RedBlueThoughts

Starting today, I would like you to read my other blog: newphilrevolution.blogspot.com. Its an interesting blog because it gives an insightful look at Philippine politics. My blog has been used by various analysts, most notably, Manuel F. Quezon III in his articles. So check it out.

Bald over nothing

I just saw a picture of some young activists shaving their heads in protest over what’s going on in Myanmar. It strikes me as totally ironic and “papansin.” Why? These young ones don’t realize that before they focus their attention on what’s happening outside their country, they better do something of what’s happening in theirs. We live in a repulsive and repressive regime. This regime is more dangerous than Myanmar’s because theirs, the people know that they live in a military dictatorship. Here, we have a “democratic” government acting like a dictatorship, in real terms. They just lost their heads for nothing.

Paranoid over nothing

I heard that Gen. Miranda nearly died in prison because the AFP leadership refused to attend to his medical condition. This is inhumane. Miranda is innocent before being judged guilty and it is within his rights to be attended by a physician. Esperon is too paranoid. It shows how weak he is. Even General Ver nor the despot Marcos did’nt do this to their biggest enemy, Ninoy. What use will Miranda be outside his prison walls? Nothing. They should heed the appeal of General Lim to free Miranda and get him to the hospital. Is this the reward the government gives to its bravest soldiers?

GMA knows about the ZTE deal

If we are to believe the documents shown by GMA Channel 7, then, GMA definitely share some complicity on the ZTE deal. The braggadocio being shown by ZTE officials, demanding that the Supreme Court lifts the TRO indicate that ZTE do have strong connections with the palace. Should the Senate hearings finally point to the doorsteps of GMA, we may now have a handful of shit to throw against this government. As one general said during the Estrada trial, ” this may break the camel’s back.” But, will it?

Marines going bald

When fellow Marines died after that July fiasco in Basilan, detailed Marines led by Col. Ariel Querubin shaved their heads in mourning. Marines and soldiers continue to be slaughtered in Basilan and Jolo. News about their deaths have been “controlled”, obviously to avoid an uprising from fellow soldiers. However, I still do not believe why soldiers are not revolting. If these incidents happened in other countries, this government would definitely have not survived at all.

Let’s admit it—the civilian government failed and continuous to fail its duty of leading the counter-insurgency campaign. It is totally inept and disorganized. It cannot even lead. Why do soldiers continue to support this government? Are they nuts? Or soldiers are too coward not to realize that this government is feeding them to their enemies?

I’m going bald

I remember cadets from the Philippine Military Academy. All of them are bald. However, I have lost all admiration to these future leaders. I have’nt heard even a whimper from them. I think most of them just went to the academy because (a) they are poor and they just want to amass great wealth after seeing other PMAers sucking it up for money or (b) they are total assholes and just passed the exams because they have the potential of being lambs.

If these PMAers allow their fellow mistahs to rot in jail due to false charges and some even enjoy seeing these career and principled men just “fade away” in prison, they are not worthy of being called mistahs. There are no different from the others who swallow their pride, their honors and even their sworn duties to the people because they want to get rich. Where are the few good men of the AFP?

Former Congressman and now Iloilo vice governor Rolex Suplico filed an impeachment complaint against Abalos. His complaint was endorsed by two Congressmen, all belonging to the minority block of the House. Talks are flying that both the minority and the majority will support the complaint. It will be a collaborative effort, says Makati Congresswoman Abby Binay. Eighty is the magic number and if they get it, the complaint will automatically be endorsed straight to the Senate.

I think that the complainants will get the requisite number for this effort. However, Abalos will still get off the hook. Why? Because of a technicality.

Should this complaint prosper and goes to the Senate, Abalos can still save his hide by demanding that those Senators who grilled him and made a joker out of him, inhibit themselves from voting for his impeachment. Remember that this happened during the impeachment of former president Joseph Estrada and it could be Abalos way out of this mess. A considerable number of Senators could be forced to inhibit themselves. And who’ll be left to decide on his fate? Majority of the administration senators who did not attend the blue ribbon committee hearings. GMA and her ilk would still have the last laugh so to speak in this parody of errors.

ZTE’s appeal to the Supreme Court

I’ve read most of the stories by the ZTE, especially their appeal to the Supreme Court to lift the TRO on the project. Obviously, someone, possibly a PR crisis man, made that story. Its ludicrous. It’s wrong timing and wrong angles. ZTE’s statements still smack of being proud. The statement suggests ZTE as an arm-twister.

You know why the people still believe that there really was payment of payola in this issue? Because of the stupidity of ZTE’s publicists. The PR positioning of ZTE is wrong. First, it should not be made at this time. The issue is still very, very hot. ZTE could have made the appeal in a silent manner. Second, ZTE should refrain from sounding like a goon. Look, the tone of their statement is very wrong. They sound like they want to get their “investment”. It reinforces the belief in the public that ZTE did, indeed gave millions of dollars worth of payoffs to some high officials in government. Their statement sounds like they expect Philippine officials to give in to their demand.

What shitholes.

ZTE should instead, keep silent. Anyway, they have been silent for a long time, since this issue exploded in their faces. What would it do to them if they issue statements like this? None. It would only add salt to their wounds.

No PR effort could repair the damage wrought to their reputation caused by this issue. This is the time for them to just sit back, relax, wait for the dust to settle, then, cautiously and silently work for the restoration of their project. Maybe, just maybe, they could still get this project possibly in the future.

Alejandro Lichauco’s analysis (below) validates what I wrote here previously: that the people will definitely accept a civilian-military government provided that the following requisites exist:

(a) a totally peaceful political environment—there’s a recognition of human rights yet government has a tight rein over some civil liberties

(b) an economic system that promotes a level playing field—an economic environment that promotes entrepreneurship, property rights and capitalism yet at the same time, has the mechanism to assist disfranchised economic sectors and a system that promotes spillovers of economic gains.

(c) a social system that is nationalistic and ordered.

Filipinos want a quiet life. They want to work hard and enjoy the fruits of their labours. They want to live in a society that promotes social order and peace. They don’t care about politics for as long as politics does not affect their individual existence.

Indeed, a civilian-military revolutionary government would be welcomed by millions of Filipinos should the enlightened barons unite together and smash the prevailing archaic and chaotic order. I lament for those men who decide not to side with the truth and freedom for the sake of their own selves. I long for a few good men who would sacrifice their own freedoms and futures just to secure the freedoms and futures of their sons and daughters.

Why do soldiers exists? Why do they fight?

They exist because of the people. They fight against those who tyrannize the people. Sadly, they fight now to protect the asses of those in power. They fight for careers. They fight for promotions.

Have the flames of “We Belong” been extinguished? I remember Trillianes saying in one interview that should he lose, that’s an indication that the people do not believe in what they are fighting for. He won.

I challenge Trillianes to prove me wrong in what I wrote in http://redbluethoughts.today.com. I challenge him to be the man he said he is. I dare him to speak out in this dark night and condemn the civilian leadership for being callous of the people’s welfare. I dare him to be the leader he says he is. I dare him to lead the soldiers to this fight for freedom. I ask him to show the 12 million people who voted for him that they were not misled by him into believing of this vision of freedom.

When good men opt to be silent when it’s the time to shout, that’s a sign that we are in for a long night.

Either military or one-man civilian rule?
By Alejandro Lichauco

ANALYSIS

09/27/2007

Anyone reflecting even in desultory fashion on the growingly chaotic political scene and the equally growing economic harshness of the times shouldn’t find it too difficult to conclude that the political system under which we have lived since the “Edsa people power revolution” of 1986 simply will have to give way to a more sustainable or at least less chaotic political order.

Like it or not, there is a rising nostalgia for the order that prevailed during the years of the dictatorship — at lest during the first three years of the dictatorship. Martial law wasn’t the rule of the military. It was a one-man civilian dictatorship who ruled with the full backing of the military establishment.

There was, of course, from Day One of the dictatorship, opposition to it. It was an opposition led by the CPP-NPA, on one hand, and courageous band of civilian opposition led by former Senators Lorenzo Tañada, Jose Diokno and Jovito Salonga, on the other. But the opposition was really inconsequential although during that period, the NPA grew quite considerably.

The dictatorship was conspicuously supported by the business community, local and foreign, the diplomatic community led by the US government which openly supported the dictatorship militarily and economically and the IMF-WB. These were the main pillars which propped up the dictatorship and in fact, explained why and how the dictatorship endured for more than an entire decade.

What eventually broke establishment support for the dictatorship was the assassination of Ninoy Aquino. From that traumatic event began three years of street marches which would eventually culminate in Edsa. But the chain of events that may be said to have pulled the trigger against Marcos was the rebellion staged by the dictator’s secretary of Defense and vice chief of staff. Their rebellion was immediately followed by a small group of military dissidents, led by Honasan who holed up with Enrile and Ramos in Camp Aguinaldo and to whose rescue came the voice of the then influential Jaime Cardinal Sin who called on “people power” which lost no time in responding, and responding grandly. And the rest was history.

But the point to remember about the dictatorship was that for more than 10 years, the preponderance of public opinion supported a one-man civilian dictatorship. Not one year, or two years or even five years, but a good 14 years, in fact.

Even after the assassination of Ninoy, large pockets of the civilian population continued to be supportive of Marcos, or at least refrained from active opposition to it.

Now, the question: Did Edsa spell the end of a one-man civilian government which, incidentally, governed without benefit of Constitution and Congress?

Definitely not — because Marcos’ one-man civilian dictatorship was softly replaced by a one-woman government exercising extra-constitutional powers and governing as Marcos did through decrees.

Cory, in fact, ruled theoretically at least as a dictator, or least with powers unchecked and unrestrained by any Constitution or Congress and guided only by guidelines her government itself drafted. And she proceeded to appoint members of a Constitutional Commission who, without popular mandate, went on to draft the nation’s Constitution.

What did the Marcos’ and, subsequently, Cory’s one-person civilian government mean? It meant, to this writer, that the Filipino people are psychologically and politically disposed to accept a civilian dictatorship — long-term in the case of Marcos and short-term in the case of Cory. But one-person civilian rule just the same. Without Congress in the case of Marcos; and without Congress and the Constitution, in the case of Cory.

Both governments — Marcos’ and Cory’s — were, in truth and reality, governments with extra-constitutional powers. Meaning, to be blunt, a revolutionary government.

Don’t you think that’s political precedent enough, and a precedent which could well be foretelling for us a possible scenario of the future? A scenario which the people could possibly accept, as they accepted the Marcos and Cory dictatorships.

The alternative to a one-person civilian rule, of course, would be either the status quo or an outright military dictatorship.

But if you consider the status quo unsustainable at this stage, particularly a status quo under the regime of GMA, then you don’t have any practical option except to choose between a one-man civilian government or an outright military government. One would be hard put finding any other practical alternative.

At this point, unless a more practical scenario other than a one-person civilian dictatorship or a military dictatorship emerges, then we just might be forced to a choice between a civilian dictatorship or a military dictatorship. Or if you don’t find dictatorship a palatable term, then how about “authoritarianism?”

One final question: If a civilian dictatorship would be it, who will install it? Why, the military of course, as the military installed Cory.

You see how precedents can shape and even determine the future?

Like what I wrote here in my blog, the palace instructed its allies, even Neri, to nail Abalos. I’m listening the Senate hearings right now and obviously the palace designated Abalos as the “it” guy. Yes, the palace unleashed its “dogs”, including Neri, to deviate the direction of the attacks. The tone of the hearings have changed, like I wrote. Instead of directing attacks against FG and the DOTC, it is now Abalos who’s being attacked.

As I’ve said, Abalos has been tagged as the fall guy.

As of 5:44pm, Abalos is fighting for his life and reputation. The old guy is fighting back. The old guy does not want to be the “it” guy. He turned the tables against his accusers, at one point, even accusing Neri of having misinterpreted what he told him of the amount of 200. He even accused Joey de Venecia as the one who hounded him and tried to pressure him to assist him in closing the deal.

Puzzling

What’s puzzling is the silence of Joey de Venecia. When Abalos accused him of hounding him, Joey remained silent. I think his silence now means so many things. Was he pressured by the elder de Venecia to just keep silent and let the Senators gorge Abalos? Was there already a compromise between GMA’s camp and the de Venecia camp? Obviously, Joey’s silence means that he has been advised to keep silence.

I’ll write more after the hearing.

Philippine president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo will address the UN General Assembly this Friday. Reports say, she’s now in Washington, DC trying to have an audience with US President George Dubya Bush. Talks are rife that she failed. The question is–why is she so desperate in trying to talk to Bush?

In Myanmar, thousands of people are marching in the streets of Rangon right now. The March of a Million Monks, as what I describe it, aims to topple the military junta in that country. Widespread poverty have forced these monks and the people to express their anger against the prevailing order. Previous to this, an international propaganda campaign was launched, aimed at exposing the real state of Myanmar society. The people of Myanmar saw how their military generals wallow in extreme wealth while most of them scrap the soil for food. Will this lead to a full-blown revolution or will the world see another appalling massacre?

In Thailand, the military junta who ousted former Thai president Shinawatra is giving way to a civilian caretaker government. After launching a palace coup, the military installed their own set of leaders, with the blessing of the Thai King. They then reviewed their constitution and instituted some changes into it to prevent another Shinawatra disaster from happening. The coup was a peaceful one, devoid of any bloodshed. Now, the prevailing Thai leadership wants to hand over the reins of power to the civilians, deciding that its time to go back to the barracks.

Here in the Philippines, the administration of Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is being wracked by accusations of widespread corruption. The ZTE deal, which some sectors say was tainted with extreme graft, is being used by civil society against Arroyo. Previous attempts at ousting Arroyo have failed. Now, even her administration admitted that this issue is being used by destabilizers to again launch another power grab. The question is—will a power grab really work this time?

Arroyo’s former economic planning secretary Romulo Neri is expected to spill the beans at the Senate today (see my dig to this at http://newphilrevolution.blogspot.com). Neri, who reportedly received an indecent proposal just to favor the deal, said that he’ll brave the waters this time and is prepared to lose his job and “go to a sabbatical” just for the truth. Will he be the focal point of protests against Arroyo? Will he do a Charissa Ocampo?

Uncanny Resemblance

Analysts are seeing a pattern here. First, it seems that Joey de Venecia’s revelation at the Senate bears all the hallmarks of a Chavit, with some indications of an Ocampo. Joey told the Senate that the First Gentleman tried to pressure him to “back off” from the deal. He did not directly implicate Mrs. Arroyo, obviously because of his previous “deal” with his father, Speaker Jose de Venecia.

Neri is expected to directly implicate Arroyo, because he had an audience with the president at the palace. News reports say Neri will admit at the Senate that he exposed the bribery attempt to the president and got a lame answer. ” Don’t receive the money, but accept the deal”, was the supposed answer by the president.

The Iskra

With forces slowly converging this time, albeit in silence, will this finally bring this administration on its knees? Will we see a Thai, combined with a Myanmar? Only time will tell.

My take on this is this—admittedly, there is a revolutionary situation. This is more dangerous than all the other attempts because of its silence. It bears all the indications of an EDSA repeat. Should these forces lose this chance this time, we see a prolonged rule by Arroyo.

I don’t believe that destabilizers are that foolish in using the ZTE deal as a propaganda tool for another shot at freedom. The ZTE deal is obviously, a very weak issue for anti-GMA groups to use against the administration. Indeed, there is an on-going recruitment among various troops, as stated in news reports and confirmed even by AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Esperon. But, I don’t think the soldiers will be convinced to join the destabilizers just because Malacanan is enmessed with the business deal of two big-time groups.

What I do know is this—if and when groups do spill into the streets against this administration, it will do so because things have reached boiling point. Yes, I believe there is now a revolutionary situation. However, this situation has not been brought up by the ZTE deal. No. This situation arose due to the following factors:

1. The July Basilan incident which led to the deaths of more than 50 soldiers.
2. Extra-judicial killings perpetuated by the state against its perceived enemies. This issue has resonated to the international community, making it very viable for anti-GMA groups to solicit support from foreign entities.
3. Uneven playing field in the business arena. This ZTE deal reflects the propensity of this administration to favor its cronies. Hence, local businessmen feel threatened especially the entry of Chinese products into the market. This further bolsters the ranks of anti-GMA groups.

Warning to this administration: the perceived silence of the middle class does not mean acquisence. It only means three things: (a) there is an undercurrent of dissent against the prevailing elite but has not managed to manifest itself into concrete action (b) disorganization and division on the part of anti-GMA groups and (c) lack of resources for mobilization. If these things are met and there is a right condition, then, the possibility of a power grab is high.

Possible Scenarios

1. Withdrawal of support from key officials allied with JDV-FVR-JoAL
2. Withdrawal of support from key military personnel, both active and retired
3. Possible clash between loyalist and anti-GMA forces
4. Possible flight in a foreign country by GMA and her clique.
5. Establishment of a revolutionary government (transitional)

ZTE mess being used to agitate troops’

By PERSEUS ECHEMINADA
The Philippine Star

Transportation and Communications Secretary Leandro Mendoza said Saturday groups out to destabilize the Arroyo administration are using the controversy on the national broadband network (NBN) deal with China’s ZTE Corp. to “agitate” government troops.

“The issue has become highly politicized that it’s now being circulated in the military camps to agitate the troops,” he said in a chance interview with The STAR in a restaurant at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

Mendoza said no less than Armed Forces chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon Jr. has confirmed that there are indeed recruitment activities in military camps.

However, he said this move is doomed as the people are already fed up with moves to destabilize the government.

“Any attempt to oust President Arroyo at this point in time will not get support from the people. We advise these groups to wait for the 2010 elections,” he said.

He said personalities linked to the oust-GMA movement are the same people who are now trying to ride on the NBN controversy to trigger unrest on the streets.

He said the allegations of bribery and graft and corruption are now pending before the Office of the Ombudsman, while the issue on the validity of the contract is also pending before the Supreme Court.

“Let us uphold the rule of law, instead of getting out of the legal process,” he said.

Mrs. Arroyo suspended the NBN project indefinitely Saturday upon Mendoza’s recommendation. Also suspended was the Cyber Education program of the Department of Education.

The military and the police also see the NBN controversy as part of a move to undermine the Arroyo administration.

Sources in the military and police intelligence communities bared this following their threat assessment meeting held somewhere in Makati City Friday night.

“What started as a plain and casual quarrel among two business rivals had already transformed into a political controversy that now tends to undermine the security of the state,” one source said.

Meanwhile, talk of destabilization sent military and police officials jumping from their sleep Friday night following supposed disturbances at the Fort Bonifacio residence of former Army and AFP chief, retired Gen. Lisandro Abadia.

However, military and police intelligence operatives dispatched to Abadia’s place found nothing unusual in the area.

“It’s all disinformation,” an intelligence officer later told his superiors.

However, the AFP, not wanting to get caught with its pants down, called in two more battalions of troops to Metro Manila while the Philippine National Police deployed the Special Action Force (SAF) supported by several tanks in Camp Crame.

Army safe from recruitment

Maj. Gen. Jose Barbieto, commanding officer of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division based in Cagayan de Oro City, gave assurance that his men would not entertain any recruitment offers to destabilize the government.

Barbieto said his men are busy on counter-insurgency operations and vigilant against Abu Sayyaf terrorists that they can no longer entertain such illicit offers.

The 4th ID recently inked a pact with the PNP’s Northern Mindanao regional office for the police to have a more active role in counter-insurgency operations.

Barbieto said he does not need any loyalty checks on his troops. “My soldiers have always followed the Constitution and the chain of command,” he said.

Marines ‘vulnerable’

However, Marine Commandant Maj. Gen. Mohammad Ben Dolorfino said institutional cracks continue to put the Marine Corps as a vulnerable target for recruitment in any destabilization plot.

Dolorfino cited past events where Marines were involved in coup attempts.

“That is contrary to what our forefathers in the Marines have taught us… to be the cutting edge in the military organization,” he said.

Dolorfino, who stayed overnight in Basilan last Tuesday and in Sulu on Thursday, his first out-of-town visit since he was appointed as Marine commandant, wasted no time in weaving the cracks affecting the organization.

In an apparent confirmation of misbehavior, some of the Marine ground personnel commented behind his back that their commandant should have brought canned goods and other food supplies rather than notes and papers.

Dolorfino said that since the guilty verdict on former President Joseph Estrada for plunder, text messages of destabilization and recruitment have been circulating. – With Jaime Laude, Mark Francisco and Roel Pareño

Romulo Neri is a very important man nowadays. He’s expected to show up at the Senate hearings to shed light on the ZTE deal. ANC’s Ricky Carandang had a chat with him a few days ago and he seems unaffected by it all. Remember that Neri told Carandang and the Inquirer that he received an indecent proposal from ZTE officials via Chairman Abalos involving millions of dollars. Neri was previously the head of the government’s economic planning portfolio. That department was responsible in approving such deals because its the one who gives the justification for government to undertake of such a project. If Neri tells the unvarnished truth, that he was bribed or that an attempt to bribe him did happen, then, this issue is finished. What government must do is just pressure the Supreme Court to declare it unconstitutional, throw the deal to the waste basket and get on with running the government. The SC decision is the most convenient way out of this mess. The government will not lose face to the Chinese. Likewise, the Chinese will definitely understand it if this deal does not push thru.

However, this issue will continue in another front. Neri’s revelation will change the direction of this controversy. Right now, all attention seems to be directed at the gang of FG and Abalos. The attacks seem to be pointing to the palace, specifically at the presidency.

Issue Shifting

Neri’s testimony is important because it would prove whether there really was a bribery. A mere attempt could easily persuade the public that the deal was tainted with corruption. The onus of proving otherwise, remains with Abalos. However, Abalos will find it very hard to convince the body politic that he did’nt receive a single cent from the Chinese.

If I were Mrs. Arroyo, i’ll allow Neri to nail Abalos and the ZTE guys. Judging from the amount of publicity this controversy has generated, Neri’s controversy will condemn Abalos to perdition, conveniently allowing FG and Mendoza to distance themselves from the payoff scandal. If this happens, the issue has been effectively contained because it’ll be limited to just what the public or government anti-graft prosecutors must do to Abalos. Reports say that Mendoza is clean. I believe them. News articles say that FG was just used by Abalos to put pressure on ZTE’s rivals, which, in this case, Joey de Venecia’s group.

Malacanang’s spinsters should (1) allow Neri’s testimony to point to Abalos as the “it” guy. They should write stories that’ll say that Abalos actually used his influence and pressured the First Gentleman to accede to this deal. That way, all blame will be directed at Abalos.

Impeachment

Let Abalos sacrifice himself for the sake of the palace. Abalos will definitely be allowed to retire in peace, because he can’t be impeached anyway. It’ll be a wasteful use of public funds if Congress files an impeachment case against him. The old man is retiring from the Comelec anyway. Common sense dictates that, for the sake of peace, Abalos should be allowed to end his term with “dignity” eventhough he does’nt deserve it.

The Exit Strategy

The main question is this—will Abalos be party to this strategy? Will Abalos allow himself to be further maligned by this scandal? There are precedents anyway. Perez’ s case is one. Joc-joc’s case is another. Perez is now enjoying the fruits of his indecency somewhere in Batangas while Joc-Joc remains comfortable in his high security cell in the United States. After all of his helter-skelter thing, Abalos has the chance to “wither away”, so to speak, a few months from now, when all things simmer down. If I were Abalos, i’ll accept this exit strategy. Anyway, if all reports are true, he already received the monies from the Chinese. He can retire in peace. ZTE already paid him. If the SC decides that government should not push for this deal, then, ZTE cannot really demand Abalos to return the money, right? It’ll be convenient to all parties to just allow another body to give them the way out. And the SC is the one such body.

Joey’s fate

This NBN project will still be given to Joey’s group. I don’t know if you noticed, but all of these Chinese deals have been bagged by JDV’s group. They just raised this thing because one project was not given to them. Civil society groups should scrutinize all Chinese deals and they’ll find that JDV’s group got all these projects (i.e., Northrail, etc.). Surely, Malacanan will give Joey some projects just to silence him. Its just a question of when. I think we will see Joey in the next few years.

Read the Inquirer headline today. It says that JDV went to Malacanan to have an audience with Arroyo. After that 45 minute meeting, which JDV described as a “constructive” one, he says that their relationship remains stable and strong despite the ZTE deal.

This action by the Speaker is precisely why JDV will never become president nor a prime minister. He does not deserve it. He’s the type of guy who will compromise when push comes to shove. Great leaders are not compromisers. Great leaders know when to stand their ground and when to relent. In this case, JDV will always remain a second-rate politician, and some say, even of the worst kind.

If JDV feels that he’s strong and has the numbers, he should not have gone to the palace for that meeting. This meeting shows the true nature of JDV. He is ambition-driven. He does not have the “balls” so to speak, to stand up against his enemies. He will even sell his family if needs be. What he wants is just power, not the welfare of the majority of our people.

As I previously wrote here, this ZTE controversy is an opportunity for him to be great. And this chance only comes once in a lifetime. However, that meeting with GMA shows that JDV will tolerate any form of corruption for as long as he’s not involved in it, or his friends did it, or that it does not impact on his political standing. Such a stand says much about the character of the Speaker. He’s the nation’s worst example of being a leader. He does not lead; he simply cannot be a true leader because he’s a compromiser. He compromises only for himself.

By meeting the president, the Speaker is condoning whatever actions the First Gentleman and his gang did against the nation. That ZTE deal is an illegal one. It is quite obvious that it will burden 80 million Filipinos with a 25 billion peso debt. For the Speaker, the issue is just a misunderstanding between him and GMA. The Speaker thinks along the lines of politics, but does not think about the welfare of the Filipino People who stands to lose their shirts if this deal pushes through.

Call me pragmatic or what-have-you, but the Speaker bungled the opportunity to be great. He should have stood behind his son. He should have praised him for standing up against the “bakal boys” of the palace and condemned it. But no. The fourth highest official of the land decided to side with the bakal boys.

Great men are risk-takers. They don’t consider grey areas. For the Speaker, he always see a rainbow.

Speaker: If there’s oust threat, will crush it
‘I am torn between my love for my son and GMA’

By Norman Bordadora, Christian V. Esguerra
Inquirer
Last updated 00:21am (Mla time) 09/22/2007
Most Read
Full coverage: The NBN Deal

View liveblog of Senate hearing at Inquirer Current

View the NBN contract and related documents

MANILA, Philippines — His post may be at risk because of his son’s testimony at the Senate implicating President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband, but Speaker Jose de Venecia says he is confident of weathering the political storm.

In fact, the man said, he did not need Malacañang’s guarantee to complete his unprecedented fifth term until 2010. “I feel strong in my own right,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview at his Makati residence Friday.

Asked in a separate interview to assess his hold on the House leadership, De Venecia declared: “There is no threat. And if there is a threat, we’ll crush it.”

The Speaker said he was “bewitched and bewildered” in the wake of his son Jose “Joey” de Venecia’s testimony implicating Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo in the $329-million National Broadband Network deal.

“I am torn between my love for my son and my love for the President,” he said. But he added that he would not reach the point of having to make the ultimate choice, and neither would administration allies in the House.

“That will not arise because the relationship is stable; the coalition is impregnable,” the Speaker said, referring to the administration coalition composed largely of Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) and his Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

“I don’t need to make a choice because I am for my son and I am for the President,” he said.

‘A little delicate’
Joey de Venecia told the Senate on Tuesday that Mike Arroyo had thrust a finger at his face and told him to “back off” from the NBN deal.

The Speaker admitted Friday that his son’s testimony had had some effect on his relationship with Arroyo, his running mate in his failed bid for the presidency in 1998.

“There’s a little effect, but she knows in her heart that I had nothing to do with it,” he said, acknowledging that the current political scene was “a little delicate.”

“To clear the air” between the two of them, he said, they had a 45-minute meeting in Malacañang at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

The meeting, which was arranged by Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, took place shortly after administration congressmen had dinner at the Palace, purportedly to express support for Arroyo in the wake of the NBN scandal.

At the meeting, De Venecia told Arroyo that his son had not accused her husband of any wrongdoing in connection with the NBN deal.

Asked if Arroyo had assured him of Malacañang’s continued support, the Speaker said: “I don’t need to ask that from her … The same way that when I support her, she doesn’t have to beg or ask me.

“I just do it because we’re allies. We know what to do. The mere fact that she invited me [to Malacañang] was enough. We discussed things objectively.”

Earlier in the week, De Venecia acknowledged that a crisis was brewing as a result of his son’s testimony at the Senate.

But he pointed out that his son had “continuously defended” the President, referring to Joey de Venecia’s statement that she was never involved in the brokering of the NBN deal.

Asked then how he was doing, the Speaker said: “As usual, managing even in crisis.

“I am torn between my loyalty to the President and my love for my son. But actually, there really is no problem.

“It is only the media that is making all these allegations [of a rift].”

Threat from a few
The Speaker dismissed the threat to unseat him as coming from a few House members loyal to Arroyo but who had dissociated themselves from him.

“As early as the battle for the speakership [against Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia in July], it has always been the President’s allies, like [Sorsogon Rep. Jose] Solis, the likes of [Camarines Sur Rep. Luis] Villafuerte. That’s all, period. There’s no more,” he said.

Garcia told the Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) Friday that there was “no move” to oust De Venecia, at least for now.

He said his group was leaving the matter to other members of the bloc and the President herself. “We will meet in the coming days and get a consensus,” he said.

The so-called Garcia group was formed initially as a “conscience” bloc soon after the Cebu congressman lost in the speakership race.

Even Kampi chairman and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Kampi had no plan to work for De Venecia’s ouster.

Anyway, Puno told reporters, there was “not enough of a vote in the House” that could unseat De Venecia now.

“For the record, there is no attempt to unseat the Speaker. For the record, I think Congress will remain in its present form and continue to work under its present organization,” Puno said.

He also said it was not a good time for the House to change leadership because its members had been assigned their committees and were buckling down to work.

He added that it was too late now for Congress “to start from scratch.”

Asked whether Arroyo still supported De Venecia, Puno said: “I don’t think there has been any change in the attitude of the President toward Lakas as a party, the coalition in general, and the congressional leadership.”

‘We will overcome’
De Venecia expressed confidence that he still enjoyed the “overwhelming” support of members of the House. He apparently arrived at this conclusion after a series of meetings with coalition members that began on Wednesday and went on until Thursday night.

“We’re going through a period of political turbulence,” he said. “[But] I think that by and large, we will overcome it. We have no major differences within the majority coalition.”

De Venecia pointed out that his meeting with Arroyo was arranged by Deputy Speaker Villarosa, a member of Kampi.

“I can’t just go meet the President without any invitation. We don’t want to impose on her hospitality even if we’re very close friends,” he said.

De Venecia said Arroyo continued to back him as Speaker and as her top ally in the House because he continued to support her as President.

Proof of Arroyo’s support, he said, was his retaining his post despite the serious challenge posed by Garcia in July.

Counting the ways
De Venecia ticked off the occasions when, he said, he showed Arroyo that he would support her “come hell or high water.”

“I have supported her in the impeachment battle, in the Cabinet revolt against her,” he said.

The first referred to the two failed efforts to impeach Arroyo as a result of the “Hello Garci” wiretapping scandal, and the second, to the mass resignation of members of her Cabinet–collectively known as the “Hyatt 10″–who called on her to step down amid allegations that she had manipulated the 2004 presidential election.

De Venecia also cited the time when he and former president Fidel Ramos went to Malacañang to throw their support behind Arroyo at the height of calls for her ouster.

“Many [people] were saying that [we came to her rescue,” he said. “But I don’t even give importance to that. I just do things for her in the same way that she does things for me.”

He also said he staked whatever little popularity he had in supporting the unpopular Expanded Value-Added Tax Law that the Arroyo administration pushed in the 13th Congress.

Exercise in futility
House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor said lawmakers numbering not more than 10 had been “agitating [other lawmakers] for the ouster of the Speaker.”

“It’s an exercise in futility,” Defensor told the Inquirer. “Even Pablo (Garcia) is not up to it. It’s just the people around him.”

Agusan del Norte Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, a senior member of the House opposition, told reporters that he would support De Venecia if push came to shove.

“He could have asked his son not to testify against the First Gentleman, but he did not,” Plaza said of the Speaker. “Somebody like that deserves support.”

With a report from Christine O. Avendaño

Read the Inquirer headline today. It says that JDV went to Malacanan to have an audience with Arroyo. After that 45 minute meeting, which JDV described as a “constructive” one, he says that their relationship remains stable and strong despite the ZTE deal.

This action by the Speaker is precisely why JDV will never become president nor a prime minister. He does not deserve it. He’s the type of guy who will compromise when push comes to shove. Great leaders are not compromisers. Great leaders know when to stand their ground and when to relent. In this case, JDV will always remain a second-rate politician, and some say, even of the worst kind.

If JDV feels that he’s strong and has the numbers, he should not have gone to the palace for that meeting. This meeting shows the true nature of JDV. He is ambition-driven. He does not have the “balls” so to speak, to stand up against his enemies. He will even sell his family if needs be. What he wants is just power, not the welfare of the majority of our people.

As I previously wrote here, this ZTE controversy is an opportunity for him to be great. And this chance only comes once in a lifetime. However, that meeting with GMA shows that JDV will tolerate any form of corruption for as long as he’s not involved in it, or his friends did it, or that it does not impact on his political standing. Such a stand says much about the character of the Speaker. He’s the nation’s worst example of being a leader. He does not lead; he simply cannot be a true leader because he’s a compromiser. He compromises only for himself.

By meeting the president, the Speaker is condoning whatever actions the First Gentleman and his gang did against the nation. That ZTE deal is an illegal one. It is quite obvious that it will burden 80 million Filipinos with a 25 billion peso debt. For the Speaker, the issue is just a misunderstanding between him and GMA. The Speaker thinks along the lines of politics, but does not think about the welfare of the Filipino People who stands to lose their shirts if this deal pushes through.

Call me pragmatic or what-have-you, but the Speaker bungled the opportunity to be great. He should have stood behind his son. He should have praised him for standing up against the “bakal boys” of the palace and condemned it. But no. The fourth highest official of the land decided to side with the bakal boys.

Great men are risk-takers. They don’t consider grey areas. For the Speaker, he always see a rainbow.

Speaker: If there’s oust threat, will crush it
‘I am torn between my love for my son and GMA’

By Norman Bordadora, Christian V. Esguerra
Inquirer
Last updated 00:21am (Mla time) 09/22/2007
Most Read
Full coverage: The NBN Deal

View liveblog of Senate hearing at Inquirer Current

View the NBN contract and related documents

MANILA, Philippines — His post may be at risk because of his son’s testimony at the Senate implicating President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s husband, but Speaker Jose de Venecia says he is confident of weathering the political storm.

In fact, the man said, he did not need Malacañang’s guarantee to complete his unprecedented fifth term until 2010. “I feel strong in my own right,” he told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in an interview at his Makati residence Friday.

Asked in a separate interview to assess his hold on the House leadership, De Venecia declared: “There is no threat. And if there is a threat, we’ll crush it.”

The Speaker said he was “bewitched and bewildered” in the wake of his son Jose “Joey” de Venecia’s testimony implicating Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo in the $329-million National Broadband Network deal.

“I am torn between my love for my son and my love for the President,” he said. But he added that he would not reach the point of having to make the ultimate choice, and neither would administration allies in the House.

“That will not arise because the relationship is stable; the coalition is impregnable,” the Speaker said, referring to the administration coalition composed largely of Arroyo’s Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi) and his Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats.

“I don’t need to make a choice because I am for my son and I am for the President,” he said.

‘A little delicate’
Joey de Venecia told the Senate on Tuesday that Mike Arroyo had thrust a finger at his face and told him to “back off” from the NBN deal.

The Speaker admitted Friday that his son’s testimony had had some effect on his relationship with Arroyo, his running mate in his failed bid for the presidency in 1998.

“There’s a little effect, but she knows in her heart that I had nothing to do with it,” he said, acknowledging that the current political scene was “a little delicate.”

“To clear the air” between the two of them, he said, they had a 45-minute meeting in Malacañang at around 11 p.m. on Wednesday.

The meeting, which was arranged by Deputy Speaker Amelita Villarosa, took place shortly after administration congressmen had dinner at the Palace, purportedly to express support for Arroyo in the wake of the NBN scandal.

At the meeting, De Venecia told Arroyo that his son had not accused her husband of any wrongdoing in connection with the NBN deal.

Asked if Arroyo had assured him of Malacañang’s continued support, the Speaker said: “I don’t need to ask that from her … The same way that when I support her, she doesn’t have to beg or ask me.

“I just do it because we’re allies. We know what to do. The mere fact that she invited me [to Malacañang] was enough. We discussed things objectively.”

Earlier in the week, De Venecia acknowledged that a crisis was brewing as a result of his son’s testimony at the Senate.

But he pointed out that his son had “continuously defended” the President, referring to Joey de Venecia’s statement that she was never involved in the brokering of the NBN deal.

Asked then how he was doing, the Speaker said: “As usual, managing even in crisis.

“I am torn between my loyalty to the President and my love for my son. But actually, there really is no problem.

“It is only the media that is making all these allegations [of a rift].”

Threat from a few
The Speaker dismissed the threat to unseat him as coming from a few House members loyal to Arroyo but who had dissociated themselves from him.

“As early as the battle for the speakership [against Cebu Rep. Pablo Garcia in July], it has always been the President’s allies, like [Sorsogon Rep. Jose] Solis, the likes of [Camarines Sur Rep. Luis] Villafuerte. That’s all, period. There’s no more,” he said.

Garcia told the Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net) Friday that there was “no move” to oust De Venecia, at least for now.

He said his group was leaving the matter to other members of the bloc and the President herself. “We will meet in the coming days and get a consensus,” he said.

The so-called Garcia group was formed initially as a “conscience” bloc soon after the Cebu congressman lost in the speakership race.

Even Kampi chairman and Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno said Kampi had no plan to work for De Venecia’s ouster.

Anyway, Puno told reporters, there was “not enough of a vote in the House” that could unseat De Venecia now.

“For the record, there is no attempt to unseat the Speaker. For the record, I think Congress will remain in its present form and continue to work under its present organization,” Puno said.

He also said it was not a good time for the House to change leadership because its members had been assigned their committees and were buckling down to work.

He added that it was too late now for Congress “to start from scratch.”

Asked whether Arroyo still supported De Venecia, Puno said: “I don’t think there has been any change in the attitude of the President toward Lakas as a party, the coalition in general, and the congressional leadership.”

‘We will overcome’
De Venecia expressed confidence that he still enjoyed the “overwhelming” support of members of the House. He apparently arrived at this conclusion after a series of meetings with coalition members that began on Wednesday and went on until Thursday night.

“We’re going through a period of political turbulence,” he said. “[But] I think that by and large, we will overcome it. We have no major differences within the majority coalition.”

De Venecia pointed out that his meeting with Arroyo was arranged by Deputy Speaker Villarosa, a member of Kampi.

“I can’t just go meet the President without any invitation. We don’t want to impose on her hospitality even if we’re very close friends,” he said.

De Venecia said Arroyo continued to back him as Speaker and as her top ally in the House because he continued to support her as President.

Proof of Arroyo’s support, he said, was his retaining his post despite the serious challenge posed by Garcia in July.

Counting the ways
De Venecia ticked off the occasions when, he said, he showed Arroyo that he would support her “come hell or high water.”

“I have supported her in the impeachment battle, in the Cabinet revolt against her,” he said.

The first referred to the two failed efforts to impeach Arroyo as a result of the “Hello Garci” wiretapping scandal, and the second, to the mass resignation of members of her Cabinet–collectively known as the “Hyatt 10″–who called on her to step down amid allegations that she had manipulated the 2004 presidential election.

De Venecia also cited the time when he and former president Fidel Ramos went to Malacañang to throw their support behind Arroyo at the height of calls for her ouster.

“Many [people] were saying that [we came to her rescue,” he said. “But I don’t even give importance to that. I just do things for her in the same way that she does things for me.”

He also said he staked whatever little popularity he had in supporting the unpopular Expanded Value-Added Tax Law that the Arroyo administration pushed in the 13th Congress.

Exercise in futility
House Majority Leader Arthur Defensor said lawmakers numbering not more than 10 had been “agitating [other lawmakers] for the ouster of the Speaker.”

“It’s an exercise in futility,” Defensor told the Inquirer. “Even Pablo (Garcia) is not up to it. It’s just the people around him.”

Agusan del Norte Rep. Rodolfo Plaza, a senior member of the House opposition, told reporters that he would support De Venecia if push came to shove.

“He could have asked his son not to testify against the First Gentleman, but he did not,” Plaza said of the Speaker. “Somebody like that deserves support.”

With a report from Christine O. Avendaño

Joey de Venecia was a picture of frustration at today’s Senate hearings. After Mendoza admitted meeting Mr. Arroyo and Comelec chairman Abalos, Joey sensed something wrong. Mendoza told Senators that he did meet the First Gentleman and Chairman Abalos at Wack Wack Golf and Country Club, but there was nothing anomalous about it. It was a simple chat, that’s all and it has nothing to do with the ZTE deal.

Bull.

Don’t tell me that the First Gentleman did not “pressure” Mendoza to agree about the deal. Don’t tell me that Chair Abalos did’nt caddy for the Chinese. Abalos already admitted knowing the ZTE officials and they have discussed the ZTE deal at length prior to the April 21 signing of the agreement in China. Mendoza is simply lying for saying that he knows nothing rotten about the deal. What’s more, Mendoza simply allowed an underling to defend the contract, deftly distancing himself from the issue. Is this the kind of secretary we deserve? Someone who heads the department but does’nt know or simply feign innocence whenever something like this happens?

I do believe, however, that Mendoza did not earn a single cent from this deal. I believe that Mendoza is clean. I can’t say about the First Gentleman and Abalos. Maybe this deal was just to accommodate the wishes of the “old man” who’s set to retire four months from now. Its quite possible that Abalos was expecting this deal to be his swan song. I do believe Joey’s revelation though about Abalos. It seems that Joey was really pressured by Abalos to back off because this project was a project of the First Gentleman and Abalos.

I do emphathize with Mendoza though. He owes the First Gentleman his position. And generals like him are admired most for their capacity to keep secrets. It seems that Mendoza was just doing his job, while Abalos appears to be the one who wants a quick buck. It could be that this deal was the First Gentleman’s gift to Abalos.

Obviously, in this political vaudeville (as described by GMA), the die has already been cast. Sacrifice Abalos and Formoso. Abalos is retiring from government service anyway while Formoso, well, he’s dispensible. From the looks of it, GMA and her gang has decided to let Abalos go. The question though is, is this a wise decision?

The cabbie sings

Abalos knows a lot of secrets. He knows the real score especially on the 2004 elections. If he sings….that’s another “fresh” destabilization plot. Abalos said that he’ll attend the Senate hearings on Wednesday to clear his name. Sadly, this might be a foregone conclusion. The reputation of Abalos has been destroyed by Joey’s pronouncements that it would be very hard for Abalos to cleanse his name.

A warning though to the good Chairman—the Chinese intelligence service is closely observing what’s happening here. The Chinese Communist Party, obviously, would not let this issue sitting down. Abalos could face a very dangerous situation here.

If Abalos is let go, what’s the possibility of him singing like a canary? There’s a chance that he will.

Postscript

A “sick” First Gentleman left for Germany in the eve of the Senate hearings. What prompted him to leave? Could it be because of the Senate hearings? I think not.

I think the First Gentleman needs to check on his deposits in Switzerland. He went there with his banker. What would prod a sick man to leave in haste if it not for money? The only possibility is one of his banks need his signature. For what, you may ask? There are three possibilities: (1) FG needs to sign a bank transfer (2) He needs to withdraw a huge sum of money which he cannot do online and (3) it could be he’s preparing the country of exile?

These things don’t happen without a purpose. I stand by my observation that negotiations between GMA’s camp and the counter-elite has reached an impasse. There could be another stab at ousting the president and the palace probably knows that the counter-elite has a stronger force than theirs. Are we seeing a repeat of EDSA very soon? I think yes. But, it may not happen this month or the next. It could probably happen either by January or February of next year. I think the nation is expecting yet another scandal which could precipitate a power grab.