Noli on the impeachment vote

“Iyang impeachment na yan panggulo lang yan eh. HIndi naman ako Pro GMA pero Sino ang ipapalit mo sa kanya?”

This was the question that one of my officemates asked me while I was surfing through the News. Another officemate backed him up:

“Oo nga sino ang ipapalit mo!”

At this point I detoured from the usual answer that I give to people who keep on asking this question. I used to answer:

“Isa- isa muna. Ayusin muna natin ang tanong na, Halal nga ba si Aling Glo? Presidente ba talaga siya? Pagkatapos noon, eh di puwede na tayong magsimula ulit. Let’s vote for the real president. Isang presidenteng inahalal natin ang dapat na mamuno sa atin”.

Today, di ko kaagad nasabi yon. Instantly I answered:

“Alam mo mali yon eh. Maling-mali. Huwag ka talagang magpadala sa mga pro GMA na laging sinasabi: Eh sino ang ipapalit nyo?. Kasi naman, iniisip nila na wala ng ibang magaling kundi si GMA lang.

Pero, ang tanong halal ba siya? Presidente ba siya? Ibinoto ba siya? kaya nga tayo nag tatanong through impeachment dahil gusto nating malaman ang totoo. Through the HELLO GARCI tapes, na inamin ni GMA at (nag sorry pa) na sa kanya ang boses ng nasa tapes, nalaman ko na hindi siya totoong halal. At dahil hindi siya Halal, hindi siya Presidente.

Bakit mo siya papalitan? Presidente ba siya? Ang dapat nating gawin ay bomoto ng ating presidente para mag karoon tayo ng totoong pinuno.”

My other officemate retorted:

“Eh, election na naman. Mas lalo lang tayong ma indebted nyan.”

Kaya sinagot ko rin,

“May Presidente ba tayo? Huwag mo sanang idamay ang ibang Pilipino sa gusto niyo. Kung sa tingin ninyo ay siya ang pinakamagaling, ang tingin naman ng iba ay hindi. Kaya nga may botohan di ba. Kaya nga tayo demokrasya. Ako hindi ako papayag ng ganito na lang. Dahil sa inakala ng iba na si GMA na ang pinakamagaling ay tatahimik na lang ako kahit hindi siya totong pangulo?”

Sa puso ko, na paisip ako: “ganoon, sa dinamidaming pinoy, si GMA lang ang akala mong magaling.

Sumagot ang officemate ko: “Eh di ikaw na lang ang pumalit!”

Sinagot ko rin siya: “ba’t ko siya papalitan? Presidente ba siya?”

Nag react ang nasa aking paligid. Yong iba tumatawa. Ang sabi ng isa sa akin: “Aba puwede ka palang politico.”

Nakitawa na rin ako.

alam nyo mga repapips, ang impeachment nasa constitution yan… so alam ng constitution na maaaring mapatalsik ang presidente sa pamamagitan nyan.

ang tanong sino ba ikamo ang ipapalit?

e nindi naman MALAKING TANGA ang constitution na pagnaalis ang pangulo wala na lahat… talasan nyo naman ang pagiisip natin.

sa tono ng ganyang pananalita e gusto nyo lang buhayin ang mga nakararaming literate pinoys na AYAW kay Noli. yun lang namn pupuntahan nyan e ang pagboycott kay Noli. at pag napunta na dyan ang usapan tapos na ang sense ng impeachment ni gloria.

kun ang iba hindi marunong magisip ay wag naman nating gawing TANGA ang constitution…. pakiusap.

since patay na ang inpeachment, pwede bang Senate Inquiry sa Hello Garci tapes?

ayos loi_pogi…medyo binigyan mo kwela ang blog na ‘to…puro sad stories na lang nababasa ko rito…

mya pindutin ko yung link…

doctorT, wag mawalan ng pag-asa, pindutin mo rin yung link para sumaya ka…peace…

If PGMA gets impeached, then the VP assumes the presidency. That’s how it’s supposed to work.

Haunted by Marcos’ ghost

by Abe N. Margallo

Marcos, as many Filipinos may still recall, employed every means possible to fabricate a semblance of public acceptance of his regime which he claimed, until his expulsion, to be constitutional and democratic. As an astute politician, Marcos was quite aware that governments, regardless of forms, must exert every effort to gain popular consent; and if only to secure a modicum of public acquiescence, he did not hesitate to corrupt everyone and the established order.

The people’s consent is therefore of the essence in any government that purports to be a democracy. For, at least theoretically, there can be no democracy that is not firmly based on the will of the governed. The powers that be are thus highly sensitive to the fundamental requirement of popular consent, whether the government being run is in fact democratic, oligarchic or despotic.

With about 80 percent of the Filipinos today wishing President Arroyo to leave office, how could she possibly secure the consent and support of the people without being repressive and manipulative in the way leaders of tyrannical disposition are prone to?

What is more, the technological wonders of speed and connectivity are now allowing citizens (the better-informed and well-meaning ones, in particular), in concert with people of like persuasions, to affect state decisions. And these are occurring in ways that are proving to be discomforting to the abilities of power holders to control public opinion through the traditional media outlets.

For instance, Malacañang has had to let loose two officials of cabinet rank (Ricardo Saludo and Rigoberto Tiglao) to post rejoinders in Newsstand as certain topics in the blog and comments thereon turned to be quite too disturbing to ignore. What could reasonably be suspected as a Palace-inspired blog, Rational Sphere, has actually been created for the coziness of the presidential bloggers barraged as they have been in not-so-neutral exchange zones. Yet, Newsstand owner John Nery was still gracious to quip: this can be the beginning of a truly meaningful deliberative democracy.

But, whether deliberative democracy can be justified, if the public is yet incapable of making appropriate political decisions in the pursuit of the common good, is still problematic. The answer of course is education, i.e., to increase the salience of politics in people’s lives. This means more, not less, politics and, hence, greater involvement by the people in the political processes. Simply voting for representatives (ah, yes, those people’s representatives some of whom burnt their midnight candles and themselves during the impeachment vote) is therefore not enough for purposes of true empowerment. But appreciating the real issues is participation in the political sense.

For now, there would be no good, long drink for mlq3 (if he is not a teetotaler). But if for the foregoing reasons alone, the quixotic campaigns of the grandson of the illustrious MLQ as well as the valiant efforts of the investigative reporters of PCIJ during the failed impeachment against President Arroyo are priceless in this educative process. Their salutary contributions are unmistakable in the face of the mainstream Philippine media’s phlegmatic performance of its duty to inform the people and of its supposed role as a public trust.

Thus, from the “circus atmosphere,” one expects more unintended consequences such as in the form of continuing “living room” and “street” political tutoring of the populace could be headed for some concrete fulfillment. For one thing, enough lessons from the past (from the unfulfilled expectations of People Power I and People Power II) might have been learned by now. And, and . . . lo, is there ample awareness this time of how to go about delivering the people’s true interests from the usual elitist rationale for economic growth (for the elites’ shake) without economic democracy?

Indeed, democracy also means the right to earn a decent living in the very place one calls home. Unfortunately, unlike Marcos who openly brandished dictatorial powers to have his untrammeled ways, Arroyo is practically a lame duck president hostage today to keep political IOUs as one of the bitter pills produced by the impeachment saga. So, even if willing to make amends for her “lapses,” Arroyo, as a matter of political convenience, will have no choice but to relegate once again this long-standing people’s aspiration to the trenches of oblivion. This translates into less food on the table of nearly half of the country’s population as long as Arroyo is president.

Now, will people power sustain its potency and go beyond the political theatrics that the first two upheavals have unfortunately become? Or, in the days ahead, should Filipinos in fact expect to see an Iron Lady cast in the lengthened ghost of Marcos ready and willing to wage a war of attrition, at all costs, against the Great beast?

Pinaka-importante nga ba ang “i-unseat” si Gloria?

Or is this just another instance of our looking for scapegoats and strawmen to mask the very fundamental truth that we AS A PEOPLE have dismally failed to build a prosperous society and a functioning democracy?

Here’s some perspective on this:

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“And so we now come full circle. Yet another president embroiled in another cheating scandal. To refresh the famously short-term memories (which complement the short-sighted vision) of the Filipino people, Mrs. Arroyo ascended power extra-constitutionally in 2003 — a fact conveniently overlooked by our Edsa-“revolution”-happy society but succinctly highlighted in our piece The Filipino Culture of Crime written way back in November 2003. In that article we said that:

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We had in recent memory removed a president in a blatant disregard of constitutionally-prescribed procedure and installed a new president who then proceeded to govern by virtue of the very same Constitution that her ascent to power had trampled upon!
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So before we pompously cast the proverbial First Stone, let’s remind ourselves that we as a people are famously tolerant of this kind of thing. Because we are a people who presume to practice democracy but don’t really understand what it really is all about (click here for a clue), we fail to look back and remember the above little detail that characterised the Arroyo administration in the first place.

Conveniently, Ms. Arroyo has since been “re-elected” constitutionally (something possible in a nation that loosely defines the term) in 2004. Or has she? That question is now the buzz of 2005 — another one of those all-too-common things that distract the Pinoy from that elusive job of nation building (remember the concept? Not.). That little after-the-fact legalisation of the 2003 power grab that we thought had been neatly swept under the rug (a la tapal Vulcaseal) is something worth bringing up now as the nation lurches towards another dose of its favourite laxative — Fiesta Revolution! We need to remind ourselves yet again that we in fact not only deserve each other, we deserve the Philippine Government.”
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Check out the complete article here:
http://www.getrealphilippines.com/agr-disagr/18-3-gmafall.html 😀

tama ba yung nababasa kong mensahe ni kabayan? ba’t naging english?

eyeswideopen: sus mio, recognized sya as president ng buong mundo. she’ll be representing our country sa UN Security Council meet. hindi mo pa rin tanggap president sya?!

loi_pogi: thanks for the comic relief!

noli obviously is playing safe, to the people and most especially to her boss. but when GMA will leave for the US of A, will she temporarily relinquish command to him? truth of the matter is, as what ms. sheila s. coronel considered GMA, gloria is an INSECURE president from the start (when she assumed power in 2001). i believe she is more insecure now and probably forever she will be.

i very much doubt gloria will let a constitutional successor handle the reins of her power, i.e., power which she has stolen. “baka wala na siyang balikan eh…hahaha.”

her insecurity, btw, is the reason why she’s always two steps ahead in the battles for TRUTH. as i’ve posted in a previous blog, FORESIGHT is the name of the game.

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back to basics, the occupant of the office of the president is elected by the majority. put a BIG question on the mandate of the occupant, in this case GMA, then you’ll have a BIG problem. is she the rightful occupant or not?

THAT should be the first issue to be tackled and not “who shall be her replacement?” our present situation is not a “chicken-and-the-egg phenomenon,” resolution to the problem has concrete steps…FIRST: is GMA the rightful occupant or not? all else will follow in place.

that family is as immoral/amoral as hell.

i received invitations from former colleagues in UP to join tomorrow’s protest rally. ipagpapatuloy daw ang search for truth.

what is there to search for?

to borrow a famous tv catch phrase: THE TRUTH IS OUT THERE.

president arroyo cheated her way to the presidency. whether she would have still won sans the cheating, we wouldn’t know.

the garci tape and her admission of her wrongdoing are the most damning evidence of electoral fraud.

iangat natin sa susunod na lebel ang ating adhikain. anong alternatibo ang ihahain natin kapag nawala sa puwesto ang pangulo.

martsa para hanapin ang katotohanan? para que? para matakot ang mga investors? nakabuyangyang na ang katotohanan! anong hahanapin pa.

ang dapat sumunod na hakbang: panagutin si pangulong arroyo sa kanyang ginawa.

paano? ‘yan ang dapat sagutin ng mga lider ng umbrella group na nag-aanyayang lumabas ang mga tao sa kalsada.

we already know the truth.
what then?

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FOR A DAILY DOSE OF POLITICAL humor, pls visit:
http://www.professionalheckler.blog-city.com

enlightened pinay: so bring it on! hindi kaya masochist kayo, paulit ulit na kayong napapahiya.

ladyl: she’s the first philippine president, first asian leader, first female head of state to preside over the UN Security Council summit. that very important and significant event will give honor to our country. only those unpatriotic will downplay this unprecedented opportunity.

Hahhaha. Thank you for making me laugh this afternoon Camille.

Loi_Pogi, put your grievance to where its due – talk to your former colleague. Talk hi/her out of it… if that’s what you really believe.

Bakit ba kayo naghahanap ng kapalit?

Kahit sinong PIlipino na may tunay na pagmamahal sa kanyang bansa at sa kanyang kapwa ay pwedeng pumalit sa kanya. Hindi naman siya kelangang maging matalino, basta alam niya ang tama at mali para sa Pilipinas at mga Pilipino. Hindi naman siya kelangang maging sikat para siya sundin ng mga tao. Kelangan lamang ay maaari siyang tularan ng bawat Pilipino. Hindi naman siya kelangan maging malakas. Kelangan lamang ay maging matatag ang kanyang kalooban.

loi_pogi,

Tama ka dapat panagutin si Gloria sa ginawa nyang paglabag sa batas. pero we must start somewhere. kung hindi tayo magproprotesta sa kalsada matapos patayin ng mayoriya sa camara ang impeacment, ano pa ang pwede nating magawa. walang kusa si arroyo para i correct ang pagkakamali nya. para sa sa kanya ang “i’m sorry” tama na magtrbaho na ta.

There is no problem with having gloria impeached…If she indeed screw up the elections….thing is, Ka Noli is the person next in line and there is a possiblity that iboboycot ng masa si noli…that is where the problem arises….It would be extrajudicial to boycott the VP to replace the Pres…And things is if we do the elections again are you sure that te persons who will vie for the position wont cheat..Issue is that everyone just wants to sit on the throne….And that sucks!

ayaw pla yan….

lunch muna ako!

enlightened_pinay,

I think there’s no problem naman with Noli in the Malacañang…thing is..may mga kabayan tayo na ayaw rin syang ilagay dun..and what they want is to put their own bet on the position…I guess that’s what’s making it complicated..Its just thinking that we want to oust oompaloompa but we want to put in a person in an unconstitutional way…

if we want changes we have to do it in the right way..

Cereal Killer,
Im just posting that comment given that i’m sure some people will question if the anti impeachment group will allow Noli to be Arroyo’s successor. Otherwise, we’re on the same boat that Noli is indeed the constitutional successor.

enlightened_pinay said,
September 7, 2005 @ 9:43 pm

CORRECTION. LABO NG STATEMENT KO SA TAAS,

Cereal Killer,
Im just posting that comment given that i’m sure some people will question if the PRO impeachment group will allow Noli to be Arroyo’s successor. Otherwise, we’re on the same boat that Noli is indeed the constitutional successor

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that’s better, i clearly understand your point now.

sorry instead of their pushing someone….they’re pushing some…correction

Thing is with us Filipinos…masyado tayong mapag mataas…alam naman ng lahat na hindi pa kayang mag patakbo ng sariling bayan…we pretend to be something that we are not…Independence is needed by a nation…but we have to be ready to have that..its not that if we want it we just get it…kung titingnan natin ang mga nations ngayon na very successful ang independence nila ay hindi binili or binigay..they really fouhgt for it…

our lesson is yet to be learn. hindi pa ito tapos.