Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales was on nationwide radio at the crack of dawn today reacting to the latest call by two influential Catholic bishops for Filipinos to manifest their rejection of the Arroyo regime on November 30, National Heroes Day
Others interpret the remarks in the extreme, as agitation for a new people power revolution.
There are surely those with ‘people power fatigue’, with the thought that the 2010 election are drawing near, assuming the polls do take place.
Gonzales singled out the fact that the prelates even read out a new statement from a detained colonel Danilo Lim urging public action against the government of the day: “They ( Bishops Antonio Tobias and Deogracias Yniduez) are calling on people to use extra-legal efforts. “The State will defend itself. They are telling us the Constitution is written in stone “hanggang mamatay na tayong lahat (until we all die).”
The DOJ boss, a human rights lawyer in years long past, wears his hat as defender of the incumbent in such unmistakable terms that his critics alternately refer to him as “GMA’s attack dog” and “as combative a justice secretary as this country we have ever seen, one reminiscent of the Marcos era.”
To be fair, Secretary Gonzales exuded calmness as he issued his latest warning to those who might try to mimic the events in Thailand and there are indeed loud murmurs in Metro Manila’s coffee shops and hotel lobbies about “something afoot.”
The unsettled whispers are aggravated by recent bombings down south attributed to Moro rebels increased activities by communist rebels.
To this writer a particular aspect of the justice secretary’s statements stood out: “One problem is how certain people are abusing freedom of speech to agitate the people. There is a thin line between exercising free speech and inciting to rebellion. We hope what they want to happen will not take place.”
Here Mr. Raul Gonzales may be correct.
But in like perspective, the State should stop obfuscating and stone-walling calls for the truth to be revealed behind issues such as the ZTE-NBN deal, the fertilizer fund scam, enforced disappearances, and other concerns that all undermine the credibility, and legitimacy, of the government of the day..
The regime must also credibly disabuse widespread public belief that the push for charter change ultimately aims to scuttle the 2010 election extend the incumbent’s term beyond what the law allows.
Filipinos abroad may not directly feel the rising tensions here at home amd some may even be dismissive.
It will do well for them to consider what blood runs through their veins.
Filipino tayong lahat saan man tayo naroon at masarap man o hindi ang buhay natin.
(Originally posted @ At Midfield)
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Pinas as Myanmar under Kuya M will be like the United States under Thomas Jefferson.
Kaya isipin mo: pinoy Jefferson tapos may blog pa! Ang galing ano.
Pagusapan natin ito sa Cafe Intermezzo :)
Juwan,
Huwag kang ganyan. Mahal ko si Kuya M.
Kung personalan na, di magsuntukan na lang tayo sa Cafe Intermezzo :)
@Impeach GMA,
Hindi pwedeng bloggers na lang and boboto Bro, may blog na rin sina Boy Abunda and Kris Aquino. Delikado tayo sa Wowowee crowd.
Puwede sama natin ang mag elite na may YM at Google Talk. Ayos di ba?
Sugod mga miron! Let’s do Cha-Cha!
Pinoys are too much of limpdicks to be “like Myanmar”. Even our so-called “revolutions” are mediocre.
Kuya Ben,
Ikaw, malapit ka na rin ma-impeach.
Kung gusto mo mag-appeal, punta ka sa meeting namin sa Cafe Intermezzo ha? :)
@ benign0 on November 29th, 2008 4:59 pm
i was moved to reply your question… To what EXTENT does the president affect outcomes?
corruption is waste, which can be re-allocated to other needs. Also, a lack of trust in an administration can create uncertainty, which affects markets, investment decisions. etc…
it can also affect lower level political decisions, which is now incentivized to act to ingratiate itself to the current administration, to the detriment of fulfiling its duties.
ITS NOT the most important thing, but yeah, when the president is bad, it can be a binding constraint..
¨Huwag kang ganyan. Mahal ko si Kuya M.
Kung personalan na, di magsuntukan na lang tayo sa Cafe Intermezzo :) ¨
typical blogger…matapang sa mga blogs..dahil hindi makikilala…
kung gusto mo talga makipagsuntukan magpakilala ka…kung trip mo magpagulpi para sa idol mong si kuya M mo…i doubt it kung si kuya M mo ay makikipagsuntukan para sayo bwhehehehe…
Fair enough.
But then how much of your money are you willing to bet that the Philippines will prosper under a GOOD president?
And, say, we do manage to find one good president amongst our lot of 90 million. How much can be done in six years?
Yeah, Lets go for Chacha.
not much, benigno, unless the “good” president becomes a dictator with a subservient legislature and judiciary, plus an obedient and meek media and a submissive, loyal and fanatic military as well as national police.
perhaps he/she can transform a good-size island into something like alcatraz where all the undesirables, misfits, addicts, and enemies of the government can be thrown into to fend for themselves and with no way out.
That hypothetical island you describe Bencard, sounds a bit like the history of a great nation down under as well as other colonies (now great nations in their own right) where misfits once journeyed to or were exiled to. ;)
For now, it seems here that people like Abe who presume to lecture us about “democracy” probably themselves need to re-visit what democracy is REALLY all about; and that is LIVING WITH THE CHOICES OF THE MAJORITY.
This tale of the two Bens is interesting. One roots for dictatorship in the Philippines, the other sings paean to democracy and exhorts that we “(live) with the choices of the majority”; one thinks Gloria is the salvation of the nation and the other swears she is dispensable (not “a big factor”) to attain the same end. But “vibes sila” anyway, their common denominator, it seems, is contempt for the “schmoes” and the “misfits” of their own kind.
I was holding my breath as I read this comment, waiting for a point to be made.
Sadly it disappoints.
Oh well… :D
abe, i don’t “root” for dictatorship and never will. all i’m trying to say is that our country can never prosper without national discipline, respect for authority and the institutions, and knee-jerk hostility to whoever is at the helm. it seems that the libertarian aspects of democracy are insidiously being used to destroy the system and bring down the country in the process. as i always say, a strong people doesn’t need a “messiah”. a weak people needs a strong man/woman “dictator”.
ideally, democracy is about living with the choices of the majority. but the flaw in philippine electoral process and the”street politics” can override the popular sentiments of the majority and because of these flaws, you end up living with the choices of the raucous minority.
some say that election is not really about the process of allowing the majority to make their choice known. it is only giving them the semblance of being allowed to make that choice.
i don’t “root” for dictatorship and never will . . .
unless the “good” president becomes a dictator with a subservient legislature and judiciary, plus an obedient and meek media and a submissive, loyal and fanatic military as well as national police?
anyways, Bencard, national discipline is achievable in the Philippines if the people ultimately succeed in disciplining their leaders. We let the Marcoses off scot-free, the Estradas got a slap on their wrists and Erap is now thinking of a comeback. Isn’t it about time we think seriously of letting the gavel fall, and fall heavily on the Arroyos?
firstly, you should define the term “people”, abe. secondly, you should determine WHO would lead them to the promised land. a multitude of 90 million souls could not act on its own as one – they have different ideas as to how, when, why, and where to skin the cat. leaving them to their own devices would certainly lead to chaos and anarchy.
but isn’t it just the classic communist strategy (ruse) to take over after creating chaos and anarchy? to a communist and other totalitarian ideologies, a nation wracked with lawlessness, economic miseries, and failed institutions, is ripe for the picking.
Bencard, bringing up the communist bogey when running out of better ideas did not work for Mac Cain and Palin. It’s not gonna work for Arroyo either.
Abe,
i definitely agree that this time we need to make sure the arroyos are punished for their misdeeds.
the culture of impunity that we now see and disdain can be traced to our default – as a people and as a nation – to sufficiently punish the marcoses for their abuses while in power. imeldefic is still strutting around, feigning innocence. the marcoses and their cronies literally has gotten away with murder.
this is the model that the arroyos now (and the estradas before that) are emulating.
abe, forget arroyo, mccain or palin. it has nothing to do with any of them. i know you are the “expert” on that strategy i was talking about.
btw,the jury is still out, abe. heaven forbid, mccain and palin may have the last laugh.
Why, you are not dreaming of a run-off election of some sort, are you, Bencard?
no abe, i was referring to the “change you can believe in” mantra. the drama has not even started but from the looks of things, it’s back to the past. let’s see how it plays out.