Haunted by the past

Bitin ang kwento..what did these Honorable Congressmen do for the good of our country mula nang malagay sila jan at makatanggap ng pork barrel fund?

what did they do for the country? they are doing it for their marginalized representation. kaya nga party-list group eh.

and for the message of the above post. it’s simple. single out and attack only the leftist group and they will all go back to the mountains. why only them and with age old cases? (as par as i know cory during her time has granted amnesty to all armed and political groups/prisoners during the time of marcos). so what’s happening now? and what about those despised opposition leaders who are equally vocal against the govt.? why are they not arrested and charge with sedition? di nila kaya? what an injustice!

genuine na kung genuine (at hindi lang si biazon or pimentel ang sinasabi ko. isama mo rin sina binay, si erap & family, marcos family, si randy david, etc.) . ang sinasabi ko where is justice here? pare-pareho lang ang isinisigaw ng mga iyan. bakit puro leftist lang ang kinasuhan? anong kaululan yan? sa sinasabi mong mabuti pang mamundok na ang mga leftist na yan ay ipinipakita mo lang kung ano ang totoong nasa loob mo. hindi ka rin parehas. naniniwala ka rin sa mga tsismis na pilit mong tinutuligsa laban sa media sa dahil sa pagiinsulto sa mga taong eto na hindi mo rin kilala.

“yung mga dating nagmumurahan,ngayon magkakapit-bisig!”

dahil kailangang magkaisa lahat ng oposisyon para mapatanggal si glue-ria na kapit tuko sa puwesto. naiintindihan nila na kailangan ang puwersa ng mga estrada at mga marcos para maging isang malakas na boses at puwersa ang oposisyon laban kay glue-ria. may mangyayari ba pag watak-watak ang mga yan?

at hindi pinag-uusapan dito kung sino ang may mas malaking kapalpakan. ang pinag-uusapan dito ay kung sino ang may kasalanan na kailangang managot. or gusto mo ring bigyan na lang ng 20 push-ups si glue-ria?

Sure Alecks, i’ll get one. I want to know what happened after the 1987 constitution allowed these sectors to run under party-list system. Thanks

Kung minsan problema ang pag-label — kaliwa, kanan, gitna. Kung titingnan, hindi lamang naman ang kaliwa ang nagdadala ng kaguluhan. Ang pagsali ng mga taga-kaliwa sa “mainstream,” halimbawa sa pagtakbo sa halalan para sa legal na posisyon, ay isa nang adjustment sa kanilang hanay matapos ma-realize na ang rebolusyon ay hindi lamang mapagwawagian sa pamamagitan ng baril. Kung titingnan nga, kahit ang mga nasa militar, sa kanilang pagsasalita tungkol sa pangangailangang masugpo ang korupsyon, maipamahagi nang may katarungan ang mga lupang pangsakahan, makapagdala ang gobyerno sa mga mamamayan nito ng mga batayang serbisyo ay inaari na ring kanila ang mga dating slogan lamang daw ng mga kaliwang personalidad..
Kung ang kaliwa ay nakagawa ng adjustment sa kanilang bahagi, na patunay na puwede silang umayon sa tanda ng panahon, bakit ang nasa poder ng gobyerno ay hindi? Bakit kaya hindi makita ng mga taong-gobyerno na hindi lahat ng kaguluhan ay dala ng mga nasa kaliwang hanay? Na madalas, ang mga kaguluhan ay gawa lamang ng presidenteng peke?

scud_1975 said,
February 28, 2006 @ 3:09 pm

sino nga ba mas may malaking kapalpakan? si Cory na nagbigay ng amnesty sa mga komunista. o si Ramos na nagbigay sa mga rebeldeng sundalo ng parusang 20 push-ups,binalik sa serbisyo at napromote pa. At ngayon sino ang mga araw araw nagpapa”kyut” sa TV..yung mga dating nagmumurahan,ngayon magkakapit-bisig! DYOSKOLORD!!

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naku scud, obvios ba? pareho silang palpak! kaya lumaki ang mga ulo ng mga yan tarantadong mga coup plotters at mga leftist na yan. Pag nakikita ko ang mag pinangagawa ng mag party list rep na yan. nakakaguilty dahil binoto ko.

actually the essence of allowing the leftists to run in congress is for them to stop going to the streets and participate in nation building. pero tingnan mo ang ginawa ng mag hunghang. walang tigil pa ring nangugulo sa mga kalsada. ganun din ang tanong ko ano nga ba ang nagawa ng mga punyetang to sa congress . an tatagal na ng yan sa congress eh. nasaan nag mga bill that lift the lives of the poor. tama ka mamundok na nga uli sila o kay ikulong.

same goes to the military coup plotters. enough is enough! ikulong na ang mga hinayupak na yan Gloria, please lang….

jonathan moron, no need to read world history. just read phil history if the reds has a chance to prevail in the phils. huwag ka ng manakot sa mga specter ng communism dahil alam mo na hindi uubra eto sa mga pilipino. sarilinin mo na lang yang paranoia mo. don’t tell us also about those propagandas about the military going to bed with the reds. ang pinag-uusapan dito ay ang justice ng pagpapatupad ng sinasabing seditious acts laban sa mga anti-arroyo forces. we are not talking of either kaliwa or kanan here. tatanungin kita uli, ano ang pinagkaiba ng isinisigaw ng mga eto kumpara sa mga sinisigaw nila cory, binay, estradas, tatad, maceda, hyatt 10, civl society, randy david, etc. etc. bakit sila lang ang hinuhuli at kinasuhan? kahit na inutile house representatives pa sila (the house is now under the executive branch). kung pinaghuhuli nila lahat yang mga kalaban ni glue-ria wala tayong pagtatalunan dito. doon lang tayo magtatalo sa legality ng paghuli.

jr_lad, sa tingin mo nagpapakahirap ang mga pulahan sa pagrarally just to give way to the rightists once they are in power. I think they’ve learned their lessons by now. And you honestly believe that their struggle will stop once Gloria is out of power? Simpleton! The commies are fighting for an ideology and if ever they are mouthing Oust Gloria right now nakikisakay lang sila sa uso. But their ultimate aim my friend is to take over the politics of the country and impose their ideology. And once they are in power they will pulverize opposition to their rule. And that’s why Im asking you to read World History dahil may parallelism. And going back to your diatribe about unfairness sa panghuhuli sa opposition, that’s a military operation which is based on information not available to us right now. Of course I would like to see all destabilizers thrown in jail para madala. Habang bakla-treatment ang ibibigay sa kanila uulit na uulit ang mga iyan.

i think what he meant by destabilizers are people who say bad things abt the present administration.:-) say:”dapat paalisin na natin sa puesto si gloria!”—thats inciting to sedition under gloria.

dimasalang,
sad to say the worlds experience with experience with communism is mostly disastrous. Mao and Fidel poster boys of successful communist governnance? Hardly. China is a good example of what capitalism can do to a previously backward communist regime. Dont tell me you dont know whats happening to Fidel’s Cuba? That country, notwithstanding its success in athletics, is stuck in the 1950’s. I dont even have to tell about Russia and the Eastern European countries which are the laggards in Europe. So don’t buy those bull shits from your PolSci professors about the beauty of communism. World History proved them wrong.

jr_lad the village idiot,
Oh my heart grieves with your vanilla stories. Romanticizing the leftist party groups as some sort of Robin Hoods and other ek-eks. Well and good if thats what they are all about. No argument there, What I am against are those groups that are using their congressional pork to finance the pursuit of their failed ideology. Who collect taxes from poor farmers, bomb utilities installations, harass construction/mining companies, and ambush soldiers. Tell me what civilized societies will tolerate those kinds of activities. They are nothing but hoodlums with misplaced brains. Like what I told you, read world history and learn the lessons of Eastern Europe, China, USSR.

Come to think of it, ilang taon na ba ang sinasabi ng mga leftist sa kanilang pakikibaka “kuno”? Ilang taon na ba silang nag “care” sa mga mahihirap kuno. Ab eh di pa yata ako pinapanganak nandyan na yan sila eh. Anong klaseng pauruga ba sa mahihirap ang kanilang gina gawa at hanggang ngayon mahihirap pa rin ang mga ang kanilang inaaruga?

Sa congress, ilang taon na ba sila? So anu ano ang mga pro poor bill na naipasa nila na makaktulong sa pagaangat ng mga mahihirap?

here’s the link to teddy boy locsin’s privileged speech in congress last feb 27…

http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/storypage.aspx?StoryId=31405

jr_mag ladlad ka na,
you’re misreading me junior. I said the works of those NGOs that are truly grassroots organization out to help the least of our brethren must be commended. But there are organizations which are wolves but masked in sheeps clothing that I abhor. If you want to find out go to Tony Abayas publication at http://www.tapatt.org and you will have info about events that are taking place in Philippine society and who the players are. the reason why im calling people who romanticize these commies as simpletons is because they fail to realize that these people are hardened ideologues who will not hesitate to kill to advance their cause. Mcarthyism is engaging in witchunting which Im not. These leftists are openly red and should i say “proud of it”. Do they pose a threat to democracy? Verily, cause while they call themselves democratic, their ideology calls for the destruction of the democratic way of life. Stifling dissent when in power. While you mentioned acknowledged leftists who have been appointed to top government posts as proof that they are “benign” im not talking about individuals here but parties taking over reins of government with communism as a platform, unless you want to discuss the performance of bobbit sanchez who literally scared away foreign investors with his pro-KMU stance.

IF Arroyo fails to pacify this ever increasing heat of political divisiveness, she should resign. She may, for all her self-serving pronouncements, be the duly elected constitutional leader, but minus the leadership quality to rally both the administration and the opposition to a unified cause, she is, indubitably, a failure.
She has to recognize this in order to resign and make way for someone who can.
If she doesn’t and wishes to stay in Malacanan to satisfy her lust for power, she may end up as the first Philippine President who will be assassinated. This is not a threat but a very real logical conclusion to all her political maneuvering. She’s pushing the people to the limit and painting the opposition into a proverbial corner. When all legally and politically viable options have been exhausted, only assassination remains as the means to remove her from the Presidential seat.

Yes, i agree. Investigate the opposition as well as the administration. The administration doesnt have the monopoly on graft and corruption.

Use our brains and not our hearts?
POLITICAL NUISANCE: Think about what you’ve said.

The main gripe people have about Arroyo is her cheating. The ones about life being difficult and economics poor, they’re important but not the salvo the opposition is using to kick her out of office.
As to the impeachment case that was junked, well, there goes your protocol. Ever heard of quid pro quo, NUISANCE? She broke the very laws she was supposed to execute, the NOISY opposition is merely exercising it’s freedom of expression and assembly.
political_nuisance12 said, “So far Arroyo maybe the best thing that has happend to the country since independence. She has stronger ties with the American. She has a doctorate in Economics–somthing that will surely help her concieve ways of reducing the nation’s debt. Look what she has done so far, she has increased foreing investments, thus in turn providing jobs and resulting with the strengthening of the peso.”
Re the “best thing” that is arguable. As to her doctorate degree in Economics, that has been used chiefly in manipulating the last polls.
Regarding the reduction of the country’s debts, it has ballooned to close to US$ 5B since she took office. Then as to the strengthening of the peso, she is merely the happy, coincidental beneficiary of that credit. OFW remittances are the true source of the peso’s strengthening. Not Arroyo.
I use my brain to analyze the situation. Pro Arroyo mouth-pieces use propaganda. POLITICAL_NUISANCE is clearly not an Arroyo sympathizer. Because he doesnt even possess a brain, much less capable of parroting pro-administration propaganda.
Lastly, defying a cheat who is in power shows courage. Sadly, there are not enough courageous men around to do that. Most are brainless dilettantes and selfish cretins who think Arroyo is the best thing that has happened to the Philippines simply because she has closer ties to Bush. Disregarding at all cost the nigh irreparable damage she has done to the country’s basic democratic institutions, people like POLITICAL_NUISANCE have the gall to lecture the Filipino people on sensibilty, political protocol, cultural shortcomings and capitalism. Aye, for someone whose behind is safely tucked away north of the USA, he can give all the lecture he wants and show us his righteous indignation for as long as it’s not his ass on the line.
After all, he doesnt get to be on the receiving end of a bad policy gone worse dished out by an immoral and corrupt politician.
Of course, he can be emotionally detached about the whole thing. He’s not here. And he uses his brainless head.

First They Came for the Jews

First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller

“On the other hand, if we allow Arroyo to go scot-free, we shall be guilty of nonfeiasance and worse, setting a bad precedent to those who come after her. If we can’t prosecute a president as guilty as sin, how can we expect to tell our children that cheating in school is bad? How will we explain to them that Arroyo’s cheating is not a good thing when it has apparently put her in office and kept her in power?”

exactly what i’ve been saying all along spellvexit. how we are best taught and molded in school w/ equal emphasis on moral values not just the academic side. but i realized no matter how best schooled a person is, and spent 1/4 of their lives studying, all these good values learned are thrown out of the window. what matter is economics. and for what? the irony of all, to bring their children to prestigeous schools and have a better education. become successful and rich individuals someday… and also become apathetic like them.

so it has become a precedent, cheating should not be a capital offense in school anymore. if our president is caught cheating and able to get away with it, why not students. after all, he copied 4 items only. it has no effect on the total result. he still passed the exam based on his other answers, why should he plunk it and be suspended? afterall, the president, the model of the people, got scot-free. there’s the example.

bluemoon,

“how do you expect to tell children that accusing others of cheating, when one does not have enough proof, is bad?”

it IS bad, when there is absolutely no proof. this we teach our kids, don’t we? in and out of school, in and out of church? “thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor” and all?

when there is, especially in a position wherein the person should be above reproach (e.g., student council president, summa cum laude), heck, now that’s the similarity to GMA’s situation. the garci tapes exist, general gudani and colonel balutan both exist, garci exists… there is enough data coming from different sources pointing to GMA’s fraud.

in engineering, if results of tests and analyses performed independent of each other on a sample under study point to a single conclusion, occam’s razor applies — that conclusion is the correct one.

What is the differnce between the so called leftist, rightists, and GMA..from what I see…basically nothing…..they are not actually oppose to each other..they are in the same fence scrambling for the best position to enrich themselves…

while most of us have to choose the less painful way of living…

BLUEMOON:

I agree with you that in the case of insufficient or no evidence at all to support the allegations, the charged should go free. That is a truism, no argument there.
But we are not talking about an angel or an innocent babe here. In case you’ve forgotten or that it slipped your attention, the person we’re talking about here is GLORIA MACAPAGAL ARROYO, the President of the Republic of the Philippines.

True, every person charged with an offense should be accorded the presumption of innocence until proven otherwise. This holds true even for the President of our Republic.
However, inasmuch as pursuing the legal remedy in a matter of paramount national interest has been blocked by both legal and political impediments, the only remaining option, however unsavory, presents to be quite inviting.
This is why we see quotidian mass protests on the streets. I agree that the noisy opposition is indeed making the already difficult life even worse for us. However, I also understand their motivation. If they or rather we don’t expose and take drastic measures to overhaul the faulty electoral process now, we might not have another Doble and Ong who will sell the tapes in the coming elections.

As to the amount of proofs presented on mass media, Arroyo only has the slimmest of chance to emerge from this guilt-free. If i falsely accuse you, Bluemoon, of cheating, you would stake whatever you have on the line to refute it, wouldn’t you? You’d spare no efforts to prove me wrong.
Arroyo did not do that. She unleashed her congress-dogs to bark and barricade whatever advances the pro-impeachment solons did. She went on national tv to placate the troubled public but did nothing better than double-talk. Arroyo’s campaign spokesman, now secretary of DENR, Mike Defensor, voluntarily offered to prove that she is the “duly elected President” by giving away the questioned votes from key Mindanao provinces. He said that even if the ballots be transferred to FPJ, she will still lead the deceased actor by 600,000 votes.

That is a half-concession of guilt. So what if she still emerges to be the over-all winner in the tally?

Most of our countrymen miss this point.

The student in our school likewise missed it. The 4 items he cheated on was not the focal issue here. Whether they carry a weighted grade point equivalent of 10 or 100 is irrelevant in the consideration of the school board.

It is the ACT OF CHEATING that we did not tolerate. Who cares if Arroyo only fabricated or padded one vote?
The mere act of changing one (1) ballot in her favor makes her as guilty as if she changed one million (1,000,000) votes! Are we bargaining the degrees of cheating here?

SHE HOLDS THE HIGHEST OFFICE IN THE COUNTRY. AS SUCH, SHE SHOULD BE HELD TO A HIGHER, if not, THE HIGHEST STANDARD OF ACCOUNTABILITY.

Lastly, allowing her to stay unimpeached and the allegations of cheating unanswered, will, in the long run, create cynicism among the people (if it has not already been effected).

Who will want to go and vote (conscientiously) in the next polls knowing whatever names people put on their ballot will be subsequently changed by politicians like Arroyo anyways?

This issue goes deeper than mere economics and teaching a child of 14 about the “due process” of law. In fact, it may even be deeper than your handle, Bluemoon. Why is the moon blue?

“Lawmakers’ funds used to topple govt”

Headline..Manila Standard TODAY. The study was made by the Ateneo-based Center for Strategic Studies led by Jesuit priest Fr. Romeo Intengan.

here’s the link..
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?page=news01_mar07_2006

gusto ko lang sabihin sa mga pakshet na yan…if you really care para sa bansa natin…eh magbayad muna kayo ng taxes ung tama at sapat na bayad ha! tapos bago tumakbo sa edsa tanong mo sa sarili mo nagbabayad ba ako ng taxes at may karapatan ba ako dito? palaasa ba ako sa goverment? at may ginagawa ba ako para hindi umasa sa gobyerno no’to?mag isip bago magpa-uto…to my understanding eh kahit sino ilagay mo dyan sa malacanang eh mangungurakot lang yan!!!! yung iba hindi lang sila halatang magnanakaw,pati sa House of Rep ang kapal tumayo dyan at magbigay ng speech at ipagtangol ang gobyerno at awayin ang gobyerno eh ang tanong; MAY NAGAWA NA BA KAYO SA CONSISTUENT NYO!!! TSKTSKTSK….GAWA MUNA PO BAGO NGAWA! sa senado!!! please ipagpatuloy nyo po ang fertilizer scam at ang pag pasa sa juvenile justice law….God Bless the Philippines!

Timtim2 said,

“Even the ones accused of the gravest sin are given this right. If charges are filed formally, shouldn’t these be discussed at the proper forum? It’s not an excuse that just because they failed to prove it at the proper forum justifies their disobedience.”

——– KUDOS TO TIMTIM2.

I subscribe to your point of view without reservation on the issue of presumption of innocence and on the score of punishment for those irresponsible accusers.
No argument there.

My point regarding the incumbent president, however, is entirely different.
Your statement: “It’s not an excuse that just because they failed to prove it at the proper forum justifies their disobedience.” This is not entirely accurate. It is irresponsibly sweeping in its conclusion.

Firstly, should there be a failure on the part of the opposition or to be more inclusive, of Arroyo’s detractors, to produce probable prima facie evidence to support their allegations, then, they are indeed guilty of sabotaging national interests. But the key term in your statement is “failed to prove” which means that they were given the legal chance and appropriate venue to submit and argue their case before a jury of solons. The case was junked on technicality perpetrated with prejudice. It did not even get a day of court time.

Secondly, your choice of term in that same statement, “justifies their disobedience” is grossly unfair. Unfair in what way, you may ask. Well, disagreeing and refusal to obey have very different meanings in a democratic society like ours, Timtim.
Surely you dont expect everyone to agree to everything that comes out of Arroyo’s mouth? Surely, however much you are a fan of Arroyo, you do not expect us to believe that everything she does or says is faultless? I dont agree with her but I dont have to “disobey” her! That is because we dont obey her, we obey the law!
Dissension is disagreement. Coup d’etat — now that’s disobedience and disloyalty to the Constitution.
As to the issue of disobedience to the Chief Executive, well, you should read the treatise of “authority”.

We live in a society governed by both written and unwrit laws of social contract. The government in power was put there by the most basic right of the people, the right to suffrage.

Presently, this is a gray area. Chiefly due to the challenge issued by the opposition on her legitimacy. Thus, her claim to that presidential seat is being put to doubt, and so goes her rightful use of the power incidental to that claim.
The only way she can safely and legally silence all contests to this presidential lien is to face the impeachment squarely (not parroting repeatedly that she won the elections fairly and squarely).

Lastly, once the issue of legitimacy is legally and unequivocallly resolved, the economy will, in the words of Arroyo, “take off”. But not until then.
People who are pro Arroyo are always using the threat to economic progress as a shield to counter charges against her.

Timtim, you have to read Nietzsche’s Four Errors. You are mistaking the consequence for the cause.

The economy is suffering not because Arroyo’s detractors are noisy or belligerent, it is so because she failed to silence those who are challenging her with finality and legality.

When you wish to extinguish an electrical cord that has been short-circuited and on fire, you don’t throw water on it! You unplug it from the wall socket or from the source!

Bluemoon said:

“…Mike Defensor’s offer which was not even necessary as a defense given the fact that the opposition have not even managed to prove that the conversations in that tape led to any cheating—and it was a tampered tape at that.”

For all that legalese, there remains one fundamental flaw in your argument. There was never a chance for the opposition to prove anything because Arroyo’s allies junked the case on grounds of technicalities. Even the much ballyhooed tapes were never authenticated because (1) Arroyo would not submit to an actual voice-print analysis; (2) Garci was in hiding when the impeachment motion was being deliberated.

You are thus assigning a failure on the opposition for a fault not fundamentally theirs to begin with.

On top of all that, it must have escaped your blue mind that politics, as contradistinguished from matters that are strictly legal, is a matter of perception and good faith.

The social contract between government and it’s people is based on the electorate’s perception of the person they are voting into office. It is therefore incumbent upon the elected official to act in good faith as a fulfillment of that unwrit social contract.

This agreement, Bluemoon, carries with it not just an abstract contract but also the hopes and aspirations of the electorate participating in the basic democratic process. In our case, this agreement has been shamelessly broken.

As such, with every opposition member crying foul, Arroyo has to clear the air of suspicions and other unwanted conjectures about her mandate and official lien. This she did not do. Not failed to do, but DID NOT DO or WOULD NOT DO.
She may well have that legal right. But her refusal to address and clear the issues renders her claims even more suspect.

As to the case of the “deluded father” defending his son, well, I am sorry. Mike Defensor’s defense was to cede the contested votes to show that Arroyo will still emerge the victor in the last polls. That argument, is the crux of my analogy.

His willingness to concede on the grounds of heated allegations caused this poor parent to adopt it as his defense for his errant child. That example, granting that this parent was not intelligent enough to see that it is a poor model to adopt, remains a palpable precedent.

Lastly, I do not totally subscribe to the general opinion just because it is the general opinon. If they all say that the moon is blue, let them say it is. Neither do I think it is nor do i have to, anyway. However, I do think that your colors are indeed of a bluish hue.

Arroyo likes to wear blue, doesn’t she?

And of course, the moon by its original latin term is associated with LUNACY or madness, is it not?

Only one thing for sure the primary cause of all this mess is “GloriaGate Scandal”.

common na kung common about cheating. we all agree that it’s rampant and we all say it’s not right but we really cannot do anything about it. what is uncommon is, someone’s got caught and we still want to condone it. glue-ria got caught (courtesy of her own people) and she admitted it and even said sorry but we still want to justify the act as a common thing. hide the truth behind technicalities. yan ang mahirap lunukin.

It’s kind of amusing to read the earlier blogs. Mukhang matatalino lahat at may sari-sariling opinyon. Kaya lang sa mga palitan ng kuro-kuro eh lumilitaw pa rin ang immaturity ng ilan. Kapag hindi ma-iparating ang mensahe eh pine-personal ang usapan at nagbibigay ng mga salitang “simpleton”, “naive”, “bozo”. Huwag naman sanang ganito. Hindi naman kailangan ang insulting words sa isang masaganang usapan.

Tungkol sa issue ng clampdown na ginagawa ng Arroyo administration against the so-called subversives, ito’y isang malaking kamalian during peaceful times. Wala namang maliwanag na dahilan para gawin ang mga ito at maliwanag na sumusugal lang si Gloria. Ang state of emergency ay ginawa lang nila upang mag-karoon ng semblance of legality at ng makita nilang hindi pala magki-click eh biglang binawi. Sana ay madagdagan pa tayo ng maraming Rene Saguisag na patuloy na nagtatanong at nagtatanggol sa issue ng civil liberties.