RedBlueThoughts

If Speaker Joe thinks that a meeting with Arroyo would solve his predicament, he’s mistaken. The die has been cast. These Congressmen who signed the manifesto can’t back out from their commitments. Speaker Joe must understand that his fall is inevitable because Arroyo can’t back out from her commitment with these congressmen.

Reports say, Arroyo and JDV entered into a truce. I don’t believe that Arroyo will honor this truce. Why? Because if she backs down now, she’ll lose considerable power. How would those who signed the manifesto feel? They already exposed themselves. They risk a backlash from the camp of JDV. When they signed that manifesto, they were placing themselves into the lion’s den and opened themselves to attack. What about those favours dispensed and promises given to these congressmen just to support the ouster call? What will happen to them?

Also, if Arroyo gives JDV time to recover, JDV could turncoat and support initiatives for Arroyo’s impeachment. Sources say, civil society groups are preparing a more solid impeachment complaint against Arroyo. Because of this maneuverings, JDV could support such a complaint and eventually lead to Arroyo’s fall before the year ends.

As I’ve said, Arroyo is at the zenith of her power now. She’s the strongest leader now. If she decides to abandon her moves of ousting JDV, she will lose the momentum and could open herself to an ouster attempt.

I can’t wait for Monday.

Its mopping up time for Gloria and this administration. Neutralize political rivals is the name of the game. I just got this letter from the palace. Read it.

My dear allies,

RE: Grand Plan for the Establishment of an Arroyo Monarchy

Raid the political parties. Sow intrigues. Create divisions at the Liberal Party. Make Kiko (who’s a serious supporter of Gloria) resign as party chairman. That way, Mar’s hold will be questioned publicly.

Dangle the possibility of being an administration candidate come 2010 to Villar’s Nacionalista Party. That way, you hold him by his neck.

Maintain cordial relations with Erap. Divide the opposition by telling Noli to go there and muddle the political pond a little bit. Lure Legarda to Lakas via the NPC route. That way, she can’t really do anything else.

While the parties fight each other, plan for JDV’s ouster. Since every party has been neutralized already, these people will avoid JDV like a plague. He’ll lose support. JDV will use the ZTE probe as an ace. Ah, that’s nothing. The ZTE controversy has died down already. With civil society divided and effectively silenced, no one will mass up support behind JDV. Let’s soften JDV a little bit and whittle him down to size.

Let’s tell him that we support him, yet I’ll ask my sons to go on a recruitment binge for a numbers war. By this count, we are at 100 already. Tell Nograles to just sit down and wait. His time will come.

Oh, we forgot FVR. Let’s invite him to attend international conferences so that he’ll be busy attending all these worthless conventions. Make him feel relevant. That way, he’ll forget about his beleaguered Pangalatok. Make FVR feel that he still has power. That way, we’ll continue to control him.

When all of these things are over, we will be the most powerful political group in the country. And i’ll be forever Queen. hahahaha!

Sincerely,

Gloria “Hello Garci” Arroyo

A coup is in the offing. It would be as fast as lightning. And it will affect the corridors of power.

Sources within the palace are saying that JDV’s days as a speaker are numbered. That’s not news. We knew since last year that after the elections, Arroyo’s allies will move for his ouster as speaker. This is the coup d’grace so to speak of this administration’s plan to perpetually create divisions among constitutional bodies of the State, so that there is no credible and no strong force to launch any moves to unseat Gloria.

The palace factotums may have been telling JDV of their support, yet, the moves of Gloria and her Congress allies show how they are stabbing JDV in the back. No honor here among thieves. Congress is like showbiz—no permanent friends, only enemies.

As I wrote here, all these moves are geared towards implementing charter change. The goal of this administration is to push cha-cha to completion so that Gloria etal remains in power beyond 2010. JDV, through FVR, has given his thumbs down on cha-cha. Its not the ZTE probe. It’s the possibility of JDV blocking any moves for Gloria’s plan to be the first prime minister of a parliamentary Philippines that’s causing all of these things.

If I am the speaker, I will resign now. I will publicly announce my dissatisfaction with gloria. Come to think of it, even if he does this, it will not change anything. JDV has been effectively neutralized.

Congress is in for war. Two camps, De Venecia’s and Nograles’ are gearing for a major battle possibly in the first week of February. Both camps have been saber-rattling. Both claim to have the support of Gloria Arroyo.

Reports claim that Mrs. Arroyo has given the signal for De Venecia’s ouster. However, reports are connecting this order with the revival of the ZTE probe. I don’t believe that Arroyo’s order is directly connected with this probe. Even prior to the ZTE controversy, the camps of Arroyo and De Venecia have already been feuding. It started with Kampi raiding the ranks of Lakas in the 2007 elections and spilling over post-election period. Quarters are really after De Venecia’s head because some grew tired of his “user-friendly” style of administration while others simply hate how he uses the speakership to corner juicy deals in government.

People, especially from civil society, are not massing behind JDV. There’s no public outrage against these ouster moves. In fact, most welcome the possible change in the speakership post since it would give Mindanaoans (if they succeed in ousting JDV and replace him with his buddy. Rep. Nograles) a chance to prop up their voice in Congress.

The ZTE probe has nothing to do with JDV’s possible ouster. Certain quarters in media close to JDV use this issue just to play up the emotions of the people and possibly get public support behind JDV. However, they are failing to mass up since people are already tired of JDV. I mean, the guy has been given five times to make his mark for Philippine development. He has failed five times.

Ominous times ahead for political parties

Arroyo allies are raiding and wrecking rival political parties way ahead of the 2010 polls. Lito Atienza, a known Arroyo lapdog, has succeeded in splitting the Liberal Party, which I believe, has the potential to be the strongest party in 2010. Reports that Sen. Kiko Pangilinan rejected calls for him to head the party further fuel talks that the party of presidentiable Mar Roxas is weakening. These reports are very bad for the party since it will discourage big-time campaign funders from giving campaign distributions to LP. If this happens, then, LP will find it very hard to launch a decent presidential campaign in 2010. No amount of palengke tours of Roxas will mask this weakening of LP.

Talks of Legarda’s possible transfer to Lakas via the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) are getting louder by the minute. This shows that talks between a possible Roxas-Legarda tandem have failed. NPC is gearing for a coalition with Lakas since the FVR party has lost considerable strength with raidings from Kampi and these ouster moves against Lakas party stalwart JDV. Lakas needs all the support it could get from other parties. It has already aligned with Atienza’s LP faction. However, it is planning for NPC’s numbers to prop its base support.

What these means is this–political rivals of Kampi are slowly being raided and destroyed from within. Why? Because people behind Arroyo are preparing for cha-cha. I know this sounds disjointed but hear me out. Cha-cha is not yet dead. It will be revived after the ouster of JDV this February. When that happens, nothing can stop Gloria’s camp from campaigning for her as prime minister.

Joey and his father Joe are waging a fight for their lives. Joe De Venecia is fighting for political survival while his son Joey is trying to finish what he started–his campaign for graft and corruption. Both are sure losers. And they know it. Why?

Father and son have lost momentum and support. When Joey went to the States and Japan to unwind and wait for the next Senate hearing, media suddenly lost interest about the ZTE deal. I heard many editors were showered with thousands of favours just to “kill” the issue. And they succeeded because momentarily, the controversy just lost steam in mid-stream since the main actors,especially Abalos, decided to quit before it went awry.

When Joey went on sabbatical, he lost support from the influential Catholic church. The CBCP just issued a statement saying that they are now in critical collaboration with Gloria. They did’nt mention ZTE anymore, just the Hello Garci scandal, which to my mind, the reason was that scandal has been totally forgotten by the people and raising it at this time amounts to nothing but lip service.

Civil society also stayed away from the issue. So, when Joey goes to the Senate tomorrow to testify before the Blue Ribbon committee of Senator Cayetano, I bet that his testimony will again, amount to nothing.

So, two strong forces are out of the race to oust Gloria. We expect no fireworks coming from them.

Same as JDV. When he goes to Congress tomorrow, expect to hear hundreds of rumours of a coup against him. I heard Joey apologizing to Arroyo about him going to the Senate to fulfill his civic duty. Joey was not a party to coup attempts against Arroyo. How about Arroyo being a party to a coup against his father, Joe?

Today’s papers shows Joe’s desperation in fending attempts to remove him from power. Joe knows that more than eighty congressmen are out there, waiting for a signal from the palace to move against him. He knows that its a lost case since Mindanao legislators are pushing for Nograles to be the speaker. Joe knows that even if the opposition supports him, their numbers are not enough to counter Kampi’s overwhelming numbers.

JDV’s head is sure to be on the chopping block.

They don’t have the church. They don’t have the civil society. And definitely, they have lost considerable support from their traditional mass bases. I heard a report saying that Gina de Venecia cursed at some of their former allies now siding with Gloria. Well, they should have known better. Even if Joey did not initiate the ZTE deal controversy, Joe will still be ousted from the speakership. Why?

Because the plan of Gloria and her gang of thieves is simple—push for a constitutional dictatorship through charter change. These people are out to perpetuate their principal beyond 2010. Surely, elections are farthest from the minds of these people. They want cha-cha.

JDV also supports cha-cha because he wants to be the first prime minister. That’s why he is being ousted now. This group wants Gloria to be prime minister. This can’t be done because JDV will definitely frustrate their moves.

If they lose their fight now, they have themselves to blame. Last year, lady luck was on their side. They have the moral ground. Now, I doubt if they would survive these attacks. Gloria etal is now on the offensive. They have the high ground. Anytime that Gloria and her gang decides to move for JDV’s ouster, they would definitely succeed. And nothing can stop her.

Right now, Gloria is at the zenith of her power. Nothing can stop her from fulfilling her dream of becoming the longest serving leader of this country. Not even a coup.

I just remembered my history. Magdalo was the name of that group of traitors that ousted Supremo Andres Bonifacio from power and backed the illustrado Emilio Aguinaldo, right? They were the first mutineers of the revolution. So why did the group of Trillianes assumed this unworthy and scandal-tainted name in the first place?

I am more supportive of the name Bagong Katipunan since this is the real essence of the on-going revolution. Yes, the Bagong Katipunan is more apt to describe the new and emerging soldier heroes of the AFP. The name was first used by the Filipino hero Macario Sakay when he was fighting the Americans. Now, I believe, the name Bagong Katipunan exemplifies the true nature of the present struggle.

Who are we fighting against?

The Bagong Katipuneros are fighting the grafters in government. BK fights for good governance, for true enlightenment. BK fights for the cause of the common Masa, those Filipinos who constitute 75% of the society.

I just heard In Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales asking for an investigation into allegations that Capt. Nick Faeldon served as a lineman for Meralco last November 29. Yes, the good soldier escaped allegedly posing as a lineman.

Well, I’m not surprised. With the low pay of soldiers nowadays compared with the millions being showered to their officers like Esperon, I am not surprised if Faeldon moonlights as a Meralco lineman. Or even a bill collector. Imagine, if you’re a bill collector, you’ll have thousands of pesos in your hands everyday. The only “threat” to your life probably comes from the dogs. Those wads of dough can probably buy a few handguns or maybe an M-16? That could be used for a coup, right Mr. Gonzales?

Hey, I heard that aside from being a lineman, Faeldon also worked as a balut vendor, a fishball vendor and a Bayantel Wireless Landline seller. Yes, he actually was a BAYANTEL Landline seller.

I have a challenge to Raul Gonzales—Mr. Secretary, are you sure that Dana Batnag is not Faeldon in disguise?Maybe you should call Dana and have her gender checked? Maybe she’s Faeldon?

Have you checked maybe priest killer Norberto Manero is the renegade rebel soldier? They seem to look alike, except maybe for the hair? Ah, with photos of him sporting a killer hairdo, the most logical for Faeldon to do is shave everything off.

I bet that Faeldon is just out there somewhere. I heard from a reliable source that he’s enjoying his life as palos. Yes, Faeldon is Palos. This should give Gonzales a cause to go to ABS-CBN and look for Faeldon.

Or maybe Faeldon is healing priest Suarez in disguise. They look alike right?

In Europe, hundreds of Catholic churches have been abandoned and left to ruins. Why? People have grown tired of the homilies which, instead of liberating, Europeans find nauseating. Icons have been smashed to smithereens because Europeans found Catholicism preaching a quite contrary doctrine than what is written in the holy scriptures. There are a few places in Europe where you could find a sizeable Catholic population, which I found to be quite sad since Europe once served as the bastion of Christianity in olden times. In fact, many missionaries who spread Christianity came from that part of the world.

In the United States, hundreds have abandoned their churches. Americans have outgrown their fancy of this religion. People are flocking to other Christian sects, despite campaigns by the church to invigorate the faith of the laity. Priests have been arrested by the state because of sexual harassment or embezzlement of funds.

Of course in Asia, Catholicism is also on the wane. Only two countries remain locked in the tight grip of Catholicism–the Philippines and a former Indonesian territory (I forgot the name). Catholicism remain strong in this country because this religion still exerts quite a strong hold over government and property. Yes, the Catholic Church remains the second biggest haciendero in this country, second of course to the state. They also own several corporations and stocks in major Philippine corporations. That’s why they are still so influential here.

Since 2001, the Catholic Church has been looking for ways to increase their relevance in the lives of the Filipino. However, despite their efforts, thousands of Filipinos change religion everyday because whatever the Church does, the people don’t seem to care about them anymore.

The Philippines is an important and strategic country for Catholicism because it is the only country in Asia where they can say, for certainty, that they still exert a majority hold in its population. Many Filipinos remain slaves of this religion. However, I do believe that in a few years time, the number of Catholics will slowly dwindle here. Why?

The Catholic church here is beginning to be like the Padre Damasos of Jose Rizal’s novels. Look at what the CBCP said today–they are maintaining a critical collaboration stance with the Arroyo administration. What’s worst, they even blamed the people for the rampant graft and corruption happening in this country. Imagine, the prelators of the Faith blaming their own flock for the increasing moral destruction of Filipino society? I thought that they are the exemplars of the moral code? I thought that it is their responsibility to preach and lead us to the right direction?

How things have changed since the death of Cardinal Jaime Sin. If the good cardinal is alive today, he definitely would not allow the Church to go to bed with the devil. These bishops should be ashamed of this. They have allowed themselves to be prostituted for a few gold and silver coins of the temptress of power.

” In an evil regime such as ours, even a few good men are scared to testify.”–Sen. Ping Lacson

What a way to tell it as it is, coming from Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson. He, along with Senator Aquilino Pimentel, are the only rational voices around here. Lacson hit the nail in the head when he said that.

The regime of Arroyo is the biggest terrorist this country ever had. Arroyo has abused her powers. She’s using the powers of the state to harass, oppress, threaten and even kill her political detractors. Such abuse of power have worsened our lot and convinced many people to join the increasing insurgency.

Why is Arroyo’s henchmen preventing witnesses about ZTE is beyond me. The solution to this problem is not terrorism. No. That is the most idiotic thing to do. Arroyo should allow witnesses to testify before the Senate since this issue is closed already. If the First Gentleman fears criminal prosecution, he should’nt because the deed was not consummated anyway. The palace thumbed the deal down. Probably, they already thought of other ways to reward ZTE for the mess, like using a local telco to present their proposal again. Anyway, all Philippine telcos have been using ZTE equipment since ten years ago, further proof that ZTE is a reputable company.

Arroyo should initiate the closure of these issues.

A group of moralists denounced the condom ads of Frenzy condoms. They said it was done in bad taste. It shows of two teenagers in a convenience store, picking condoms like they’re buying candies.

Well, I agree. The commercial seems to have been done in very bad taste. First, it’s devoid of reality. Not everybody is as crass as these two kids. You don’t choose condoms that way. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that they’re quite ashamed of even ordering condoms across the counter.

However, to deny that teenagers nowadays are uninitiated in copulation or sex is, well, plastic.

Statistics show that almost 45% of teenagers engage in sex as early as 13 years old. Most girls lose their virginity as fast as losing their pencils. Yes, and this is reality. Why?

Most of our teenagers are exposed to a variety of stimuli including sex that we can’t really blame them for having an aroused curiosity about it. Look around. You’ll see barely dressed girls cavorting like go-go dancers in noon time shows. We see two piece swimsuit clad girls in primetime evening shows. We see sexy mags being sold in almost every 7-11 stores. And oh, we do have the internet, right? Everyone can look for porno sites as easy as searching for God (God is just a poor second behind sex or porno as the most searched term or word in the web)

Yes, we live in an immoral society. Blame religion. Blame the state. Blame the media. But, don’t put the blame solely on a commercial done in bad taste.

Lastly, teenagers will not rush to the motels to have sex just because of that commercial. That’s an old argument against condoms. Teenagers indulge in sex because its an outlet. Some do it as a form of rebellion. It is society that pressures them to give their innocence to the devil. It is society that needs a condom to hide its impurities before men.