DILAW OR THE LAW?

The yellow ribbon's new look hates JEW process.

BRACE YOURSELVES FOLKS

The recent Department of Justice (DoJ) order isn't really any pain in the neck for former President Gloria Arroyo (pun unintended). You see, she knows that the executive department CANNOT usurp the judicial power to issue hold-departure orders under the principle of separation of powers. Arroyo knows that the Supreme Court will shortly uphold her constitutional right to travel abroad.

So it looks like it's going to be a happy Christmas for the Arroyos after all while President Aquino's whisper to Santa this Christmas is his wish for all his critics to shut up.

(Image from www.ph.news.yahoo.com/)

NUCLEAR DAYS AND NEW CLEAR DAYS (PART 2)

Malacanang, it seems, wants to make sure that Filipinos undergo some kind of penitential suffering this coming Holy Week, as tradition requires. There will be no respite from the severe power and water shortage.

Long brownouts may cause havoc among people with medical problems. The suffering is particularly acute for people with high-blood pressure, asthma, ulcers, or respiratory ailments. As such, some may be thinking of suing the government.

With the power shortage certain to worsen due to the dry season, Malacanang should seriously consider implementing a suggestion that the government rent floating generator stations or power barges from Singapore, Korea, China and other neighboring countries. Government authorities cannot simply ask for people to pray for rain. A considerable part on natural human effort must be in place as well.

Or, the Palace should also work in earnest for operations of the controversial Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP) and forget biases against the project simply because it was built by President Marcos and his cronies. In the long run, government will be praised by the people for setting aside politics in favor of the common welfare.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will be stepping down from office in a few months. She could go out in a blaze of glory by fashioning out a permanent solution to the country's two permanent woes - lack of electricity and lack of water. The alternative is that she would go down in history as a corrupt and uncaring leader, and it sure looks like the latter.

(Image from http://www.pcij.org/)

SHAKING THE PRESIDENCY

A 6.1 magnitude earthquake almost dislodged Gloria's face from her mole a few days ago while delivering a speech before Cagayanos up north. She immediately reminded her audience about the strong quake that hit Chile recently, grateful for a not-so-disastrous shaker here.

In shaky times such as this, one cannot help but remember the July 16, 1990 earthquake that hit the country - and how certain individuals like President Corazon Aquino reacted to such.

President Aquino, standing stiffly at a rostrum, somberly spoke of the grim devastation and suffering resulting from that 1990 earthquake, and how people could not forget that picture of their president giggling over the tragedy after she had met with senators and cabineteers.

Television shots of this unfortunate incident were flashed all over the world along with horrifying scenes of the earthquake. President Aquino was thus as insensitive and frivolous. Hence, a public apology a la Gloria was the only necessary thing to do.

But many believed that this video footage would not have been shown if her information and propaganda people were alert enough to foresee how it would terribly tarnish her "saintly image." As usual, her spin doctors were caught unprepared.

And now, there's another spin to canonize her with the holy nomenclature: Saint Cory a.k.a. "The giggling Santa Corazon de Hacienda Luisita."

(Image from http://johnryanrecabar.wordpress.com/)

MIDNIGHT SALES

At least those officials in Malacanang and the executive department, faced with the prospect of having to vacate their offices in a couple of months, are trendy.

They have plunged into a selling binge of valuable government properties running into billions of pesos so they can enjoy their retirement in comfort and in style. Some malls call these bargain sales midnight madness.

But here is the damper. Opposition leaders have promised they would send to jail soon-to-depart officials who participate in these anomalous transactions, and in cases involving more than 50 million pesos, the charge would be plunder which is punishable by death. However, has anybody here really been put to death for plunder?

To really discourage such deals, opposition officials warned the buyers that the transactions would not be honored when they come to power.

KJs all, these oppositionists.

(Image from http://kaboodle.com/)

"HELLO CIGAR"

The return of the didjay. Former President Fidel Valdez Ramos recently called on President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to step down from the presidency, in reaction to her final decision to run for a congressional seat in 2010. I think his call is five years late. As it is, people don't really put too much weight any more on his pronouncements.

So let's just talk about his favorite "mouthpiece" - cigars.

Pictures of former President Ramos chomping on cigars which used to appear on a regular basis in newspapers probably did some promoting of cigars and tobacco among Pinoys. Cigar clubs did sprout in major cities and include as members well-known ladies in society and in the entertainment industry.

I am told that the best cigars in the world come from Cuba. One, known as Cohiba, costs something like $850 per box of 25 in New York City. Cohiba is smuggled into the United States from Cuba by Cuban-American businessmen who find it hard to meet with the demand among the well-heeled in the U.S.

The tobacco industry is still the biggest dollar-earner in Cuba, and every visiting dignitary to Havana had been gifted by no less than President Fidel Castro with boxes of the prized stogies.

Back to FVR. Well, he's quite known around the world as a cigar-chomper since he has been photographed in key foreign cities with a cigar in his mouth. Of course, the most famous cigar smoker in history was Britain's wartime leader, Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Hollywood gangster legend Edward G. Robinson was a chomper as well.

Local Filipino cigar manufacturers should come out with one in honor of the former president and call them "Fidel," or "Hello Cigar," to perpetuate the memory of a former Comelec official and an illegitimate president.

So it can be known as the man behind the famous "Hello Cigar" calls on the woman behind "Hello Garci" to step down.

I'll smoke to that.

(Image from http://nowpublic.net/)

THE LAST CHRISTMAS UNDER GLORIA?

A form of colonialism will be practiced by upper-crust and middle-income Filipino families as they gather around their noche buena tables soon. Many will also be celebrating the fact that this is the last Christmas under a dark regime. Is it really?

Their tables will be loaded with wine from France and Australia, Edam cheese from Holland, ham and chestnuts from Hong Kong, wallnuts, apples and fruitcakes from the United States, turrones from Spain and chocolates from England and Switzerland. And they will be playing traditional Christmas oldies belted out by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole.

Among these colonialists will be the so-called nationalists and Filipinists in Congress, the labor movement, media and the academe. In short, a large chunk of the country's population.

President Arroyo will gather her own brood for a quiet family reunion and will be discussing her political plans with them as she prepares to run for a seat in Congress next year.

For the poor, this year has been particularly difficult due to higher prices of commodities, and have managed to scrimp and save for a simple but satisfactory observance of the last Christmas under the Arroyo administration. Indeed, something to celebrate for and hoping the next Christmas under a new government will be better, unless of course our government shifts to parliamentary form and Arroyo makes Prime Minister.

(Image from http://19.tinypic.com/)

THE STAGE IS SET

Despite denials by top government officials, many people feel that the Arroyo regime will impose martial law soon.

These people see unfolding the same events that preceded President Marcos' declaration of martial law. Political observers say "the stage is set" for the military to seize power from civilian authority which had proven to be unable to cope with the country's many problems.

The perplexing part of the situation is that people appear resigned, if not actually receptive to a new authoritarianism of which the present regime has failed to improve their lives as promised at EDSA. They say life now is worse than it was under the Marcos administration, where at least the crime rate was relatively lower, basic commodities were affordable, and delivery of public services did not fail.

To the horror of some present government officials, some citizens are actually yearning for the old Marcos years. When things have reached such desperate proportions, the time may be ripe for either martial law - or a violent change of government.

Anarchy has become the order of the day. With frequent kidnappings in Mindanao, and now the massacre of innocent civilians, being on the streets even in broad daylight has become hazardous for the ordinary citizen.

The impending increase of gasoline prices and other prime commodities which could drive almost everyone to the streets to protest, have sped up the rush towards violent solutions.

As things stand, civilian authority has faltered before the onslaught of national emergencies and calamities. Incompetent and impotent civilian leaders have only the military to turn to to hold the nation together.

How ironic it is that the present government, brought to power because it abhorred military rule, must now call on the barracks to keep it in power to avoid a Jacobin solution which would have an oppressive and useless ruling class violently destroyed to save the general welfare.

The situation here is under serious study in Washington, where deep worries have now been expressed over the Arroyo government whose corruption it had been tolerating.

A conservative Washington think-tank has compared the current regime to the French nobility of the 18th century which had to be overthrown by a revolution. Since before, the think-tank had urged Washington to distance itself from the Arroyo government.

Because of the current scary conditions, many plan to migrate, savings and current assets are flying to foreign banks and many people are shutting down their businesses to be liquid just in case.

(Image from http://www.bulatlat.com/)

BALIMBINGS AND BACK-STABBERS

Elite families from the Marcos, Aquino and Arroyo camps cross paths at the snooty Manila Golf (Club) in Forbes Park especially during after-office cocktails at the bar and Sunday lunches (which are family affairs) at the main dining room.

They give each other cold stares and whisper their contempt against the balimbings. They openly speculate about who among the members of these families will again "turn traitor" if the 2010 elections bring about a change of political fortunes.

Certain prominent persons identified with the Arroyo government have reportedly started touching bases with the other side of the political fence.

Loyalty ends where lameduck begins?

(Image from http://www.globalpinoy.com/)

UNIMPRESSED

That's the trouble with instant projects. In the rush, they usually suffer from lack of coordinated planning and implementation. After all, the prime objective is impact and propaganda.

The Arroyo administration clearly wants to be remembered by its infrastructural accomplishments, and what better projects than flyovers and skyways to impress the public?

President Arroyo, along with her closest advisers, are cramming into the last few months projects that should have been done from Day One of her administration. It has only succeeded in proving right anew the old axiom that haste makes waste.

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THE 'ILOCANIZED' BENGAL TIGER IN HIM

Chavit Singson is alive and well as he is - like a cat, or more specifically like his giant feline, a Bengal Tiger deemed to have nine lives. He has cheated death many times, the not so recent of which was when he escaped with non-life threatening injuries from a helicopter crash while campaigning in the Mountain Province. Before that, he defied death when he courageously plucked out a pin-less, live grenade from the trembling hands of a hostage-taker in a gripping drama right in the heart of Manila just a spit away from Fred Lim's City Hall. Before that, he survived an aneurysm attack. Still further back, he had bucked ambuscades, sustaining wounds in different parts of his body. The former governor-turned-deputy-national-security-adviser walked out unscathed some years back from would-be assassins masquerading as checkpoint personnel in the dead of night. As Manong Chavit approached the purported checkpoint-botched ambush, cat-like instincts told him here was danger waiting for him. He was to expose jueteng anomalies the very next day. Killers could be out to get him to prevent him from blowing his rusty whistle. As if on cue, Chavit stopped his convoy and sounded out authorities of a road accident. The timely arrival of the police and several town mayors from his Republic of Ilocos Sur aborted what could have been a bloody encounter between Chavit's boys and heavily-armed "checkpoint" men that night. Chavit went on to say his jueteng piece in the Senate against President Joseph Estrada who was kicked out of Malacanang - and is contemplating a grand comeback. Well, Chavit is alive and kicking, eight years now since being instrumental in instigating Erap's banishment from the Palace by the Pasig, and was the man who would usher Gloria Arroyo to an insatiable greed for power. Many say that this was his biggest disservice to the Filipino nation, and I agree. And oh, did I mention he had a heart bypass?

(Image from http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2104/2085481931_e0882242a7.jpg/)

FIBBING THE FILIPINO

Wouldn't it be a treat to see for a change President Arroyo defend her own self in public, not so much relying on her spokespersons who are paid to confuse and fib the people with rough rhetoric? In doing so, the citizenry will have a clearer view of the sincerity or insincerity of Arroyo although it is common knowledge how comfortable she feels when surrounded by anything but the truth. As it is, take the case of Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. Long before he opens his mouth, he is already branded as a twister of fabulous facts and a juggler of weak words. Gone are the days when a press secretary spoke impeccable English and communicated with clarity and logic. Today, we have a bunch of apologists in the Palace who really are the only ones left believing their own spin. Does Gloria still believe in herself?

In the US, some American presidents who have had it with the media took matters in their own hands. They didn't hesitate at all to write nasty letters to their critics in this sector. The most famous letter written by a US president against media was that made by President Harry Truman addressed to a Washington Post music critic who had hit his daughter Margaret's singing in her recital in Washington. Truman wrote: "I have just read your lousy review. If I ever meet you, you will need a new nose, a lot of beefsteak for black eyes and perhaps a supporter below." And only a few years ago, President Bill Clinton got so sore against New York Times columnist William Safire for calling Mrs. Clinton a "congenital liar." Clinton was quoted by his spokesman as saying if he were not president, he would have delivered "a forceful response on the bridge of Safire's nose."

GMA may have to emulate these US presidents to let off some steam and fire off some angry letters and issue angry statements against her critics in the fourth estate. We're simply tired of her spokespersons' litany of lies, making them like wind-up dolls that say the same stuff over and over again. It's time we hear Gloria speak for herself. She need not worry. If these fellows can dish it out, they can surely take it.

(Image from http://cocktales.ph/)

BAN MULTIPLE POSITIONS

Malacanang will surely say that the reason why most if not all cabinet members hold multiple positions is that they are mandated by law to do so - ex officio, by virtue of being department heads. So, simply put, the Palace cannot really do anything about it even if there is a silent public outcry over such multiple positions together with its corresponding fabulous allowances and other seemingly endless privileges.

Granted. But President Arroyo can easily settle this if and when the matter blows off its lid by telling her department secretaries and other executive officials that they may hold on to their multiple positions, as long as they refrain from collecting the allowances and the per diems, and give up the privileges like service vehicles, free food and drinks and accomodations in the various classy establishments such as hotels and restaurants, not to mention additional jobs for their relatives and friends.

Only then can we really find out if they really desire to serve the public without such privileges, pomp and perks. Let's start with those fat cats in government banks and institutions, and remind them that a public office is a public trust and never a private ATM.

(Image from http://pcij.org/)

THREE PRESIDENTS AND A NOT QUITE

One night, President Gloria Arroyo is awakened by President Manuel Quezon's ghost in Malacanang. Gloria asks: "Mishter Preshident, what ish the besht thing I can do to shave the Philippinsh?"

"Don't pursue Charter Change, listen to your countrymen, and always set an honest and honorable example, just as I did," Quezon advises.

The next night, the ghost of President Elpidio Quirino moves through the dark bedroom. "Mishter Preshident," Gloria asks, "What ish the besht thing I can do to shave the Philippinsh?"

"Cut taxes, fight corruption, live a simple life, and settle your legitimacy issue once and for all," Qurino advises.

Gloria isn't sleeping well the next night, while FG Mike is snoring like a warthog, embracing his favorite Winnie the Pooh coloring book. She sees another figure moving in the shadows. It's President Ramon Magsaysay's ghost! "Mishter Preshident," again Gloria asks, "What ish the besht thing I can do to shave the Philippinsh?"

Magsaysay replies: "GO RIDE A PLANE."

(Image from http://kibaka.org/)

GLORIANIUM

Filipino scientists recently achieved an amazing historical and scientific breakthrough after discovering what they now claim to be "the heaviest and the most unstable element known to science." The new element has been appropriately named "Glorianium," which has 1 neutron, 12 assistant neutrons, 75 deputy neutrons, and 11 assistant deputy neutrons, giving an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held hostage by forces called morons, surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons.

While Glorianium has no electrons, it is however inert. It can be detected as it impedes every action with which it comes into contact with. A tiny amount of Glorianium causes one reaction to take over 4 days to complete when it would normally take less than a second only.

Glorianium has a normal half-life of 6 years, but acts and reacts just like its cousin Diktatorium. It does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places. In fact, Glorianium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization causes some morons to become neutrons, forming iso-dopes. This will happen when her honorable iso-dopes in Congress convene, forming an amoeba-like Constituent-Assembly, hoping to extend her parasitic reign against the will of a host nation.

This characteristic of moron-promotion leads some Filipino scientists to speculate that Glorianium is formed whenever morons reach a certain quantity in concentration.

This hypothetical quantity is referred to as "Critical Morass."

(Image from http://www.uniffors.com/)

ADOPTING THE FRENCH MODEL

Imagine this scenario: With Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile stepping closer to support former President Joseph Estrada, if and when he runs for president, Malacanang may orchestrate a Senate coup and unseat JPE, to be replaced by a new Senate President/Palace puppet. This possible coup against Enrile would ensure Senate approval of the proposal to shift to a parliamentary form of government. A change in the form of government will ensure that the Arroyo administration will remain in power beyond 2010. Under the plan, the present Congress will constitute itself as a Constituent Assembly to amend the Constitution. It will vote for a shift to a parliamentary system and submit the decision to the people for ratification.

Incumbent senators and congressmen would have to run in their respective districts for seats in the unicameral legislature. The Arroyo people, with their vast resources and political network already in place down to the precinct level, are confident they will enjoy a large majority in the new parliament, which follows the French model which calls for a strong President (the British model has the Prime Minister as the virtual ruler and the monarch as a ceremonial figure head).

Under the plan, President Arroyo, who will run in Pampanga, will be elected President and Speaker Prospero Nograles as Prime Minister. The scenario calls for unseating Enrile if he refuses to go along with the plan. But Enrile's supporters say the Arroyo people have another guess coming. Enrile has his own counter-moves ready.

On that note, that is why I strongly oppose incumbent senators and congressmen from running for Parliament if the proposed shift to a parliamentary system is approved by a Constituent Assembly composed of the incumbent legislators to amend the Constitution. Hence, the proposed shift is merely a political maneuver by the party in power to allow its members to remain in office and even allow President Arroyo to stay on as President, and a Prime Minister chosen from among the majority parliamentarians.

It would be Machiavellian to amend the Constitution just to suit the ambitions of some trapos.

(Image from http://wiki.erepublik.com/)

YESTERDAY'S DARLINGS, TODAY'S TYRANTS

In his book "Notes On The New Society," the late President Ferdinand Marcos listed the following to justify his exercise of emergency powers and eventual imposition of martial law: rightist conspiracy, economic dislocation, graft and corruption, the Muslim secessionist movement, communist insurgency, rising criminality and increasing social justice.

Sounds familiar?

During the long years of the Marcos rule, many men and women gained majestic eminence by their sacrifices for freedom and liberty, and when Marcos was ousted by a popular uprising, these heroes were rewarded by a grateful people by electing them to high positions.

Now, as storm clouds begin to gather again threatening such freedoms and liberties, these stout-hearted former street parliamentarians and human rights champions, except for a handful, are ominously silent. Matter of fact, some of them are the ones insisting on repressive Draconian measures trampling on civil liberties and constitutional freedoms. Observe them now. Aren't they the ones in elected offices forcing to amend our Constitution? If you ask me, they don't deserve another day in office. They should just return to their caves and for once, do the country a favor and hibernate as long as they want.

Indeed, how money and power can corrupt even the noblest of heart! So many people recoiled in horror and shock as they read and heard these former intrepid heroes against the Marcos regime become the new oppressors and executioners. Especially horrified now are members of the fourth estate many of whom shared the same cells with these new tyrants from Malacanang, the House and the Senate - in Camp Crame and Bicutan during Marcos' iron rule.

These budding dictators have learned their lessons well, and no less than President Gloria Arroyo and Speaker Prospero Nograles emerge as honor students. These people know that for a totalitarian state to be set in place, there must first be a slaughter of the press.

Tick off the names in Malacanang, Congress and the Senate who would now act as executioners of the citizenry - and weep. These were the glorious leaders of the parliament of the streets and those who went into exile fighting Marcos to the bitter end. Gout-inflicted fat cats, filthy bottomless pits and all.

(Image from http://www.pcij.org/)

QUEEN GLORIA I

Remember how President Arroyo and her cohorts believe that she was divinely installed to be our leader? And on occasion, claims to "have conversations" with God - while facing a mirror? Well, whenever the nation or herself are faced with a serious problem or a shameless scandal, she is seen in churches praying in public, for all to see what a religious woman she is. Because of her over-religiosity, she has become contemptuous of those who oppose her decisions. But believing that she has a direct mandate from God, the President appears convinced that her every decision is guided from above and that therefore, she need not be shackled by earthly legal and constitutional restraints. These are the blinkers that have blinded her to the fact that while good governance has a theological dimension, it is primarily mundane, entailing hard work in the here and now. After all, many believe that God helps those who help themselves. But, God too helps the helpless.

President Arroyo seems convinced that the divine right of kings, which monarchy claimed in 17th-century Europe, has been bestowed upon her. Hence, the malicious lust for a term extension as Prime Minister. Under this doctrine, monarchs enjoyed a certain mandate from God, who had made them His legates on Earth, and as such, could do no wrong and their will had the same force as God's Word.

In 18th-century France, Louis XIV cried out "L'etat, c'est moi!" (I am the state!) to drown out his opponents. And in Spain, during the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella, there was a popular expression approving any person's acts as "tan recto como reina" (as correct as the queen).

The principal French theorist of the time, Bishop Jacques Benigne Bossuet, declared that the monarch's person and authority are sacred and derived from God and therefore, the monarch reigns with reason. Really now. And so, perhaps with the Con-ass now at hand, there could arise some advocacies to invest President Arroyo with monarchial qualities and crown her as Queen Gloria I. By that, the country's overpopulation problem shall have been instantly solved, for many will surely be leaving the country for saner pastures.

(Image from http://daylife.com/)

HEROES AND HEELS

Today, Manny Pacquiao and his usual entourage composed of the usual suspects and human leeches Lito Atienza and politico-wannabes, will motorcade around Metro Manila's main thoroughfares in celebration of "the real bayani," Manny Pacquiao. This, because there exists a bogus bayani in the person of MMDA Chairman Bayani Fernando who (again) has flooded his Metro-Gago contraptions with pink and blue ribbons which says, "Bayani ng Lahing Pilipino," pertaining to Pacquiao, but with color emphasis on "Bayani." The not-so-subtle message he is conveying to the reading public again attempts to remind "urbanidados" he is gunning for the presidency, this in spite of his 1% acceptance rating. I think it's just a waste of taxpayers' money since he can't even win the hearts of his men at the MMDA, much less the country.

The motorcade ends in Malacanang where Mr. Pacquiao pays a courtesy call to another bogus hero, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Of course, she may again make a shameless public declaration that she and Manny are both heroes. What gall, what guts. What pachydermic pronouncement!

But before she fibs on this again, let us not forget what had happened a few years ago - the lie that was EDSA 2. The foreign press did not stand idly as the events leading to EDSA 2 unfolded. Most of the wire services and the major international networks had correspondents monitoring events and reporting on these accordingly. As a result, the controversial nature of the GMA take-over in January 2001 did not escape international scrutiny and received widespread covergae in global media outlets.

The following offer glimpses of what was written about the power grab that deprived President Joseph Estrada of the presidential mandate overwhelmingly given to him by the Philippine electorate in the May 1998 presidential elections. These articles were written by respectable journalists whose keen poltical sense and acumen are unquestionable.

Sandra Burton of TIME says, "Remember Estrada - however cynically - was acting within the framework of the law and under the terms called for by the impeachment proceedings. Had he been declared guilty, he would have had to go. The troubling point remains that he had been convicted. But they had mechanisms to legally change their head of state. The option they chose, popular uprising, while rousing and probably justified, could portend a troubling future for democracy. But if those protests lead to unconstitutionally questionable successions, it becomes a subversion of democracy. Even now, we don't know what percentage of Filipinos wanted Erap to go."

Anthony Spaeth of TIME says, " But the Philippine polity is 77 million strong (2001 figures). Was this a revolution of the Filipino people - or a few hundred thousand Filipinos prompted by a few hundred individuals? perhaps this represents confusion between democratic pasions and the rule of law. More likely, though, People Power has become its own institution and one that seems monopolized by a certain clique. People Power has become an acceptable term for a troubling phenomenon: one that used to be known as mob rule."

Phil Zabriskie of TIME says, "Legitimacy questions crack the foundation of her presidency from her first day in office. The cracks deepened folowing Estrada's arrest in May, a foolishly showy affair that made him a martyr and caused mob riots quickly dubbed EDSA 3. An economy in meltdown, an army that could turn against her, an ex-president who might be more popular that she is, and now, the US soldiers landing on her shores. What Arroyo needs is a bulwark. But without an electoral mandate, the only source is a massive public support, the kind more likely to respond to image and inspiration than intellect."

THE ECONOMIST says, "Gloria Macapagal Arroyo took over the presidency in unconstitutional circumstances that do not stand up well to scrutiny."

Philip Bowring of the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE says, "However, far from being a victory for democracy that is being claimed by leaders of the anti-Estrada movement such as Jaime Sin, the evolution of events has been a defeat for due process. For many, it merely confirms the fragility of political institutions in the Philippines and the likelihood that the streets will become a regular location for political action."

Hilton L. Root of the INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE says, "The result is that the Philippines, known for the 'people power' movement that brought down Ferdinand Marcos, has the wrong kind of people power of the 21st century. The Philippines faces a political crisis that goes beyond the need to replace the person at the top. The challenge is to correct the situation in which society is divided into those who can outsmart the system and those who cannot. Removing Estrada will not save the Philippines."

Seth Mydans of THE NEW YORK TIMES says, "People Power 2 was met with doubt and criticism, described by foreign commentators s a "defeat for due process," as a "mob rule," and as a "de facto coup." It was seen as an elitist backlash against a president who had overwhelmingly been elected by the poor. This time it appears "people power" was used not to restore democracy but, momentarily, to supplant it."

Lee Kuan Yew in THE STRAITS TIMES as interviewed by the ASSOCIATED PRESS says, "The change of power in the Philippines was no boost for democracy because it was done outside the constitution."

Jim Mann of the LOS ANGELES TIMES says, "Now by contrast, we are witnessing the use of people power against a leader who was the winner of a legitimate democratic election. No matter how understandable it was, this outbreak of people power doesn't feel like an advance for the cause of democracy, quite the opposite. Who or what, ultimately, was this particular movement against?"

THE WASHINGTON POST editorial says, "...This time, however, the target of Filipinos' "people power" was not a dictator, like Ferdinand Marcos, but Joseph Estrada, a constitutional execurive who received more votes than any previous presidential candidate and who remained popular among the country's poor. Though he Supreme Court ruled that Vice-President Macapagal-Arroyo should be sworn in as president, the legality of the transfer remains questionable."

The ASIA TIMES online says, "Again, therefore, whatever crious legal construction anyone may now attempt to put on the ouster of Estrada, he was ousted by a military coup, with the connivance of the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church, major business groups and two former presidents. This will have any number of consequences, none too pleasant, for the coup markers and - more imporatntly - for the country. One loser among the coup makers will be the Archbishop of Manila, Jaime Cardinal Sin, and his church. Economically, from the standpoint of foreign investors, would you put money into a country whose constitutional and legal system are only as reliable as the will and whim of an entrenched oligarchical elite..."

So, Mrs. Arroyo, before you make that public declaration again that you are a hero just like Manny Pacquiao, please remember how is it that you are now seated on your fragile throne - your stolen throne. Remember also that you once made a boastful and shameless declaration saying, "I'm married to the country."

I wonder, is this why you keep screwing the Filipino people?

(Image by Glenn Dasmarinas at www.gl3nnx.net)

GLORIA'S FORTY BILLION PESOS FOR THE PRESIDENCY

Only in the Philippines are there presidential candidates who will spend more than five billion pesos to try to land a job that only pays 600,000 pesos a year, or a total of 3.6 million pesos for a 6-year term. And, if he/she spends money (or not), either from contributions from big business or "friends," it is not unreasonable to expect him/her to try and recover what was spent during campaigns. Since no existing legal way is at hand, the candidate will have to do so by extra-legal means. Not a recipe for good and honest government, if you ask me.

The high stakes involved here makes each candidate try his/her luck in outmaneuvering everyone else. Many will even claim victory after losing a vote. And because of this, the outcome is always far from clean. With the presidential elections just around the corner, one cannot help but think how these "president wannabes" are now gathering the wealth to fund and sustain his/her candidacy of the highest office of the land.

But wait, my unimpeachable source now tells me that President Gloria Arroyo has already set aside some forty billion pesos to comfortably finance her (or her choice's candidacy). Now that's a scandalous amount, and imagine how many schoolbuidings and hospitals that money can build, streetchildren and orphans to feed, textbooks to print, and help stranded OFWs and fly them back to their families. And whosoever becomes her administration's opponent must match that amount or even better it. And someone extremely popular like former President Joseph Estrada. And because of this, chills have been running up and down the backs of Malacanang Palace spin-doctors and strategists. But no worries. You have Gloria's Supreme Court in your pockets. For if Estrada now is your headache, then prepare yourselves for a lingering bout of stubborn migraine.

P.S. Doesn't the picture above fit her just like a genuine masked bandit? And better than a fedora, that mask is the more appropriate headgear for her. I'm sure she has lots of those in her office, enough to distribute to her friends in her administration.

(Image from http://www.chrispforr.net/)