Naughty

Press Secretary Ed Ermita on the write-ups regarding Gloria Arroyo's visit to the Vatican: It’s just too bad that we are getting some feedbacks from other quarters, especially those critical of the President and the administration, that rather than appreciating what has been said by Pope Benedict XVI, there are a few of them who are trying to link some political issues in the Philippines with the President’s visit to the Pope.

Too sad the press secretary don't clearly understand. What is Gloria, anyway? Isn't she a political leader? And what is her visit about? A religious visit? If so, why use the taxpayers' money? And her statements, weren't those political statements?

But Ermita, commenting on the write-ups, said: To say the least, (these reports were done) in bad taste.

Bad or good taste, the point is: Be careful with what you say.

Pero me mga espiritu sa Malacanang na ngsasabing kaya daw nakapasa ang Anti-Death Penalty law ay dahil sa panliligaw ni Gloria sa Simbahan. (See also Gloria to dance cha-cha on commutation of death sentences). Kasama na ba itong pagbisita sa Vatican?

Una, ni hindi pa nga naa-address ang isyu ng policy of impunity dito sa Pilipinas. Teka, ilan na ba ang mga namatay na journalist? In addition to Batul meron pa daw dalawang sumunod. At ilan na ba ang nabigyan ng solusyon? Sabi ni Toting Bunye solved na lahat? Nakakatawa siya.

Pangalawa, gaano ba kabilis ang pagresolba sa iba pang krimen maliban sa patayan? Singbilis ng punerarya? O ibibigay na lang namin ang mga cellphones namin courtesy of Vidal Querol?

Ok lang magsalita pero caution galing sa Good Ol' Book: The measure that you used for others will be the same measure that will be used with you.

At last, Recto speaks up!

In connection with the impeachment complaints filed before the lower House, Senator Ralph Recto opened his mouth after months of silence. His words: He believes that the second impeachment bid would not prosper.

"I could even speculate that I don’t believe the opposition could have the same number of votes they had last year. I expect lower," Recto said.

Are these words for the sake of re-election, Mr. Senator?

*****

Anyway, for everbody's consumption, Recto was able to produce 94 bills from July 1, 2004 to May 29, 2006 based on the Senate's Legislative Information System. Those he filed from January 1 last year to May 29 are as follows:

Bill/Res. No.	Short Title		Date Filed	Author
SBN-2255	OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL (BUREAUCRACY STREAMLINING)		5/29/2006	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2233	PERSONAL EQUITY AND RETIREMENT ACCOUNT (PERA)		3/21/2006	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2213	SULTAN KUDARAT LEGISLATIVE DISTRICTS (REAPPORTIONING)		2/23/2006	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2210	SIMPLIFIED NET INCOME TAX REFORM ACT OF 2006		2/20/2006	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2196	COMPENSATION ADJUSTMENT FOR NATIONAL GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES		1/23/2006	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2159	NATIONAL BIOFUELS DEVELOPMENT ACT OF 2005		11/15/2005	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-2133	SAMAL ISLAND SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONE AND FREE PORT ACT OF 2005		9/22/2005	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-1956	RENTAL REFORM ACT OF 2005		3/9/2005	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-1950	VALUE-ADDED TAX LAW AMENDMENTS		3/7/2005	RECTO, RALPH G.
SBN-1917	30% REDUCTION ON INCOME TAX RATES OF INDIVIDUAL TAXPAYERS		2/15/2005	RECTO, RALPH G.

Well Done or Welcome?

Pope Benedict's "well done" statement to Gloria Arroyo was interpreted by our little genius s a pat on the back. She was thinking that Benedict was thinking of the "reforms" she initiated.

Bishop Cruz stated, however, that Benedict was only referring to the lifting of the death penalty and not to eveything she had done or is doing. Cruz said the Pope knows the Hello Garci scandal, the cheating, the relentless killings and everything.

Mukhang may punto naman si Cruz. Pero ano nga ba talaga ang ibig sabihin ni Benedict? Let us count the ways:

1. If Benedict really means "well done for everything", then he could be ignorant of the things happening in the Philippines. Something like a shepherd who doesn't know his flock tulad ng sinasabi ni Cristo. But if he is ignorant, then sayang ang intelligence funds ng mga Katoliko. At sayang din ang mga "pastoral statements" na pinadala ng mga obispong Pinoy dahil di naman binabasa.
2. If Benedict really means "well done for everything" but he is not ignorant of the things happening in the Philippines, then he is a hypocrite. He is not a good moral leader. He is not an authority on morality. Even if he is just trying to be "pa-cute" for the sake of internation relations, still, he is not a person who is willed enough to call wrong a wrong. And he is unlike Jesus Christ who has the guts to drive away the sellers in the temple and risk his life. Paano kung bugbugin siya?
3. If Benedict only said well done for knowing nothing to say, he is not a good leader either. He is no different from Gloria who said "I am sorry" just to appease the restless crowd.
4. If Benedict said "well done" to refer to only to the lifting of the death penalty, his words are not well said. It was interpreted to a number of things.
   
5. Or Benedict was only saying "Welcome!" and Gloria interpreted it to mean "Well done"?

Hmmnnn......

Psst, puwede pahingi ng transcript ng statement ng Papa? Mukha kasing kailangang me maglinis ng tenga...

Definitions 101: Isolated Case

Bunye hits!

A couple of days ago, Marine Col. Orlando de Leon resigned with a bash saying the military is heavily politicized. The AFP strikes back saying it might file raps against De Leon.

Meanwhile, Bunye makes another hit: De Leon's case is just an isolated case. "Officers come and go in the corps but the essential imperatives of soldiery – loyalty, professionalism, morale and strict adherence to the chain of command – are undiminished. They are in fact getting stronger everyday as a result of strong internal reforms and modernization programs," he said.

But De Leon's grievances is not an isolated case. Isolated means "Separated from others; solitary or singular". If De Leon's case is just an isolated case, that what can be said of the grievances of the Magdalo Boys? General Gudani and his aide? And the military official shot at the ATO tower? What about the Garci recording? And what about the ramblings of the lower-ranking personnel of the AFP and the PNP who were not heard because of the theatrical fora of Gloria Arroyo?

Hmmmnnn....

For Bunye, it looks like "isolated case" means "a series of cases happening one at a time".

Tsk! tsk! tsk!

Why winning the battle against NPAs is almost impossible

A few days ago, Gloria Arroyo commanded the AFP and the PNP to quash the New People's Army (NPA), an underground armed group of a communist wing in the Philippines. Her timeframe: two to five years.

In response to Arroyo's order, the AFP immediately mobilized troops. Bees from the ground says there are already troop movements in Southern and Central Luzon areas. But along with the movements are the grumbles that the timeframe is unrealistic.

Sabagay, totoo nga naman: several decades-old battle to be fought in two years?

But progressives from the military ranks are not after the length of battle. They are after the cooperation of the top brass in the military and the people in the communities.

"Hindi pa nga naa-address iyong mga alegasyon nina Trillanes na korapsyon sa AFP ngayon inaasahan nila agad na mananalo kami? Eh paano kung totoo nga na mga taga-loob (AFP) din ang supplier ng mga armas ng mga kalaban?" a lieutenant who do not wish to be identified said.

"Tingnan niyo ang mga boots ng mga lowerclassmen namin", he continued. "Paano mo ba isasabak yan sa lakaran at takbuhan?"

"With the supplies we are getting and the salary we are receiving, pinapatay na nga nila kami, paano mo pa kami mai-expect sa laban?"

Earlier, Arroyo had been visiting military camps to conduct fora with the military regarding the latter's concerns. The fora, however, were just for a show. The military weren't really able to voice out their concerns for fear of being shamed by their superiors. And Arroyo to answer questions relating to reality? That would be a dream.

Another reason why the government will find it hard to win the battle against the NPAs are the intelligent people holding Arroyo's skirts. It appears that their mouths are larger than their brains. Consider Toting Bunye's words: We are aware of the root causes of this problem and the intensified campaign against the CPP-NPA is actually a part of this government’s overall approach to addressing poverty, especially in the countryside.

And Ed Ermita's words: We are allocating so much fund to neutralize those who are creating trouble for government which affects our economy, pagkatapos sila naman ay nakakatulong pa sa kabila. Kaya mag-ingat lang sila dahil hindi na dapat silang tumulong sa mga kaaway ng gobyerno.

If the government is aware of the root causes of insurgency, why not clearly address the same? The locales are sick with poverty: will rice and noodle be enough? And they have no jobs but will the "Kalsada natin" program of Arroyo enough to answer these? And the call centers?

Second, the people are tired with injustice. With Arroyo trying her best to elude even a simple investigation, and in proper fora, how can her government expect the locales to believe in her? If Arroyo does not even want to settle the issues of legitimacy, how can she expect the locales to submit to the laws of the country and not join the NPAs and the settle the matters with their own hands?

Third, Ermita claims that some businessmen are paying revolutionary taxes. And he even warned them saying they should beware because "anyone who abets insurgency, who gives comfort to the enemy would be within the ambit of counter-insurgency operations." Yet Ermita's government cannot even give protection to these businessmen. Worse, some of the government's people extort money from these businessmen before they are allowed to operate.

These are but a few of the reasons why it is impossible to win the battle against the NPA's. If Arroyo is really serious, the best thing she can do is to wake up and face the reality. And this should sink clearly in her head: AFP counts NPA members to be less than 8,000 and still, the government forces cannot beat them?

Gloria does Mac Arthur and later, McCarthy

"I shall return."

So goes the promise of American General, Douglas Mac Arthur to the Filipinos during the second world war. And, living with the promise, Mac Arthur returned with the famous Leyte Landing.

As if Americans are a very good idols, the Philippine president with questionable legitimacy, Gloria Arroyo, also promised to return her wrath against her critics. Last Friday, she ordered the release of one billion pesos to fund intensified operations against the NPA's calling the money as “an investment that will yield peace dividends to the economy.”

For sometime now, Arroyo had been claiming that the economy cannot take off because of the political forces criticizing her administration. Hence, to accomplish her dream of economic reforms generally characterized by heavy borrowing and large budget deficits, she intended to crush her enemies.

And the NPAs are among these forces.

But the problem, she mistook the NPAs as the left and the left as NPAs. Along with her order to release the one billion fund are the words: The fight against the left remains the glue that binds.

Which reveals her McCarthyist attitude. As Randy David, in his June 18 column clearly put it:

Though the likes of Gen. Jovito Palparan pretend not to know it, there is a
huge difference between being Left and taking up arms against the
government. To be Left is to be constantly concerned with the basic issues
of justice and human freedom. It is to question the existing social order,
to assail its assumptions, and denounce its oppressive outcomes. To be a
leftist is to be committed to the long-term goal of structural change. In
contrast, to be a rightist is to find nothing fundamentally wrong with the
structure of society; it is to justify and defend its rules.

To take up arms in the pursuit of one’s political beliefs is an altogether
different matter. The armed option is employed not only by leftists and
rightists, but also by religious rebels and some millenarian cults. Not all
leftists advocate the violent overthrow of the State, and not all armed
groups are leftist. To be Left is to think and speak radically about social
problems; to be an armed rebel is to participate in the forcible overthrow
of government. Our Constitution outlaws armed rebellion, but it resolutely
protects freedom of thought and of speech.

But more than the idea of crushing her once-allies-now-turned enemies, spirits from Malacanang said that Arroyo's objective to quash the left is to renew the waning support of America and George Bush to her administration. It should be noted that the Arroyo government drew criticisms from the United States and other members of the Coalition of the Willing when she ordered the Philippine troops to withdrew from Iraq in exchange for the release of a Filipino worker, Angelo de la Cruz, who was kidnapped by Iraqui militants. And to add, Arroyo also drew flak from the Americans when New York Times published an editorial criticizing her administration for reviving bad memories of crony corruption, presidential vote-rigging and intimidation of critical journalists (see also: Let's take over NY Times, Toting!).


In simple terms, crushing her former allies is hitting two birds with one stone.

*****

But local allies of Arroyo are now having second thoughts. According to some mayors I happened to talk with a few days ago, the sitting president does not seem to recognize loyalty and thus they fear of getting dumped this coming 2007 elections. It should be noted that the left are among the major forces that helped toppled Estrada and installed Arroyo in 2001; and, that there are also allies that Arroyo ditched at the height of the Gloriagate scandal.

Gloria's assets

From PCIJ's blog:

Below is a table of Gloria Arroyo’s net worth, 1992-2005.

YEAR	ASSETS (in pesos)	LIABILITIES (in pesos)	NET WORTH (in pesos)	NET WORTH INCREASE/ DECREASE (in pesos)	NET WORTH INCREASE/ DECREASE (in %)
2005	80,784,608.64	1,500,000.00	79,284,608.64	-1,857,704,56	-2%
2004	81,142,313.20	-	81,142,313.20	9,093,753.32	13%
2002	77,548,559.88	3,500,000.00	72,048,559.88	5,263,619.52	8%
2001	70,284,940.36	3,500,000.00	66,784,940.36	8,409,701.33	14%
2000	58,375,239.03	-	58,375,239.03	18,835,055.05	48%
1999	41,540,183.98	2,000,000.00	39,540,183.98	2,513,661.98	7%
1998	38,116,336.00	1,089,814.00	37,026,522.00	10,871,566.00	42%
1997	26,496,390.00	341,434.00	26,154,956.00	10,833,424.00	71%
1996	15,321,532.00	-	15,321,532.00	2,708,862.00	21%
1995	12,783,880.00	171,210.00	12,612,670.00	3,081,696.00	32%
1994	9,940,194.00	409,220.00	9,530,974.00	1,150,575.00	14%
1993	9,323,410.00	943,011.00	8,380,399.00	1,650,206.00	25%
1992*	6,974,120.00	243,936.00	6,730,193.00	-	-

Source: Arroyo’s Statements of Assets and Liabilities

Based on Gloria's arithmetic, can this be trusted? How about the assets in US and the foreign shore? Are they all declared?

And, why are her assets mostly in cash? Hmmmnnn.....

Gloria's Arithmetic

Weeks ago, Gloria Arroyo made taray with DepEd Secretary Fe Hidalgo in front of the media on the account of classroom shortage. Hidalgo claimed that there is a classroom shortage of more than 6,000 with the ratio of 50 students per classroom. Which made Arroyo react saying that there is no classroom shortage with the ratio of 100 students per classroom.

Now it's PNP Chief Arturo Lomibao's turn.

PNP statistics show that of the 118,000 policemen, only 62,270 have long firearms and only 96,714 have handguns.

According to Lomibao, “the PNP would have 100,597 handguns after programmed purchases for a fill-up rate of 86 percent. It would have 63,027 long firearms also after programmed purchases for a fill-up rate of 55 percent.”

Again, Arroyo showed her genius when she argued that there is no gun-shortage problem if the long guns and the pistols will be totalled and distributed to the police. Arroyo told Lomibao that by combining the total short and long firearms by the end of the delivery, the shortage would be fully covered and every PNP officer would have a gun, whether it is long or short.

"In other words, before you give a second firearm per policeman, make sure that all policemen get one firearm," she said.
A mathematical genius! Galing, di ba? Kaya pala talo ng mga kriminal ang mga pulis. While hi-tech na ang gamit ng mga kriminal, nagti-tiyaga pa rin sa paisa-isang baril ang ating mga kapulisan. Just to show that there is no shortage!
Which makes us believe that the statement, “My margin should not be lower than one million!” is really uttered. Kasi, ayaw niya ng shortage. Kahit panalo siya ng 1 boto kay Poe kung di naman milyon, useless din. So dapat, walang shortage of votes.

Fear

The message of House majority leader Prospero Nograles to his fellow administration congressmen and women is clear: Kill impeachment bid or we'll all be dead.

According to Nograles, "Pag lumampas sa House ’yan (impeachment), JDV is out at pati ang majority leader. Perhaps the committee chairmanships will be revamped also. In an impeachment case, all the positions are on the line, including that of the Speaker."

His reason: Impeachment is a political decision. Since the Senate is hostile to Gloria Arroyo, the president with a questionable legitimacy, the impeachment case won't stand a “Chinaman's chance”.

Nograles's reason, however, shows some strand of guilt. If Arroyo has done nothing wrong, it follows that the case against her won't prosper. Truth stands the test of time if Nograles has to remember in his religion classes. But if she really did the things accused of her, sorry but she has to say goodbye.

Second, if Nograles remembers, most of the members of the Senate is a Gloria ally. Hence, what numbers should the majority leader fear?

Lastly, fright is an evidence of guilt. Killing the impeachment once again is committing a cover-up for what really happened. Which leads us to think: Is Nograles among the beneficiaries of Gloria's acts that wronged the Filipino people?

Aminin.......

Enrile and Pimental Slams Ramos on Cha-cha Support

Nothing can be gained in barking at a tree.

Star reports Senators Juan Ponce Enrile and Aquilino Pimentel hitting Tabako Ramos for backing the PIG for Cha-cha. Enrile reiterated that if brought to the highest court, the move to change the charter through people's initiative will be voided and Tabako's support will just turn to nothing. Pimentel, on his part, said that the former president "is pushing for Charter change because he wants to alter a provision in the Constitution that gives the Supreme Court the right to decide on economic decisions of the executive branch."

There is nothing disagreeable to Enrile and Pimentel's pronouncements. Almost everybody knows how the Supreme Court turned down the people's initiative initiated by Pirma in Ramos's time and almost everybody knows about Ramos's motive why he is pushing for Cha-cha. What is disagreeable is the wasting of time by barking at Tabako when they could bite Gloria's Cha-cha by explaining the latter's negative effects in layman's term. In that way, the public will understand. And if they understand, they might oppose the PIG.

*****

But if it is really true that Tabako is supporting the PIG, the former president must be sick with alzheimer or dementia. Of course, if it is really true that Tabako is supporting the PIG, then Lito Lorenzana is speaking the truth. The problem is, his newfound supporter has a brain problem.

*****

Arrovo term for the day:

A call for unity -- a call to stop criticizing Gloria Arroyo and accepting with blind eyes (and with open arms and open legs) all wrongs she had done. See also "stop political bickering".

Senate performance of Bong Revilla

Kudos to Senator Bong Revilla, Jr. for the success of his movie "Kapag Tumibok and Puso Not Once But Twice"!

Teka, teka, teka. SENATOR? MOVIE? Is movie-making already the job of senators? Kelan pa? Mukhang nag-charter change na at marami ang di nakaalam. Na-amend na ba talaga ang trabaho ng mga senador at naisama bilng trabaho nila ang movie-making? Aside from movie-making, me TV program din si Bong sa Channel 7 tuwing Sabado ata. At, dagdag pa, maliban kay Bong nag-iisip na rin si Lito Lapid na gumawa ng pelikula. Ito na ba talaga ang trabaho ng mga senador? Eh sino na ngayon ang gagawa ng mga batas?

Sabagay, marami nga tayong batas di naman nai-implement. Tulad ng elections law. Hanggang ngayon di pa rin nareresolba ang mg election disputes. Si Gloria nakaupo pa rin. Si Noli ganun din. Asan na ang resulta ng kaso ni Loren?

Talking about laws to be implemented, ilan nga ba ang nagawa ni Bong na batas? Kasi ang sipag-sipag niyang magtrabho sa movie industry, how many laws na nga ba ang nagawa niya for the country? Well?

Base po sa legislative database ng senado, ang mga batas na naipasa ni Bong Revilla ay since 2005 ay ZERO. NIL. NOTHING. NADA. WALA.

Walaaaaaa??????????

For those interested, ang link ng Senate Legislative information System ay http://202.86.198.73/plis/Public/bill.main.asp

But Mr. Revilla was able to author 39 Senate Bills. Except for one which is pending in the conference committee, the Senate Bill No 2035 or the National Labor Relations Commission Act which was prepared by the Committees on Labor, Employment and Human Resources Development, and on Civil Service and Government Reorganization, lahat ay wala ng balita. No news. Nada!

And still, Mr. Revilla is busy with his weekly show and his movies? Kakatuwa naman. Baka puwedeng mag-isip ka rin, Mr. Bong. We are not paying you to do movies, sir!

Below is the list of bills Mr. Revilla filed courtesy of the Senates Legislative Information System:

Bill Number	Title	Date Filed
SBN-1225	CURRICULA - DISASTER AWARENESS AND DISASTER MITIGATION	7/1/2004
SBN-2158	AMENDING LOCAL GOVERNMENT CODE, 10% CEILING ON AMUSEMENT TAX	11/14/2005
SBN-1212	DISALLOWING MAINSTREAM & NON-MARGINALIZED SECTOR PARTY-LIST	7/1/2004
SBN-2118	PHILIPPINE NAVAL ACADEMY	9/8/2005
SBN-2117	PHILIPPINE NATIONAL HYMN	9/8/2005
SBN-2035	NATIONAL LABOR RELATIONS COMMISSION	6/2/2005
SBN-2028	TAX AMNESTY	5/25/2005
SBN-1955	ANTI-DRAG RACING ACT OF 2005	3/9/2005
SBN-1892	ANTI-PORNOGRAHY ACT OF 2005	1/26/2005
SBN-1881	PENALIZING EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN DURING MASS ACTIONS	1/10/2005
SBN-1880	FILING OF FALSE COMPLAINTS AGAINST PUBLIC OFFICERS	1/10/2005
SBN-1872	REVISED FORESTRY CODE (AMENDMENTS)	12/8/2004
SBN-1738	ANTI-GENDER DISCRIMINATION ACT	8/23/2004
SBN-1227	HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS (HMOS ) ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1226	DEPARTMENT OF FISHERIES AND AQUATIC RESOURCES ACT	7/1/2004
SBN-1224	SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE POOR ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1223	NATIONAL STUDENT LOAN PROGRAM FOR THE POOR ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1222	GIFTED AND TALENTED STUDENTS EDUCATION ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1221	SCHOOL BUILDING PROGRAM ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1220	SUMMARY TITLING OF LANDS FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL SITES	7/1/2004
SBN-1219	ADDITIONAL BENEFITS/PRIVILEGES FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS	7/1/2004
SBN-1218	GOVERNANCE OF BASIC EDUCATION ACT	7/1/2004
SBN-1217	ADDITIONAL TEACHER'S INSURANCE ACT	7/1/2004
SBN-1216	COMPULSORY REGISTRATION OF HEAVY EQUIPMENT	7/1/2004
SBN-1215	PROHIBITING USE OF WORD MUSLIM/ISLAMIC IN PRINT MEDIA	7/1/2004
SBN-1214	NATIONAL HISTORICAL INSTITUTE	7/1/2004
SBN-1213	NISMED ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1211	JUVENILE JUSTICE ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1210	CIVILIAN COMPENSATION ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1209	SANGGUNIANG KABATAAN REFORM	7/1/2004
SBN-1208	TELEVISION ADVERTISEMENT REGULATION ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1207	ANTI-MOVIE RECYCLING LAW OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1206	OFFICIAL INFORMATION ACCESS ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1205	OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH STANDARDS/ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECT	7/1/2004
SBN-1204	SALARIES/ALLOWANCES/RETIREMENT BENEFITS OF LABOR ARBITERS	7/1/2004
SBN-1203	NATIONAL PROSECUTION SERVICE PROGRAM FUND	7/1/2004
SBN-1202	ISSUANCE OF CHECKS WITHOUT SUFFICIENT FUNDS	7/1/2004
SBN-1201	CABLE TELEVISION ACT OF 2004	7/1/2004
SBN-1200	LGUS CALAMITY FUND FOR UNFORESEEN EXPENDITURES	7/1/2004

Just another spin

PhilippineStar's banner: FVR backs people’s initiative

Desperate to counter the words of the Church regarding the anomalous generation of signatures for the people's initiative of Gloria Arroyo, the Charter Change Advocacy Commission (ad-com) chaired by Lito Lorenzana said yesterday that former President Fidel "Tabako" Ramos has agreed to support the people’s initiative as a means to amend the Constitution.

According to Lorenzana, "Ramos has agreed to become ad-com’s constitutional warrior and wants to personally witness the people’s initiative succeed."

Well, Tabako's desire to amend the constitution cannot be doubted. But for Lorenzana to claim that the former president agrees in the kind of people's initiative being orchestrated by the Palace is something to be scrutinized. If Lorenzana's claim is true, then Tabako may be sick with Alzheimer for forgetting the 1997 Supreme Court decisions in Santiago v. Comelec and Pirma v. Comelec. As the high court said, only when there is an implementing law enacted for people's initiative that the same can be applied. But the clear fact is: There is no implementing law yet. And another fact: Tabako is not sick with Alzheimers.

Second, it should be stressed that Tabako is supporting the Palace-orchestrated Cha-Cha if Gloria Arroyo will glorify herself by doing the supreme sacrifice for the people -- that is, cutting her term short. But since Gloria is so unglorious to her savior, Tabako is having second thoughts of extending his continued support. As a matter of fact, he even said once that his support to the administration is on the wane.

Tabako, it should be reiterated, may be dying to change the charter but he wants it on his own terms. And in accordance with the law, it should be added. Therefore, any pronouncements from those claiming to be Tabako's parrot should be consistent with the earlier statements issued by the former president and lessons he learned while he was still on Arroyo's seat.

Lastly, Tabako is not a media-shy type. If he really said the words released by Lorenzana, why didn't he personally discuss that before the media? These only illuminates the fact that the Lorenzana's adcom and Gloria Arroyo are just brewing another spin similar to the photo-ops earlier made with Ramos.

*****

Joke

Tanong: Bakit daw naka-thumbs up si Ramos kasama si Gloria during the Gloriagate scandal considering his pronouncements on his waning support for Arroyo?

Sagot: Tinanong daw kasi si Ramos kung ok ang handa ng Malacanang kaya siya nag-thumbs up. Taking this opportunity, naki-thumbs up na rin si Gloria at iyon ang pinalabas sa media na OK na naman sila.

*****

Arrovo words for the day:

An economy on the verge of taking-off -- an economy on the brink of collapsing (see PCIJ's Unmasking the myth of 'Arrovonomics', and Maitet Pascual's presentation.)

Stop political bickering -- stop criticizing the Arroyo administration even when it is doing harm to the people; the Arroyo versions of the military rules which are as follows: Rule 1. Gloria Arroyo is always right. Rule 2. If Gloria Arroyo is wrong, refer to Rule No. 1

Who's missing a spoonful of cake?

An etiquette: Don't talk when your mouth is full.

At the height of the Hello Garci controversy, not a voice from the Catholic Church was heard. It was a "silent night, holy night" at the time when the Philippines was having nightmare. And Malacanang was happy. Very happy that Gloria Arroyo held several feasts (called dinners) with priests and other members of the Catholic hierarchy.

And because the Church was silent, Malacanang itched to fasttrack its deforms.... err, reforms. First was mining which even led Junie Laylo, Malacanang's pollster, in cahoots with the Public (mis)Information Agency, to massage poll questions for a propaganda spin. But because spin is a spin, and because the Church is really opposed to mining, the Church howled. So, Malacanang backtracked its position and promised to reform the mining policies.

Then, the Peoples Initiative of Gloria came. The Church said that there is something irregular in the manner signatures were generated. For this, allies of Gloria slammed the bishops for meddling. To quote Malaya:

Lakas congressmen Edwin Uy (Isabela) and Antonio Cuenco of Cebu said the CBCP should put a stop to the involvement of some its members in politics which "only causes harm to the nation and the future of all Filipinos."

Well, we do not know which nation and Filipinos are Uy and Cuenco are referring to. But as Uy continued: By coming out against Cha-cha, the partisan Church leaders want the country to be like an ostrich with its neck in the sand — afraid of progress and without regard for the changes needed to meet the challenges of the 21st century. I do not know what size of brain does Uy have because it is very clear that he is missing the point. The Church is against the "manner of changing the Constitution" and not on "changing the Constitution itself". This, of course, is another story.

But going back to the topic, it appears that somebody is missing another spoonful of cake. When the fiestas at Malacanang ceased, the Church began to talk. Why the late response? Could that "somebody" be the Church? Consider Bishop Cruz's statement: When churchmen are quiet and in peace, this means that the government is by and large doing well. But when they begin to talk in public fora and protest in public places due to social issues, this is a marked indication that there must be something that stinks in and about the government. Unquote: Does this mean during the period of nightmares particularly at the height of the Hello Garci controvery, and the Church was silent, the government was doing well?

Hmmmnnnn....

Or, could the "somebody" be Uy and Cuenco? With the stalled 2006 proposed budget, Gloria now has a hand to use the 2006 legislated budget -- a budget claimed to have a lot of porks and perks. And with this, Uy and Cuenco could be the beneficiaries. It is a fact that only barking and biting dogs are given bones and meat to eat, right? But because the opposition is silent nowadays and theres nobody to bite, the Church could be a very good target. Hence, Uy and Cuenco's statements.

Hmmmmnnnn....

Can somebody help my birdbrain grow larger so that i won't be asking questions?

*****

Additional terms and phrases for the Arrovo Dictionary:

spliced tape -- the real tape
the real tape -- the spliced tape
observe due process -- meaning, kill the impeachment proceedings

Arrovo Dictionary ... Cont'd

Garci - the Comelec official Gloria Arroyo called during the canvassing of the 2004 election results

"Protect my votes" -- the term for "iyong dagdag, iyong dagdag" and the mandate that "the vote margin between Poe and me should not be lower than one million"

work of the opposition -- any negative publicity against the Arroyo government whether coming from independent media outlets or not

opposition -- anyone who disagrees with the policies of the Arroyo government whether independent or politically inclined.


For the first part of the dictionary, click here.

Definitions from the Arrovo Dictionary

From PCIJ:

AFTER successfully redefining unemployment, the Arroyo government is now attempting to change the meaning of work to include overseas migrant work and unpaid family work.

What a cunning tactic to show the world she is a working president!

*****

In an attempt to phase with GMA doubletalk, I am enumerating the terms and phrases used by Gloria Arroyo and their corresponding meanings. Please feel free to add. later, we can publish it as "The Arrovo Dictionary".

1. Unemployment -- includes all persons who are 15 years old and over as of their last birthday and are reported as without work nd currently available for work and seeking work or not seeking work due to the following: (a) tired/believe no work available, i.e., the discouraged workers who looked for work within the last six months prior to the interview date; (b) awaiting results of previous job application; (c) temporary illness/disability; (d) bad weather; and (e) waiting for rehire/job recall.

2. work -- that which was done inside and outside the national boundaries and includes overseas workers and unpaid family workers who also contribute to national economies.

3. solved cases of murders of journalists -- refers to the cases of murders of journalists which are left untouched, with the criminals left un-caught, and the government doing nothing to resolve the filed criminal cases.

4. No hand in Cha-cha -- refers to the printing of Cha-cha materials by the National Printing Office without the order of the legislative body and/or the court; the organizing of once in a blue moon barangay assemblies by the DILG to discuss, among others, the Cha-cha; the act of ordering the Solicitor General to defend the Comelec should there be legal questions against the palace-bcked people's initiative on Cha-cha; GMA's act of forming and mobilizing the presidential consitutional commissionon charter change which budget is charged against the presidential pork barrel even without the benefit of legislation; and the actual endorsement by GMA of the Cha-cha.

5. Free media -- meaning 'free to kill media people'; government pitting one media outlet to the other; and free to praise the Arroyo administration but never to hit its misdeeds.

6. "I will not run" -- meaning, Gloria Arroyo will run again.

7. "I won fair and square" -- meaning Gloria Arroyo cheated

8. "I am sorry" -- meaning 'to hell with you'.

9. Sufficient classrooms -- meaning at least 100 students should occupy one classroom to make it sufficient (see also When both are wrong, ACT reacts, calls Arroyo delusional and PCIJ's take on classroom sufficiency)

10. Inciting to sedition -- A crime existing only in the lawbook of Malacanang written and edited by the spinsmeisters of Gloria in the Palace and is committed through utterance or publication of statements which are true or presumed to be true and which Malacanang cannot answer or refute for reasons of EO 464, shyness or fear of spilling more more rotten beans. The crime is committed only by the opposition, or mediamen Malacanang thinks is critical to the administration.

11. Terrorism -- the act of airing grievances against the Arroyo administration; calling Arroyo a cheat

12. Growing economy -- meaning fattening wallets of selected allies, more poor and hungry people, increasing value of the peso as a result of the remittances of OFWs. (See also Economy off to a flying start, Peso and sweet potato, and PCIJ's Unmasking the Myth of Arrovonomics)


More to come....

A funny coincidence

Passing by the newsstand, my attention was caught by GMA's Independence Day message.
She said: End destructive politics.

As I was pondering whether the topic suits a space in my blogsite, a woman, probably from a religious sect, handed me a pamphlet which contain a quote from the proverbs. The quote says: A truthful lips sows love and life while a lying lips breeds destruction.

Reaching office and upon opening my e-mail account, a quotation from Charles de Gaulle appeared and runs as follows: Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word.

Funny.

The De Venecia Code

a poster circulating in the blogosphere and the e-mails:

National Artist AWOL... err, Awards

It's final: FPJ's widow will not climb the stage to get Poe's National Artist Award from Arroyo.

"I will be doing a grave dishonor to my husband and his supporters if I attend the awarding ceremonies just to receive the award for public show," Susan Roces said.

Which led Malacanang to react. Speaking through Mike Defensor, the Palace stated that it's too sad ceremonies like these are tainted with politics.

Medyo di rin makapal. Who started politicking, anyway? In the very first place, bakit atras-abante ang Gloria sa pagbibigay ng award gayong public knowledge naman na deserving itong si FPJ? And, ano itong balita na peers lang daw ni FPJ ang bumoto kay FPJ as national artist? At kontra daw talaga si Gloria dahil kalaban niya si FPJ noong 2004 sa eleksiyon at nag-file pa ang huli ng electoral case against sa decision ng Congressional canvassing committee?

Second, ba't atat sila na maka-photo ops itong si Susan? Para ipakita sa mundo na ayos na ang buto-buto...., este, ok na sila? Tulad nung picture nila ni Ramos na naka-thumbs up during the times na nawawalan na ng amor ang ex-boyfriend..., este, ex-president sa pamamalakad ni Gloria. To note, anim pa ang national awardees na kasama ni FPJ. Bakit di sila nai-isyu? Ba't panay ang publicity kay FPJ at Susan? At ba't pa sila magkokomentaryo? Who's tainting the ceremonies with politics?

Aber? Aber? Aber?

Wanted: Mercenaries

"This is a trend. You're going to see a lot more guys like us in these situations."
-- Blackwater USA mercenary


Reports said that SBMA has opened itself to the recruitment of mercenaries that will be deployed to Iraq. The reports, however, were described by National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales as a product of a "fertile imagination".

Pero kung fertile imagination, bakit me movements ng ilang "tirador" mula probinsiya patungong Luzon? Mag-aaplay bilang pulis?

Gonzales also said that the presence of Blackwater and its recruits are an insult to the Armed Forces. Well, totoo naman. Una, mas malaki ang kita: $60,000 to $80,000 per year compared sa P60,000 sa AFP. Pangalawa, mas efficient din daw ang mga mersenaryo. Sabagay, paano mo nga naman masasabing efficient si PO4 Bundat eh halos 38 na ang waistline? Si General Tagay naman laging lasing. Paano mo siya patatakbuhin ng tatlong ikot sa oval? Si Lt. Dindo naman, na matagal ng nag-aantay sa resolusyon sa kaso ni Trillanes at sa isyu ng korupsyon sa militar, butas pa rin ang medyas at bulsa hanggang ngayon kaya paano niya maiisip na magtagal sa serbisyo?

Pero siyempre, worrisome din ang presensiya ng mga mersenaryo. The Nation narrates how Blackwater USA mercenaries acted during the times of hurricane Katrina. May pagka-brutal din. Sa karatig-probinsiya nga namin, mersenaryo din daw ang dumali sa bahay governor mga ilang eleksyon na ang nakakaraan. Special Ops, ba. Di nga lang galing sa Blackwater. Galing mismo kay governor! At bakit kanyo? Para makakuha ng simpatya sa mga botante at madiin sa kahihiyan ang kanyang kalaban. Galing, di ba?

Balik sa recruitment. Me basbas daw ito ng Malakanyang? Di ko pa natatanong si bubuyog pero malaki ang possibility. Sabi kasi ng isang ispiritu diyan sa loob ng puting palasyo noong huli kaming mag-usap, determinado daw kasi si Gloria na magpabango sa Amerika. Kaya nga tuloy pa rin ang Venable Contract kahit ito ay na-isyu na kamakailan. And to note: Ang Blackwater USA ay isa sa mga biggest donors ni George Bush at ng Republican Party noong mga nakaraang US Presidential elections. Dagdag pa ang pagiging atat ni Bush na giyerahin ang Iraq. At dahil siguro mahihirapan na na kumuha ng pondo sa gobyerno at suporta sa tao, nag-hire na lang ng mga mersenaryo. Which means, posible nga talagang me basbas galing sa Malakanyang ang patuloy na recruitment ng Blackwater sa SBMA.

Independence from whom?

Officials from the National Capital Region Command announced that there would be 6,000 policemen who will patrol Metro Manila on June 12 during the celebration of the Independence Day. In addition, there will be at least 300 augmentation forces from the military that will be placed on stand by should worse comes to worse.

Querol and the PSG, however, denied that the preparations are in line with the threats against the president with questionable legitimacy. If this is the case, then it follows that the preparations are aimed to control the organizations that will be staging protests against charter change in the same day. Which brings us to the fore: What Independence Day then are we going to celebrate if we cannot even stage protests freely?

Wais or makapal ang mukha?

Among the major items which budget were removed by the Senate include the Kilos Asenso Fund and the Kalayaan Barangay Fund.

According to Gloria Arroyo, the Kilos Asenso Fund is to be used as the counterpart fund of her office for agribusiness and micro-finance projects of local government units while the Kalayaan Barangay Fund is aimed to finance government services in far-flung areas to dissuade barangay residents from joining rebel groups like the CPP-NPA.

But though she is wiser than Lumen, her mind is full of potholes kaya problematic ang reasoning niya. If she just care to listen well, she doesn't need these funds to help the people at the grassroots or dissuade her constituents from rebelling against her.

First, local chief executives are complaining against the release of IRA, the internal revenue allotment which, according to the constitution, is the automatic share of local government units from the revenues generated by the government. Meron pa daw kasi silang sisingilin na IRA from the previous years. The problem is, if they will demand the national government to give them their share, babawasan daw ito ng 30%!

Inutangan na nga, babawasan pa? What kind of policy is that? The Constitution is very clear: Local government units shall have a just share, as determined by law, in the national taxes which shall be AUTOMATICALLY released to them. (1987 Constitution, Article 10 Section 6). This "just share" was clearly defined in the Local Government Code of 1991 (RA 7160) so why the delay? If the IRA will be released, and automatically as mandated by the Constitution, then there is no more need for Gloria's Kilos Asenso Fund. The LGUs will determine and finance their own projects based on the IRA.

Second, Gloria's administration is primarily in dire need of legitimacy. Because of the election cheating issues which remain un-resolved, people are becoming restless and restless hence forcing her to spend money to "cool off" the heads of her constituents. The problem, the focus of her efforts has become PR and Spin. By evading reality, she ignores the real problems and the concrete solutions. The result: more and more disgusted people and more and more rebels.

By becoming transparent, by allowing investigations to take root, her constituents could become more open. They might understand her. But by claiming that there is no classroom shortage when in fact in an elementary school in Taguig there is only 15 classrooms to serve 3,000 students, and in Batasan High School the ratio of classrooms to students is 1:140, she is rather forcing more and more people to hate her. And by pretending before international bodies that she is in control of the situation in the Philippines when in fact almost everyday at least two people are killed, she is inviting more and more critics and growing more and more oppositions to assail her. Worse, because the alleged payoff of P40 thousand pesos a week for local media practitioners cannot be sustained, and because the lives of journalists in the Philippines are in contiuous threat (as evidenced by her lack of action for solving the cases of 42 media practioners murdered), she is actually sowing hatred among journalists and those sympathizing with them. Proof is the growing number of media practitioners arming themselves whose potential to become vigilantes and/or rebels is not remote. As one media reporter pointed out: If the government cannot do its job to capture and prosecute our assailants, we have no recourse but to take the matter into our own hands.

These being so, why the fuss about the funds? And to threaten the Senate to veto the legislated budget should the cuts remain? Kapal naman. Or maybe Gloria Arroyo is just trying to be humurous?

Mas wais si Gloria kay Lumen

This little girl is very smart.

-- Sen. Joker Arroyo on Gloria Arroyo

Because the senate is firm on its stand to cut by P64 billion the Palace's proposed budget of P1.056 trillion, Gloria Arroyo, the Philippine president with questionable legitimacy, also stood her ground and retorted that she might veto the Senate's approved budget.

In an interview over DZMM, Arroyo said: Kung yung budget ay talagang masyadong masisira, bagama’t ako ay naniniwala na magiging responsible ang mga mambabatas…wala akong magagawa. Baka kailangan nga na i-veto dahil masusing pinag-aralan ang panukalang budget at walang bisa ang budget na tatanggalin ang mga makahulugang programa para sa tao.

It should be noted that among the major budget items removed by the Senate include the Kilos Asenso Fund and the Kalayaan Barangay Fund, the PCGG budget, and the National Printing Office budget. The first two funds were removed because these are among the major source of perks for the president with questionable legitimacy. Arroyo, though, claims that the Kilos Asenso Fund is to be used as her office's counterpart fund for agribusiness and micro-finance projects of local government units while the Kalayaan Barangay Fund is aimed to finance government services in far-flung areas to dissuade barangay residents from joining rebel groups like the CPP-NPA.

Meanwhile, the PCGG and the NPO budgets were also removed for the failure of the said agencies to clear major issues involving its operations. PCGG, for instance, has been accused of corruption particularly on the alleged looting of the Philcomsat and the planned compromise settlement with the Marcoses with regards the latter's ill-gotten wealth. (See also: PCGG got zero budget). The NPO budget was also removed for the office's failure to explain why it printed materials for the Cha-cha despite the lack of legislative order to do so and despite the fact that the alleged beneficiary is a non-government entity.

But because of the cut, Arroyo cried, “Ouch!” and warned that she will veto the 2006 legislated budget and will just try to use the 2005 re-enacted budget. The problem, according to Joker, last year's budget is also full of perks the discretion of which is under the president with questionable legitimacy's. And it is her leverage. Hence, whether or not the Senate gives in to her wishes, she is still at the win-win situation.

Mukhang mas wais si Gloria kay Lumen. Ba't di na lang kaya si Gloria ang pumalit kay Lumen o kaya kay Aling Obang?

No impeachment, yes to ouster: Cheers?

Impeachment Round II is dead. So says Atty. Gabriel Claudio, presidential adviser for political affairs. Long live, Gloria?

Perhaps. BUT....

Just this weekend, I happened to talk with several local chief executives. Their common notion: Cha-cha will proceed and there will be no elections come 2007. And they are happy because they will not be spending millions again for re-election.

"No elections" had been the bait of Gloria to get continous support from local elected officials of the municipalities and cities. The problem is: Cha-cha is dead... not unless the palace will make another zombie to keep it alive. With Cha-cha dead, any proposal for "no-el" is nothing but a joke. It is not feasible, clear and simple. If Cha-cha is dead and "no-el" is not feasible, then Gloria is in trouble. She may not be impeached but the possibility of her ouster is not remote.

To add spice to the dish, more and more local chief executives admitted to have complied with the mandate of the Supreme Court on the establishment of freedom parks. With more freedom parks, the possibility of a concerted people power demonstration is again coming to fore. Which might cause Gloria more and more bottles of brandy to cure sleepness nights.

Can somebody propose a toast for this?

Classroom sufficency stats: ACT reacts, calls Arroyo delusional

News release from the Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT)


Teachers outraged by GMA’s doctoring of classroom shortage figures
May 31, 2006


The Alliance of Concerned Teachers criticized President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for making deceptive claims regarding the shortage of classrooms in the public school system.

At a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Mrs. Arroyo publicly scolded Department of Education Officer-in-Charge Fe Hidalgo for reporting a shortage of 6,832 classrooms based on a classroom-to-pupil ratio of 1:45. Claiming that Hidalgo used the wrong formula for computing the shortage, she urged the Deped OIC to revise her figures. Subsequently, Hidalgo declared that “there is no shortage” if the President’s formula of 1 classroom for every 100 students were used.

“Once more, Mrs. Arroyo reveals her penchant for doctoring numbers,” said ACT chairperson Antonio Tinio. “Evidently, not even the educational system is spared from this administration’s routine ‘massaging’
of key statistics like poverty incidence, unemployment rate, economic growth, and the like, for window-dressing purposes. However, no amount of statistical hocus-pocus will make the very real shortage of classrooms disappear—as we shall all see when schools reopen on June 5.”

“The Department of Education’s own data shows that the shortage of classrooms nationwide stands at 55,145. The problem is so acute, particularly in the urban centers like Metro Manila, that classes are held in two and even three shifts per day with students packed 70 to 80 in a room,” explained Tinio. “Anyone who insists that there is no shortage of classrooms is simply delusional.”

Tinio warned that Mrs. Arroyo’s pronouncement would have dire consequences for the Deped’s schoolbuilding fund. “Up to P20 billion is needed to wipe out the classroom shortage. We can kiss goodbye any hope that such funding will be forthcoming if Mrs. Arroyo’s delusional mindset prevails.”

“How can this government deliver on its obligation to provide quality education to its citizens if the chief executive won’t even admit that there’s a huge classroom shortage and that she’s not doing nearly
enough to address it?”

“Mrs. Arroyo needs a reality check. We challenge her to take a tour of public schools in Metro Manila on June 5,” concluded Tinio. #

ALLIANCE OF CONCERNED TEACHERS
2/F Teachers’ Center, Mines St. cor. Dipolog St., Bgy.
VASRA, Q.C.
Telefax 453-9116 Mobile 0920-9220817 Email
act_philippines@yahoo.com
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