*****

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power. ******************************~ Abraham Lincoln

*****

Things got worse from the last time I was here. Uglier and nastier sides of the issues on national negligence and sell outs and buy outs have become the subject that pervades the air. Why on earth do we let this bunch of childish, self-indulged, selfish, et cetera (on the negatives) people lead us when they only think of their pockets to fill? They only think of their futures to secure, their wealth to grow, and their names to behold! They even sold this country to the big-footed chinkies and our souls to the bow-legged domos!

*****

This country is in the middle of a chain of stinking crises and despite massive media campaign on the blatant lie called “Dama ko ang pag-asenso (I can feel the progess),” dressing up its outer visage would not help a bit. That blatant lie alone cost millions but the true score was not addressed, let alone any positive outcome on the ad achieved. Eight out of 10 Filipinos doubt government claim of improving economy.

*****

From the national broadband scandal everyone knew only months after it was already signed for execution (I wonder why even the lawmakers did not thoroughly investigate on its merits before it was set to motion. We know many were willing accomplices, but what about the rest? This is too much slack in conscience among our leaders! What a shame!) down to all the other scandals that cropped up afterwards, we can see a pattern of strings of scams that come out one after the other because of misuse and abuse of power and influence.

*****

Strings, as they always come in series ― successive-compulsive; persistent-consistent ― that once is not a done deal, albeit questionable, illegal, and unconstitutional; there is something hideous that previously made it possible and something in the future that will keep the wheels of greed grinding. And the mother of all scams, to our unanimous national chagrin, is that we would wake up one day and see the Red Army marching along our streets while our national conscience is under contract with JPEPA (this link provides tons of information on what each Filipino needs to know).

*****

How daring of a hope must one muster in order to see beyond all the ugliness painted on our faces as a people made corrupt by the outright corrupt practices of our conscience-deprived leaders? How daring of a voice can one have when in mid-sentence one will be slapped with charges on libel or be viciously warned or scared?

*****

Save for a few good men and women (are there still some left after the walkout?), the people in government are exceptionally good liars. They are justly paid for lies to stand out as truths.

*****

This country is sinking midway into an ocean of ugliness, pretension, betrayal, bribery, and dishonesty. When the people have lost faith in the very institutions set up to protect them; when bribery is the standard operating procedure for a Filipino to start his small business; when skinny children and wobbly folks aimlessly roam the streets, begging for anything that will clink in their plastic glasses; when students on their way home, on a stroll, will be dragged by a speeding car loaded with snatchers; when former cops rob banks or seek ransom for the son or daughter of some rich clan; when pensioners do not receive their pensions for six months, and so on ... These are all injustices taking place like they are part of our culture.

*****

Our silence strengthens them. Our passivity makes them confident all the more. Our hubris revives their rage for greed. By the minute.

*****

We must go back to being the keepers of each one. We cannot allow daily injustices to take us over. We cannot allow our conscience to just sit by and wait. We are the brave breed, we must act so. This government is not for the few; but for the people. It is not by the moneyed few who decides on what deals to make. The government is of the people who fear God and respect the motherland, not its opposite.

*****

*****

]]> http://selvo.wordpress.com/?p=293 Thu, 06 Mar 2008 00:25:31 +0000 S3lv0 http://selvo.wordpress.com/?p=293 While I was walking with the Sumilao farmers yesterday in what the media has labeled as the "Jericho March" one of the hottest issues of the day is Executive Order 464. This order was issued by Gloria in 2005 to prevent cabinet members and top officials not only of the civil government but also of the military to be dragged into congressional and senate investigations without the expressed authorization of the Thief Chief Executive. Since the "Hello Garci" scandal, EO 464 gave Gloria's cohorts a safe haven from the inquisitive eyes of the public. EO 464 became Malakanyang's shield that silences not only the crooks in the cabinet but the decent ones as well (I used to believe Romy Neri was decent). It became a carrot as well as a stick to ensure silence among top government officials accountable to the President. Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani and Col. Alexander Balutan of the Philippine Marines who were court martialled because he testified before the senate during the "Hello Garci" investigations in violation of EO 464.

Yesterday, in her efforts to appease the Catholic Bishops, Gloria gave in and rescinded EO 464. Was it a victory? Will this bring us nearer to the truth in the ZTE-NBN scam and other scandals like the "Hello Garci" and the fertilizer scam (remember Jokjok Bolante?)?

Do you think Gloria will give in just like that? Ain't this just another calculated move designed to project an image of introducing changes because she has her back on the wall?

For the most part, EO 464 was already declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. Rescinding an order declared unconstitutional by the highest court of the land is not an act of goodwill. In fact, faking goodwill by rescinding EO 464 make it an act of deception.

Without EO 464, high government officials can now be summoned by congress and the senate to their investigations even without the consent of the president. This will just ensure their appearance but can they be forced to talk much less tell the truth? They still have Executive Privilege to hide behind. The scope of executive privilege is still being debate on. In the case of Romy Neri, the senate can force him to appear before the senate but he will just invoke executive privilege every time they will delve into his communications with the president. We may end up going to the Supreme Court with every question asked to which he will invoke executive privilege, making our search for the truth a constant and slow legal struggle.

We cannot legislate honesty. We cannot abolish dishonesty nor the conspiracy of deception and silence of the Arroyo administration. Honesty is a personal virtue, a virtue abandoned by even the most decent in the Arroyo cabinet. They can even lie under oath and lie in front of millions o Filipinos watching the live coverage of the proceedings (remember Abalos, Manny Gaite, Gen. Razon, Sec. Atienza and the airport gang?).

Gloria and her cohorts have calculated the risks of rescinding EO 464 to fake goodwill to the Catholic bishops. They concluded that taking out EO 464 will not damage their concealment of the truth.

EO 464 has been abolished. Will it bring out the TRUTH?

I still believe the abolition of EO 464 is a hollow and meaningless act. Like the declaration of a state or emergency, it is just a disposable barrier that Gloria created to derail the search for the truth just like the rusty container vans that she uses to block the entrance to the palace.

The Arroyo administration should be taken to task for imposing EO 464 in the first place. Rescinding it after it has been declared unconstitutional to appease the Church and to project an image as is the Arroyo administration is seeking for the truth makes it an act of deceit and a ploy for survival.

Gloria and her highly paid and richly commissioned gang of a$$lickers can shove EO 464 up each other's A$$ES and consider that their Executive Privilege.

Dahil Ikaw Gloria ay:

Mandaraya, Magnanakaw, Mandarambong, Kurakot,

Mamamatay-tao,Taksil sa Bayan, Abusado sa Kapangyarihan

at Walang puso para sa Bayan at Taumbayan

JOIN THE BLOGSWARM TO FORCE GLORIA

OUT OF MALAKANYANG

L A Y A S ! ! !

Mga bloggers na nasa Swarm:

Ang tunay na Madam: Reyna Elena

Foobarph

Taroogs

Maria Clara

Manilenya

GMA Resign

Pedestrian

Etcetera

Uniffors

Ellen

at iba pa…

mga kapatid na bloggers, ano pa hinihintay nyo?

P U T A K T I H I N N A !!!

P.S.: Maki-SWARM na rin bukas ng hapon (Feb. 29, Friday) sa

Makati. JOIN NA!!!

=================================================================

Paliwanag ng Malakanyang... MAKINIG!

Sa isang news article ng Inquirer.net ay sinubukan ng Malakanyang na LIWANAGIN ang kaguluhan ng mga statements nila tungkol sa pag-amin ni GMA sa isang interview ni Joe Taruc ng DZMM na alam nya na may anomalya sa ZTE deal bago ito pirmahan sa China. Binawi kasi ito ng Malakanyang kinabukasan sa pamamagitan ng pagsabing di naman inaamin ni GMA na alam nya ang anomalya. Basahin ang Palace admits Arroyo said ‘anomalya’ in radio interview para sa kabuuang ulat.

Batay sa ulat, sabi ni Sec. Mendoza ng DOTC ay ganire:

It is clear here ... so pinag-uusapan lang yung anomalya. Di sinasabi na may anomalya (There is talk about an anomaly. She isn’t saying that there is an anomaly).

O di ba maliwanag ang paliwanag? Naintindihan nyo na? Para sa mga slow at di marunong umintindi ng Filipino at English nagdagdag ng paliwanag si Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita. Aniya ay ganire:

“Parang merong insinuation pero di naman sinasabing meron (It’s as if there’s an insinuation, but she isn’t saying there is).”

So MALINAW na ba? Lord, nakakabobo. Hayz. Di vah?

Basta ako malinaw sa akin. Malinaw na bakit dapat ituloy tong BLOGSWARM: GMA Resign!

In elementary we were all taught that RESPECT is something you earn and not demand nor buy. Real respect is won by your deeds and actions not by demanding it.

All this noise against Gloria is borne out of deep respect for the "institution of the presidency." We respect the institution of the presidency so much that we won't allow someone who cheated her way to victory to occupy that position one more second. We respect the institution of the presidency so much that we do not want it to be used to steal money from the public coffers. We respect it so much that we don't want that position to be used to trample on the people's human, civil and democratic rights.

May I ask then if Gloria and her administration respect the institution of the presidency as much as those who are calling for the TRUTH to be bared and those who are calling for her resignation and ouster? If they do then why don't they stop hiding behind their EO 464 and bare the truth to clean the image of the institution of the presidency?

Again they should be careful what they ask for. People might just heed their call and out of respect for the institution of the presidency decide to remove the gang that pollutes it. To Gloria and her ilk: Respect the institution of the presidency! Vacate it NOW! (when you all go, please take Kabayan Noli with you okey? please please please)

Last night I also watched in utter disgust at the interview of the grandson of Benjamin "Bukol" Abalos, who in a letter reportedly expressed his hurt feelings over the way De La Salle handled the Lozada issue. The Grade VII boy and his younger sister were interviewed by the media accompanied by their parents. Is Abalos so bereft of defense that he now has to USE his grandchildren for his counter-attack? I respect the feelings of the little children and they have every right to feel the way they do. But to drag them and display them to the media is a different thing. The kid can express his feelings in a letter and make the La Salle brothers know how he feels. But please don't use the kids for your PR campaign. The kids' grandfather and their parents are the ones violating their rights. But well. what could you expect from a man who asked for a $130M bribe? Or the man who let Gloria, Mike Arroyo, Garci and their cohorts steal the Presidential Election in 2004 under his guard. Now is this what they call justice and fair play?

The whole top-level government machinery has been used to hide the involvement of the Arroyo family in the ZTE-NBN scam. Cabinet members, the high ranking police officers are lying through their teeth. Now they have the gall to ask for justice and fair play as if they get none. Look who is talking now. You cannot lie and hide and ask for justice and foreplay at the same time guys. When you utter the words justice and fair play, you only succeed in making them sound like COVER UP.

And guys be careful what you ask for because if JUSTICE and FAIR PLAY were the rules of the game you will be out of office and in prison.