It’s a lazy Saturday here in Manila and so it being Friday in the good ‘ol U.S. of A the handlers of Pres. Obama must have felt it was as good a time as any for their boss to catch up on bonding-by-remote-control with two Asian leaders, including his opposite number in Manila, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
And let’s get this clear it wasn’t just GMA Mr, Obama called but also Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
The Singapore Straits Times recapped the SArroyo-~Obama talk this way:
As GMA network news on-line is reporting it: “Press Secretary Cerge Remonde quoted Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo on government radio that it was Obama who called Arroyo.
“Sec. Romulo expressed satisfaction and had a very positive feeling about this development. He considers this a very important development in relations between the two countries especially under the Obama administration. Sec. Romulo stresses the fact this time it was President Obama seeking President Arroyo,” Remonde said.
He did not say how long the telephone call lasted, but said they had a long talk. “Mahaba-haba ang pag-uusap nila (They had a long talk),” he said.”
Fair enough.
The question now is how the new phone buddies will be able move on resolving sticky issues such as corruption in the Arroyo government as highlight in the controsial World Bank report on the rigging of WB-funded road project biddings, human rights abuses, and the questioned constitutionality of the VFA as amplified by the more than two year long embassy-arrest of convicted rapist Daniel Smith.
Then and only then will other Filipinos feel good about the Gloria-Barack talkie-talkie.
Popularity: 1% [?]
the law under the principles of natural justice, the common law and the law of “pinoys” can be equal if we want it to be. One nation can be ignorant than the other but the LAW are the same. It is up to one country to implement such law. There’s no such thing that the law in america is better than philippines. Maybe, one should say that americans and other progressive countries implement and interpret the law better than the Philippines. Or, the Philippines is weak to understand and implement the law.
Inequality exist when one nation is ignorant over the other. In this case, the Justice system in our country can only respond when the damage has been done.
madonna,
the WTO and the U.N. are the instruments of powerful nations and they do not promote equality. equality is fiction and “real-politik” is a reality. The U.N. was established to equalize unequal nations but you have to take out “real-politik” for it to succeed in its mission. The security council is a component of powerful big nations. Nowhere can we dream of being part of that council.
weak nations shall continue to be the satellites of big nations for their quest for hegemony of the globe.
Let me put the question I just asked MB in this thread to because it may help us all clarify where we really stand:
DJB,
De facto president as Mrs. Arroyo is, I hold that any extralegal machinations to remove her even if such attempt succeeds this late in her questioned tenure will only subvert the Constitution.
But you bring up a valid point.
Indeed, what form will such a move to “save” the regime take?
A counter coup?
During the string of coup attempts versus Pres. Cory, her loyalists actually went through the motions of forming a ‘Yellow’ counter-coup Force.
A bloody civil war did not take place then as the rebellious soldiers were neutralized effectively as history records.
But could a similar scenario develop?
I shudder to consider such prospect.
“Suppose you discover a CIA plot to overthrow GMA. Would you save her?”
First of all, ask the question why does the CIA want to overthrow her? Bakit? It is not wise to consider “support” or “help” from any alien entity unless you know what they are up to first. A caveat first of all, is that considering a CIA plot is treason.
Knowing the answer to this question first to that will give as a leverage to consider the original question.
Many sectors in Philippine society consider GMA illegitimate, myself included — but if we consider that no revolution or a coup backed by the majority of the people has succeeded up to this day, is already proof enough that the greater public consider her “legitimate” for now and will allow her to finish the term until 2010. So allowing a CIA interference to overthrow her will be in fact treason because GMA is considered legitimate by the greater public.
Now, if she continues to hold on to power post-2010, then it will be a different scenario altogether. Then by then, it is all but certain that the people will be united that she has to go. Will a CIA help be considered by then? Maybe, maybe not, depends on what the Kanos are what after.
Another caveat, even if this scenario comes to pass. Times have changed. The CIA’s principal enemy, the communists are a defanged enemy. If Magsaysay was a CIA “tuta”, then would there be another?, with the bin Laden posse as the new enemy? Do the terrorists have the same virulence as the communists? Parang di ata. Terrorism is not ideology, it is a tactic and has no chance, as communism did.
So, the CIA as far as its regime interference activities is as bit as coleacanth-ish as the communists. A dead or dying breed.
The naivete and angst expressed on FV as regards the conduct of Philippine foreign policy is almost too excruciatingly painful to read. The Philippines can play the diplomatic game almost as well as any other similarly situated country. Also, I do hate to disappoint so many on FV, but the fact is that…all wishful thinking aside…the credibility of the current administration in Manila is a non-issue in Washington, D.C. The Yanks have seen this all before, here and elsewhere. They’ve dealt with truly odious and even psychotic leaderships. GMA ranks nowhere near the top of that Rogue’s Gallery (even if the US has set the bar on acceptable political behavior so miserably low). The Yanks’ll just wait for whenever the storm in a teacup of the day in Manila blows over and carry on with whoever winds up sitting in Malacanang. Conversely, Filipino leaders will continue playing the American card, with more or less sufficient adroitness, as every administration has done since the end of Martial Law. This is a well-practiced dance and everyone knows the steps by now. What gets me is the ease with which so many of our compatriots ascribe so many nefarious motives to Uncle Sam without realizing that Juan de la Cruz is playing the game, and not losing that many chips, as well.
Marcelo,
Your perspective is most welcome and your tenor refreshingly sober.
I just have I question.
On a scale of 1 to 10 in the “Rogues Gallery” you refer to, how would you rank Mrs. Arroyo?
If GMA is corrupt why is she still in power? Why isn’t she prosecuted? Is this corruption thingie made by pekeng-peryodistas that are against rights-to-reply?
Why is it she is still in power? Because the journalists-against-rights-to-reply are barking at the wrong moon!!! Bec;ause they are sooooo low-iQ in the tune of Manny Pacquiao
Ding:
I would guess, based on publicly available info, she’d rank somewhere around 2.0, and this is based entirely on unproven allegations of corruption and unsolved political violence cases where the government seems to be heavily but not conclusively implicated. She is by no means unique in terms of our own local history (just go through the internet archives to see all the corruption charges leveled against all sitting Philippine Presidents since the dawn of time…beginning with whether Gen. Aguinaldo fully accounted for all the Hong Kong funds). But on a world scale, she’s Cinderalla. Why? Because the world is a very very sad place.
Thanks Marcelo. By calling GMA “Cinderella” you may be unwittingly saying she is in a fantasy land, in much the sane way as Manuel Buencamino’s Enchanted realm. This would not be far from the fact that through sustained obfuscation of issues hobbling her rule and the consistent misuse of executive privilege officials who would otherwise able to reveal the facts are gagged.
Remember Neri?