Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Blogswarm: Weak! Lame!

Last night, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) met for 10 hours, and everybody is hoping that they will issue some kind of strong statement about the current political crisis. So it was a big letdown that the CBCP instead distanced themselves from calling the imposter president Gloria Arroyo to step down, and opting to just ask for the abolition of EO 464, which bars government officials to appear on Senate hearings without Malacanang's consent.

What?

Allow me to belt out my best impersonation of South Park's Eric Cartman in saying that the pastoral letter was "weak!" and "lame!"

Although I have wanted the Church to stay out of politics since EDSA 2, where they really screwed up, they really chose a bad time to clam up. As far as I know, it is already a moral issue when someone steals and lies about it. It becomes more so if the culprit is pretending to be the president of the country.

I can only remember what the Reverend said in the movie "The Patriot", "It is the shepherd's duty to tend to the flock, and at times, fight off the wolves." Our shepherds, save for some like Bishops Deogracias Iniguez, Oscar Cruz and Ted Bacani, have allowed the wolves to savage the flock.

God save the Philippines.

Blogswarm: The Fish is Caught through its Mouth

Pardon me if I was not able to post my personal accounts from the February 15th rally in Makati, as well as from the Baclaran Church celebration last Monday, as I was really too immersed into work. But allow me to comment about the admission (because there is no other way to call it) of Gloria Arroyo that there were indeed flaws in the NBN-ZTE contract.

She said in a radio interview that she only learned about the flaws the night before she was to witness the signing in Boao, China last April 21, 2007 and she was not able to do anything since "she did not want to embarrass us in front of the Chinese". What?

There have been many discussions, and as word spread that the DZRH interview was in effect an admission of irregularity, our version of Saddam's "Comical Ali", Toting Bunye, suddenly chimes in and says that she was not saying that there were flaws. What?

I only have some points of mine left, as all other points were already discussed all over the place. First, no one was asking her to cancel the deal outright by that time. She should have at least set aside the NBN-ZTE contract and told the Chinese that it "needs further study". I think they would have understood, being meticulous fellows too. aside from that, instead of embarrassing ourselves, we would have gotten their respect instead as it will show that we are that serious about matters like those.

Of course, it would have not crossed her mind, as well as those other points raised by different people. The only thing that was on her mind by that time was ZTE, and Fan Yang's $30 million "advance payment", if Dante Madriaga is to be believed.

Ang isda nga naman, nahuhuli sa bunganga. Only that this barracuda still struggles to get free.

Tama na. Sobra na. Kumilos na.

Friday, February 15, 2008

Blogswarm: Gloria Resign Now!

This is in support of the raging call for change in our country. The time has come for Gloria Arroyo and her minions to be accountable for their sins against the country. It is also time for the people to stand up and be counted among those who seek real change.

I will be in Makati today. The greatest good requires sacrifice.

Thursday, February 7, 2008

Let the Collapse Begin

It has been a roller-coaster week so far, beginning with the ouster of ex-Gloria ally Rep. Jose de Venecia as House Speaker by the "slighted" Arroyo brothers and their (paid) allies in Congress. Like what they did in 2004, they declared Davao Rep. Prospero Nograles as the new Speaker sometime past 1 am last Tuesday, proving yet again that they are thieves who do their work in the dark.

It seemed that one "problem" for the Arroyo Mafia has been solved, but as telemarketers say, wait, there's more. The newest witness in the ZTE scandal, Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada, arrived in the country Tuesday afternoon, and was promptly whisked away, well, more like "abducted" by some police personnel. Lozada's family moved fast, going to court to seek his return to them. And finally, after much noise and PNP Chief Avelino Razon looking like a pathetic shell of a liar rather than a respected officer of the law, Jun Lozada surfaced in a press conference this morning at De La Salle Greenhills, giving the nation a taste of what he's going to spill in a future Senate hearing.

It's all starting to fall into place. More and more people are singing like canaries against the excesses and avarice of this illegal regime. JDV is starting to burn his bridges with the family who betrayed him, and he's got more than enough ammunition against them. If only Romy Neri and the others could be man enough and join in the chorus.

It is February, a most auspicious month for Philippine politics. A president who was accused of avarice and corruption was overthrown 22 years ago this month. Perhaps it is time for the current demon to be handed the same fate.

Let the collapse begin.