her? isn’t the alternative to her worse than even this rotten leader we have chosen and for which we broke the Constitution at Edsa Dos with the collusion of the Church the Military and the Supreme Court?”

Civil Society is unable to accept the concept of “Blind Justice” for they insist she must remove her blindfold and see who is being weighed against whom upon Justice’s awesome scales. “So what if she cheated,” they argue, “everyone cheats don’t they? Besides the alternative is worse isn’t it?”

Seeing themselves in the mirror of GMA’s moral depravity in stealing the 2004 elections, which some of them argue she did not have to even do to win, civil society has lost its self-esteem.

And they know they cannot recover it without surrendering that promontory of moral superiority they have so long claimed as their own, without destroying the myth that Edsa Dos was a “military backed popular uprising against a corrupt regime”. So far they have been telling themselves and the nation this comfortable legend of their recent heroism and patriotism, while ignoring the salient fact that it was four-day orgy of ranting and raving in front of Mama Mary combined with the back-room conspiracy of GMA with Sin, Davide and Angelo Reyes.

They cannot now live with themselves without the painful act of contrition inherent in admiting that Edsa Dos was a conspiracy of a small band of elitists in the Media, Church and Makati society that simply could not stand a President who peed on his lovers and bragged about it and who had not the patience to follow the Rule of Law, obey the Constitution and bow to the compromises of democracy.

Their newly-discovered fear of and disdainful spite for “people power” is merely a reflection of their guilty consciences for having so carefully built up this myth, this legend in their own minds of their moral superiority, now exposed as bankrupt and empty and even inferior to Erap’s populism.

After all, the sum total of their accomplishment was to partake of the booty that GMA plundered for them, a booty of political, social and economic privilege that they and their families have always claimed as a birthright.

They have come to realize their souls are old recycled souls, not fresh, idealistic ones. I pity them, for their own silence, like GMA’s, speaks volumes of their culpability to history as hypocrites who refuse to accept that they are not morally superior to anyone, and are in fact worse.

It will not be so easy to dislodge them, for like the ancien regime of France, they are proud, willful and strong runs the genomes of evil genius and diabolic intelligence in their veins. Unlike the supporters of Erap, who were mainly the poor and deprived, these people own much and have much to protect and selfishly defend.

This time, I fear, a real people power will arise, and it will be awful to watch how truth and justice assert themselves from below.

Heard tonight in AM radio that Mike defensor has gone to congress via helicopter with bags ( of money?) supposedly to feed the crocs to sustain their defense of Malacanang. Pag nakaranas ka pala ng kapangyarihan nagbabago prinsipyo tulad nitong si defensor na siyang nagiging troubleshooter ni GMA, kung kelangang may i-“rescue” tulad ni Udong Mahusay gagawin nya ( soft touch yata ang term ).Sa TV kagabi sabi niya kung nagdududa sila na nandaya si GMA sa Mindanao ibibigay na lang daw nila ang 400t votes sa oposisyon- baluktot talaga pag-iisip. Para kang nagnakaw ng pera tapos nung mahuli ka e bibigyan mo ng parte ang nakabisto sa iyo. hindi pwede ang apology dito kelangan managot kayo, hindi simpleng paglabag ito. High crimes ito against the citizenry. Hindi lang dayaan ito may kidnappings pa dito. mananagot kayo sa taong bayan!!!!!!!!

namfrel, bill luz, concepcions, kompil, civil society, doronila, cunanan, magno = bourgeoisie (in all the negative connotations of the word).

the french resolved their issues with the guillotine. maybe that’s why we havent resolved ours: the oligarchy, with their heads still intact, just gets recycled and repackaged. case in point, joe de v, jpe, singson, angara, butz aquino etc. sila na lang ng sila. paulit-ulit. will nobody rid us of these scoundrels?

swerty said,
June 24, 2005 @ 5:59 pm

Yup we all know FVR is the evil of all evil here. When he knew that Erap will run the presidency in 1998, he made a lot of ‘hocus focus’ in his last days of governance. Marami siyang inutang at kinurakot tapos made some legal agreement papers that later when Erap was the president, siya ang nag-sign, naalala niyo pa ba? Sa time din ni Ramos nagsimula bumagsak ang peso vs dollar so later isinisisi natin si Erap kasi wala siyang alam sa Law & Economics. Magaling siyang magsetup ng situation para maligtas ang sarili niya at ma-frame up ang kalaban niya.

Masamang damo talaga itong taong ito. Nagsasalita pa rin hanggang ngayon. Habang buhay pa si Ramos, walang aamin sa mga sundalong nasangkot sa pagpatay kay Ninoy (they exercise their rights to remain silent, diba?).

si ramos ang nagpatigok kay ninoy para sisihin ng tao si makoy.baka pati lrt bombing pakana rin nya e,para isisi kay erap.

if you will analyze things closely, FIDEL RAMOS is the common denominator behind most, if not all the evil that has befallen on our beloved country. his continued annoying presence in our present day history is due to his role as the lead agent of a group that is all out to dominate worldwide economy.

lest we forget, it was FVR who open the floodgates of globalization in our country. it was he who sold some of our country’s patrimony (PNOC, fort bonifacio, reclamation area, camp john hay among others) to foreign businesses. more things to ponder…who really killed ninoy or who was the real brain behind it? we never really got to the bottom of things after all this years. during cory’s term she said she was no longer interested to find out. without a doubt, marcos did not benefit from that particular episode?.. who set up the biggest cheating machinery that robbed miriam santiago of her presidential ambition? to bad for the lady senator the experience left her demented!…why did he connive to overthrow erap, the only president who garnered the biggest vote in philippine history? simple! because erap was tightening the noose around FVR’s plundering activities (centennial expo scam in pamapanga is just one of them). he rammed gloriadown the filipinos’ throat because she is another agent working for the benefit of big businesses.

sana di pa mahuli ang lahat. kung tuluyang maghalo ang balat sa tinalupan, sana ay sama sama nating ipatapon si ramos at ang mga buwayang mangangalakal ng makati. sama sama nating itaguyond ang isang pambansa at malayang ekonomiya na di idinidikta ng mga dayuhan. tanging s gaonong paraan lang maitataguyod ang kapakanan ng ating mga mahihirap na kababayan.

Napailing ako nang mabasa ko yung sinulat ni e-mandirigma, parang pipit na nag a astang lawin. Tapos sabi ni Rizalist mahina naman daw sila sa kanilang reyna, bakit ba naging mahina, mahina ba silang mangurakot at mag abot, kaya no pansin sila?

mahabang tiis pa mga nagmamahal sa bayan. lalong tumatagal lalong umiinit ang bato at bolo politiko at dyaryo, pulis at sundalo sige kumampi kayo sige magbulag-bulagan kayo, habang tumatagal lalo segurong dadami ang tatabunan ng dayami.

bakit nga ba tahimik ang mga tao ngayon? eto at bistong bisto na ang pandaraya pero walang gustong kumilos? hindi kaya dahil ang karamihan ng sumali sa pagpapatalsik kay ERAP ay nahihiya? wala raw kasing alam si erap, dapat patalasikin sa pwesto.kaya ang pinalit ay yung may alam. pero ano nga ba ang nangyayari sa ating bansa ngayon? hindi ba mas mahirap ang kalagayan natin ngayon? bakit matapang si GMA ? sapagkata alam niya na may malaking taong nasa likuran niya..hindi siya mapapatalsik sa pwesto. wala na tayong magagawa kundi ang magtiis at magtiis pa..

Ang problema salita tayo nang salita pero wala tayong ginagawa. ayaw nating lumabas at magprotesta… na dya-justify tuloy yung pinapakalat nilang “people’s power fatigue” .

i want and i request that everyone watch the steps of gma, fvr, clan arroyo from now till they are ousted or replaced by election.

wire tap their conversations if possible to monitor all their illegal activities. sori pero mahirap ito… dahil everyday naka tap kayo. he he he.

biz associates para malaman totoong picture.

di nyo lang kaya ang afp kasi gnagawa nila ito.

monitor the assets of generals up to retirement.

and the wole administration bloc.

TAONG BAYAN NA ANG MAGBABANTAY.

I’m afraid Filipino’s moral sense is badly deteriorating. If we can tolerate GMA cheating who is not even a relative to us, how much more if one day our own sons and daughters does the same thing? Sooner in the future ours will be a nation of thieves, which deserves annihilation if we don’t act now.

Here’s my 2 cents worth on this on going scandal. There are 2 ways to wiretap a GSM mobile phone. Method 1: You get to clone the SIM card and have access to the mobile network switching facility( That is you have some operator breaching(or bribing) the security at Globe or Smart)-highly unlikely. Method 2(ISAFP). You have to know Garcillano’s phone number(which is a prepaid number for security purposes) and know where Garcillano’s location within a 1 kilometer radius. Now who would know the number and whereabouts of Garcillano? There are theories going around on why Garcillano was wiretapped. They say that he might switch to FPJ during the canvassing( this very unlikely. FPJ couldn’t pay Garcillano. He was to receive millions operatin the cheating machinery for GMA. And most of all he could become COMELEC chairman as a reward. So in short there is no need to wiretapped Garcillano. He works for money nothing else. So lets go to another much more convincing theory on why Garcillano was wiretapped. GMA and his inner circle were planning to cheat during the election using Garcillano. Wiretapping Garcillano could be used as an ACE(or blackmail) in getting juicy contracts and post. The opposition never had a clue where Garcillano was only the inner circle knew it. So by inference it was someone in the inner circle who had the wiretapped done not the opposition and not even GMA knew about it until it blew up in her face. ISAFP has the sensitive equipment to wiretapped mobile phone calls but it had to be positioned close to Garcilllano’s phone. These equipment can be place inside a van parked nearby without anyone noticing it. So who among GMA’s inner circle authorized it? Your guess is as good as mine. After the spoils of victory were divided there was somebody left without anything in the bag. The tape was release in aid of collection or revolution. The revolution didn’t materialize but the collection was achieved(after a meeting in Malacanang). That is the reason why GMA couldn’t speak upto now. She was shocked and awed by one of her ally. She was out maneuvered, out witted, out gunned. She was made to look like a jackass(and had to swallow the demands of this ally). Now who was that disgrunted ally? I would like to know your intelligent guess. Here are some clues SUBIC and CLARK.

I refer to the posting by Arnold Campillos. The signs are already here. Just look at the number of related people in politics today and how each supports the other when accused of any wrong doing.

We will be a nation of thieves indeed, “which deserves annihilation if we don’t act now.”

here’s an idea

Saguisag urges civil disobedience http://www.philstar.com/philstar/NEWS200506270414.htm

public servant lang daw si gma and she “cannot choose when to answer a legitimate question from a very concerned citizenry”

oo nga. tayo nagbabayad ng suweldo niya tapos pag nagtanong tayo, siya pa ang pipili ng oras kung kailan niya tayo sasagutin? tayo ang amo niya.

Non payment of taxes would only be succcessful if those who pay huge amount of taxes to the govt. heeds to Saguisag’s call. Karamihan naman kasi sa atin sa totoo lang ay hindi naman nagbabayad ng taxes, ni hindi nga tayo makakuha ng cedula, kung nagbabayad naman tayo ay kulang pa. I’d go for ‘It’s Not My Voice Movement’.

somebody, may i say, matino na na-disillusion, from the erap administration once said karamihan ng mga journalists ay bayaran. as in. di na envelopmental kundi atm journalism ngayon. karamihan ha. di lahat.

You are right Masha and Almondreign22. Just look and hear how some of these journalists, and some of them used to be “respectable”, twist the discussions. They spin the issues and give it a twist favoring GMA. Anyway, it’s quite known that they regularly receive payola from patrons. So, magkanao kaya nagkakalabasan ngayon?

Hello? Dong Puno and Arnold Clavio? bakit yata medyo bumabago tono ninyo ngayon? Maka- GMA na kayo? Si Arnold Clavio talagang GMA yan (GMA7)… Kayo rin, presidents come and go, but your credibility (if there is) will surely also go.(That’s also for Doronilla and Olivares-Cunanan). Too bad seems like there is always a price for everything, even someone’s credibility…

I think it’s human nature that we allow a wide leverage for people we like and nothing for those we hate. In the time of Erap, those who did not like him pounced on him like hell. Now, it’s payback time. It is wise to remember the admonition: do not be judgmental, for the measure you use against your enemy shall be used against you when it is your time.

It was a very interesting piece you wrote on your column in Philippine Star entitled “If its Lacson, be afraid”. Please allow me to present my theory on how these tapes came to be. I don’t like to comment on the jueteng issue. There are 2 ways to wiretap a mobile GSM phone. Method 1: You need to clone the SIM with inside help form a mobile operator and you must have complete access to the mobile network switch(In this case SMART or GLOBE)-this is highly unlikely since the operators themselve would not allow this to happen. Method 2(used by ISAFP) You must know the person’s number(Garcillano’s phone was a prepaid phone for security reasons) and the exact location of the person when the calls takes place within a 1 kilometer radius. The machine with ISAFP is sensitive but needs to be close to the phone being tapped. Now the question arise who authorize the wiretapping. Who knew Garcillano’s phone number? Who knew the whereabouts of Garcillano who was continuously on the move? The opposition didn’t have any clue about Garcillano. I don’t buy the reason that Garcillano was wiretapped to make sure he won’t turn around. That leads to the question turn around from what. Only the inner circle knew about Garcillano’s purpose and therefore his whereabouts and phone number. Why was Garcillano wiretapped? I’m sure he didn’t plan to joint the opposition during the counting. Who nominated him to the COMELEC? I think the guy knows very well whom he owes. So the wiretapping was not planned from the very beginning. But I believe someone from the inner circle had the wiretapping done for some future use knowing that there will be an illegal operation during the election. These wiretapping can be use to bag juicy contracts and post to someone who possess it. These tapes were release in aid of collection or revolution. Not from the opposition but from the greed of someone within the inner circle. That has been settled out already in a meeting in Malacanang. The president was shocked and awed with these tapes and all the more it came from an ally at that.

Wow! We made it to some U.S front pages and a google top story. Hmm.. but still.. Ms. Arroyo still denies rigging the elections. But only confessing that she talked to a certain comelec official. But other than that. No confessions on cheating and such. So the matter still seems to be here. Alot say that this is a other tactic of stonewalling. Well, i dont know about that. But I think she tried to say, “Ok, iam sorry that I talked to a comelec person only to secure my votes and not to alter anything. But I still won fair and square.” I admire that she spoke. But in total. The matter is still here. As one law professor and student said in an ANC interview. Both shared the same view by saying, “Her apology was for nothing it seems.” Well… I dont know.. Right now.. Iam quite confused.. waah.. Godbless!!

Naz, listen to tape #15. di ka mako confuse.

Mahapdi ang nga nabanggit ni emer pero may bahid ito ng katotohanan. Nakalulungkot pero ilan sa mga miyembro ng civil society ang tumanggap ng kanilang gantimpala sa rehimeng Arroyo matapos palitan si Erap.

Talaga bang kapag sikmura o bulsa na ang pinaguusapan nalilimutan na ang kapakanan ng bayan?

They are still on the denial stage. In fact majoruty of them refused to read the transcript or listen to the 3-hour wiretapped taped conversation.

If GMA continue to be stubborn and indefinitely insist on staying in Malacañang, I’m afraid her exit might reach a point similar to that of Marie-Antoinette of France.

Sa lahat ng mga pangyayaring ngayon ay patuloy na nagaganap sa ating bansa… dayaan, nakawan, patayan, inggitan, salisihan, taguan at iba’t iba pa.. Isang bagay ang malinaw, tayong mga Pilipino ay masyadong emosyonal, hindi natin makontrol ang ating mga sarili..Nung sumigaw si Cory, si Ramos, si Enrile, si Cardinal Sin.. sugod tayo sa Edsa… sipain si Marcos… Umupo si Erap.. sumigaw si Gloria, si Cardinal Sin, si Ramos, sumali pa si Cory, … sipain si Erap…takbo tayo ..sugod sa EDSA …. Ngayon…heto na naman tayo sipain si Gloria…konti pa lang ang sumisigaw.. EDSA lang ba talaga ang lunas para mapaalis sa puwesto si Gloria? Baka meron pang ibang paraan mag-isip po tayo….. nakakasawa na ang EDSA parang hindi na totoo…
nagsayang lang tayo ng pagod … Ako hindi mo na ako puwedeng hilahin sa EDSA… MAG RALLY KANG MAG-ISA MO….NAKAABANG ANG MGA BUWITRE, ANG MGA BUWAYA…. PAG NASIPA MO SI GLORIA SA PAMAMAGITAN NG RALLY … TINITIYAK KO SA INYO… MGA BUWITRE LANG ANG MAKIKINABANG…. MAIIWAN TAYO SA DAAN… MAG-ISIP TAYO NG MAS MATINDING PARAAN PARA MAPALAYAS SI GLORIA SA MALACANANG….

disobidient society pero may possible consequence…..Martial Law uli.

ACTION NA TAYO MGA KABABAYAN. SOBRA NA NGA SA KANGA NGAW NGAW ANG MGA SENATONG AT TONGRESSMAN PERO WALANG NANGYAYARI. HUWAG NA TAYONG GUMAYA. KILOS!

So what?!! Even if it will be proven that she indeed cheated in the May polls, were the other candidates as innocent and honest aS THEY PROFESS TO BE? i DON’T THINK SO. hEY, i AM NOT A GREAT FAN OF gma, I VOTED FOR roco. Even if they said my vote will be wasted since he’s not winning. I did’t care. It was my first vote and i didn’t want to waste it. bUT IT’S BEEN 1 YEAR AND THE COUNTRY SHOULD START MOVING FORWARD. pLUS, WHY PUT ALL THE BLAME ON gma? Obviously these people are exploiting the difficult situation the country currently faces like high oil prices, new taxes for their gain. I would never participate in any action calling for her resignation. Back in highschool, one good example for me of patriotism is clearly dmonstrated by street activism (the rallies, mobilizations). I WAS VERY WRONG….. I am no longer surprised if the leftist group would call for her resignation. They have been doing that since DAY 1 of her administration. A NEOLIBERAL TECHNOCRAT WITH A PhD in ECONOMICS sitting in Malacanan and embracing the demon of globalization , it is such horror for these self-proclaimed “nationalist”. Putting the blame of rising oil prices and consequently of basic goods on the president reveals the certain level of intelligence (or may be lack of) that these people have. Before I used to think that they are so nationalistic and patriotic… But after careful study (a pol sci subject helps), I realized that all of their actions are but a ploy for planting the seeds of dissent in the urban areas. All of this happens while the other side of the NDR, the NPA wage war in the countryside. While I see society still controlled by a well-entrenched elite (the Cojuancos are a good example), I believe that by educating the voters we can actually make a positive result no matter how small. What we need is voters education, maybe overall quality education. Who ever said that the process of nation-building is easy and won’t entail a lot of sacrifice? And please, avoid using the phrase “ANG TAONG-BAYAN NA ANG SUMISIGAW NG IYONG PAGBABA” , “ANG KABATAAN” and other similar statements. Was a referendum ever held to know the sentiments of people like me? If there ever was, it was a sham. I am a Filipino and part of the youth and yet I am not clamoring, shouting, and clenching my fists for GMA to step down. In fact I am praying, yes I am praying that she will finish her term which will be in 2010. Yeah, call me all sort of derogatory names. Please, do so… I respect your opinion but don’t expect me to embrace it as you people do. Does that mean I no longer belong to these groups? No one elected these people to be our mouthpiece against the government. I CAN ONLY SURMISE THAT THE COUNTRY WOULD BE IN A WORST POSITION IF FPJ was the president. Even if she is the president, we are stupid if we think she is in full control of things. Just look at her tax measures. Though passed, these laws have provisions serving the vested interest of certain groups inserted by our congressmen. We could blame it on the weak party system, but what about the intelligence of the majority of the voters? I still give her credit for trying to put the country’s economic fundamentals in order. Can FPJ, with his distorted pro-masa image and mindset ever prioritize such legislative agenda? He would probably intensify the donation drive (canned goods, water, housing, etc.) long perfected by our traditional politicians. What the other people are proposing are far more dangerous. First, a military junta. Read the current situation in Myanmar and the house arrest of Nobel Prize winner Aung San Su Kyi, and see what further danger we’re bringing this country into. Another one is the revolutionary government. Who would choose the members? They keep on bringing the name of Cory as a model of selfless dedication to the country. Oh please!!! Wake up!! Hacienda Luisita. hello??!!! Majority of countries are already in the new millenium. This country is still stuck with a feudal- type of problem such as that of land reform. I know that the money used by this family to buy the land was a government loan. Do majority of the voters know this? The probable answer is no. People cannot keep on using extreme poverty as an excuse for ignorance of such things. If we accept this argument, why are we allowing people of such sort have a say in the election of our leaders? In order to give the Phils. a semblance of democracy in the minds of the gullible and of the international community? Wake up?!! Stop being stuck in the utopian clouds and start treading the cold land of reality. It is difficult but if we want this country to move forward, start now. But then this is just my opinion. Third, a shady government headed by Estrada and allies. Majority of Filipinos may be suffering from amnesia and fanaticism, unable to distinguish the reality from the celluloid, but I AM NOT ONE OF THEM. I take great pride in the subsidized (though not in full) tertiary education I am having right now. I intend to make full use of it and not waste it by being swayed easily by people of questionable integrity. While I accept the fact that I may not be the most intelligent person in the country (if I were I would have gotten a scholarship abroad and be back in the country afterwards), I am not stupid and ignorant either. These politicians can’t even wait for the next elections. Despite my family only eating only twice a day and barely able to pay for our electric and water bills, I am not yet in a hallucinatory state that I’ll start blaming the President for all my woes. I blame government for bad governance, high graft and corruption, inefficient bureaucracy and bad roads, I won’t blame her for lack of food and other basic things that my parents should be providing in the first place. The state is not an extension of the nuclear family to whom one depends on for food, water, electricity, clothing and housing. Basic education and health services, yes! How about helping ourselves first? A good example is for parents to minimize the number of children that they have. If only human beings can subsist on grasses just like rabbits, maybe we could start having many children. But then the nature would start to work. Since we are on top of the food chain, only rapid depletion of scarce resources like grasses can help control the population. To the Church, get real!!! You should at least consider the fact that GMA wouldn’t dare talk about family planning to avoid the ire of the “people of clothe” I used “people” since there are women in the church no matter how patriarchal the insitution may be. Personally, I don’t care what other people do with their money. If they defend their crusade against gambling as it leads to the enslavement of poor families, then let me return to my old point. If these people can’t control their vices and as they (CHurch people) say become slaves to it and destroying the lives of children in particular, then why whould the same people be allowed to vote? Shout elitism for all I care. I blame the people of such sort for this. These priests are making all the decisions as if the people they’re professing to be defending are dumb and can easily be fooled. I recognize that EDSA won’t be possible without these priests, nuns. But EDSA would never have succeeded without the people who are not “of the clothe”. It is already part of our culture, jueteng. Well, our family haven’t played in one but since I am a Filipino it is a part of me. Legalize jueteng that is my suggestion. I am not the only one who is uiggesting such an option. If we want the state to regulate such “distasteful” and “family-wrecking” activity then we let the state control it. Such crusades are only futile just like the liquor ban that happened in the United States in the first decades of the 20th century. The government is corrupt I am not blind to that. We can address that problem and generate revenues as well. I have a particular disdain for leaders of various religious groups who insist on running for a seat in government since god told them so. I am not using the capital G for god since I know my God won’t let their leaders engage in petty politicking only wolves in sheep’s clothing poorly engage in. They may say what they want to say as a citizen of this country but don’t use god or dare put oneself in such high moral ground. As for a possible repeat of PEOPLE POWER I really hope not. It was already difficult for GMA to push for various reform measures that need the cooperation of Congress in her first year. These people are reducing her into a lameduck president. What I am afraid is that instead of much- needed reforms she’ll be exerting her remaining political energy into satisfying crucial elements like the Military giving concessions. This is such a bad timing since the land-grabbing case of Generals in Fort Bonofacio is already pending in the courts. Who said the poor are the only professional squatters in the country? Why, this generals organized a homeowners’ association to defend their squatting. Their land valued way below market price. Money that could have funded the AFP Modernization, retirement benefits of veterans. Do the people calling for GMA’s ouster know of such things? If they do, then they should know that in this country, a change in administration would mean a change in policy. People look at the long term not jut in the short term. We haven’t even got hold of the original tape and yet most people insists on giving comments. Obviously, I am giving her the benefit of the doubt. And if she be found guilty, let me get back to my opening statement…. SO WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bubbles49,

You can not teach a child to be honest if u tolerate dishonesty. I am sorry for you. We are not putting all the blame on GMA, but she represents all that is wrong in this country. Kaya nga patuloy kaming kikilos kahit wala na c GMA. Your a cynic and nothing can be expected from a cynic, but I happy m surrounded by people who know how to dream and people who have not lost their sense of dignity and snce of moral outrage. Are u a political science student? You have a wrong concept of state and government. Ang pamahalaan ay itinatag ng tao para palingkuran ang tao at pangalagan ang mga yaman ng estado. Otherwise, d natin kailangan ang gobierno na kinakatan ng isang tao nang-agaw ng panguluhan.