by Ramon J. Farolan
Inquirer
First of all, belated holiday greetings go to Sen. Antonio “Sonny” Trillanes IV. I realize he has been the subject of a number of negative news items in the past few days, including an expensive full-page ad from a group calling itself “Kongreso ng . . . something.”
This young man, who has been incarcerated for more than four years with no end in sight, has stood up to powerful forces in the country, speaking out loud about the abuses of a corrupt administration. And apparently, his views—not necessarily his methods—reflect the sentiments of our people.
As indicated in the recent poll of Pulse Asia, we are living under the rule of the most corrupt politician in the history of the country. Only a few weeks earlier, Transparency International, a Berlin-based organization, released its Global Corruption Barometer for 2007, showing that the Philippines was No. 10 in the top 10 countries with the highest level of bribery. Cambodia and the Philippines are the only Asean countries in this top 10 list. The study said that “too often, people must part with their hard-earned money to pay for services that should be free. And they do not see enough commitment when they look to their governments and leaders.” How can we expect commitment when some of the shadiest deals in the country are cooked up in the highest echelons of government?
Now, those are issues that we ought to get angry about. Instead, we castigate Trillanes who is basically the messenger of bad news which we would rather not hear.
In 1989, rebel military units launched the deadliest attack against a highly popular government led by President Cory Aquino. They held the nation’s business center, Makati, hostage for almost a week before proudly marching back to their barracks in Fort Bonifacio. Some analysts declared that more harm was done to the economy by this coup attempt than anything else in recent years. The acknowledged leader was Col. Gregorio Honasan.
Guess what? Honasan was elected to the Senate.
According to Sen. Aquilino Pimentel, Honasan was also the leader or godfather of the 2003 Oakwood mutiny of which Senator Trillanes was the leading spokesperson.
Guess what? After Honasan was arrested for his suspected involvement in this mutiny, he was allowed to run for the Senate. He won, and today occupies his seat in Congress.
While in government captivity, Sonny Trillanes also ran for the Senate. He won by over 11 million votes. As I mentioned in an earlier column, Trillanes did not engage in dagdag-bawas operations. He did not engage in massive vote-buying using the money of the people. He did not take advantage of a fertilizer fund earmarked for our farmers for use in his campaign. He did not have the usual troupe of movie stars and entertainers to attract attention to his cause.
And yet, he defeated administration giants like Mike Defensor, Prospero Pichay, Ralph Recto and better-known personalities like Tito Sotto and Tessie Oreta, as well as movie stars Cesar Montano and Richard Gomez.
What does all this mean? It means that we as a people have a soft heart for the rebel. Perhaps it is our personal stamp of defiance, our way of expressing anger and disillusionment with our leaders who continue to fail us. We are willing to take the risk with young, untested but idealistic and reform-oriented individuals, hoping that one day, we will strike gold and come up with someone who will lead us to a better future.
According to television reports, the family of Senator Trillanes was given two additional hours to spend with him on Christmas Day. The usual visitation hours are from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. These were extended to 5 p.m. How thoughtful of the Philippine National Police to extend this bit of comfort to a detained senator on Christmas Day.
By the way, how did convicted rapist Romeo Jalosjos spend Christmas Day? Was he given additional two hours to spend with his family? Or has it been Christmas for much of the year for him and other influential detainees? Even convicted murderers get holiday passes in order to spend a couple of days outside the National Penitentiary with their families. We have one set of rules for rebels who pose a threat to the government and another for rapists and murderers who pose a threat to society but not to the government.
These are difficult days for Senator Trillanes but we all know that Easter Sunday is always preceded by the agony of Good Friday. Keep in mind that many leaders in other countries spent time in captivity before attaining positions of power and influence. Even the recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto was in jail or under different forms of captivity for five years, derided by many of her own countrymen, before becoming the first female prime minister of a Muslim country. I have no doubt that for Trillanes, the years ahead will be better and brighter.
As Alitaptap said, we have a Mandela in the making if d’ glue would stay till 2010 and beyond.
Let’s not just watch this happen for we will end up all losers. Tuloy ang laban!
Happy New Year to All, except sa mga korap, sinungaling, mandaraya at magnanakaw!
Happy New Year to everyone fighting for the TRUTH!
We must keep up the fighting spirit and never forget as Ellen said, “after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday”!
Again, “Alles Gute zum Neuen Jahr!”
Happy happy new year to all! Let us welcome this new year with more fervor in our hearts, mind and actions for our beloved motherland.
Happy new year to everyone as well! Hope this will be the year when we all organized and unite as one to defeat gloria’s evil enchanted kingdom although all predictions by manghuhula’s shows another win by gloria’s forces on another alleged coup. But, let’s sill enjoy this coming year my friends! 🙂
happy birthday to me also. and thank you for your merrymaking on this special day of mine most especially the overflowing food on every house’s table which i think in should not be done because being my birthday, i sent three camels and ten goats in the death chamber for everyone i invite to come and eat my house. thank you very much and i hope that you will have no shame to come.
happy new year to everyone!
We can only hope for a better year 2008, but as long as whore Gloria Arroyo, the usurper, illegally occupying the House of the People, Philippines will never have peace and order. My wish for the start of the new year is “One Million Pilipinos” at the gates of Malacanang, and thousand death to liar, cheat and thief, whore Gloria Arroyo. Happy New Year!
Wala akong makitang pag asa na mararanasan ngayong darating na bagong taon lalo na ng mga mahihirap..’di ko nga lang mawari kung bakit ang mga mamayan na gustong ipag tanggol ni Sen.Trillanes ay parang sunod sunuran na lamang sa kahit anong gawin pang loloko ng mga pulitikong ganid sa kapangyarihan,lalo na ng kasalukuyan administrasyon.
Papalubog ng tuluyan ang ating bayan sa kawalang pag asa….ilan pa kayang katulad ni Sen. Trillanes ang handang ihandog ang buhay para sa kapakanan ng bayan…..?
Mr. R. Farolan,
Tama po ang sinasabi ninyo about Sen. Trillanes and this government of GMA being the most corrupt in the history of the Philippines. It is ironic that in this country, perceived by its leaders as the “most democratic” kuno in this part of the world, would treat a man voted by over 11 million people without the benefit of “dagdag bawas,” not engaged in vote-buying, not using people’s money to obtain their vote and practically campaigned with nothing other than his crusade against government corruption, would be incarcerated destiny unknown.
I will continue to support this man and hope someday there will be a day of reckoning for this administration that has so far given a black eye to the international community.
Edfaji
The old “foggies” of this administation, Presidential Legal Adviser Sergio Apostol and Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales should now consider retirement – in their respective habitat, Samar and Iloilo. Justice Siraulo is a bungling specimen as shown by his messy handling of the Romeo Jalosjos case while Agurang Sergio could not cope with the reality that his legal advises in the treatment of media at the height of Manila Pen fiasco was indeed, “legal.”
Ang susuplado pa nitong dalawang gurang!!!!
To borrow the words from Fiddler in the roof..a blessing for Gloria? May she and company with their families stay away from the Philippines! And we really have something to hope for.. and we pray for a righteous leader and a leader of God..Mahimaya-on nga bag-ong tuig sa inyo nga tanan!
2008 is the Year of the Rats.
Just because the OFWs gives so much money for GMA and cohorts to steal or what, she will go far to get them out of harms way of the deathrow. Just because Jalosjos gave so he was to get the hell out of prison. But what about those like Senator Trillanes who cant give anything and those for no reason at all forcibly taken still rotting in detention. It aint fair. One cuts a neck abroad, he goes free. One who spit at the president here, what the hell she cares. He’s deadball.
Valdemar,
It seems that Gloria will go out of her way to get POSITIVE MEDIA COVERAGE whenever she can. She needs it very badly that if her minions can feed it intravenously she’ll take it.
We are also witnessing “wheeling and dealing” transactional governance at its best, where money talks, bullshit walks, and woe to the man, who smells it and complains about it – he gets to spend Christmas in a can.
kadyo,
patay lamang ang wala ng pag-asa. teka, mali pala. meron pa nga palang milagro. ‘yung patay nabubuhay pa.
happy new year sa inyong lahat!!!
kung hindi man mawala nang lubusan ang mga gahaman sa ating pamahalaan, meron sanang isa o dalawang manindigan para sa kapakanan ng mga dukhang siyang mas tinatamaan ng masakit na hampas ng lahat ng katiwalian.
paano na ang kinabukasan ng ating mga supling na siyang magpapasan ng bigat ng dalahing wala silang kinalaman? hahayaan ba nating hanggang sa pagpikit ng ating mga mata ay nariyan ang nakaambang patalim na anumang oras ay handang itarak sa atin mismong lalamunan? tatanggapin ba natin ng may ngiti sa labi at buong kasiyahan ang mga pagyurak sa ating karangalan at pagsupil sa ating karapatan?
bagong taon na. panibagong pahina ng kasayasayan ang muling masusulat. panibagong pagpalaot sa masalimuot na tagisan ng buhay. lalagi na lamang ba tayong talunan dahil na rin sa ating mga pagkukulang?
panawagan sa natitirang mga magigiting at mararangal na kawal, kayong mga inaasahan ng taong bayan na kanilang magiging sandigan, pangunahan ninyo ang paglulunsad ng isang makabuluhan at napapanahong pakikipaglaban!
mabuhay ang bagong pilipinas!
mabuhay tayong lahat!
Elvira Sahara says: “…….“after Good Friday comes Easter Sunday”!”
kaya pala nasupot si esPWEron. wala ng sabado de glorya, araw ng pagpapatuli pagkatapos ng biyernes santo!
kaya pala laging nangangamoy kupal ang mukhang palakang posporong ‘yun!
Wish everyone,a blessed New Year and the times ahead of us,another starting day of grueling sacrifices of the Pilipino massess to fund the most extravagant,overspending and corrupt Administration.An endless expression of thanks to Miss Ellen,keep on our goal to awaken our kababayan in their deep sleep of “Ganyan talaga ang buhay” attitude.Happy New year, Ms Ellen.
Happy New Year sa lahat. Mrivera, Happy Birthday uli, sana lalo pang tumaas ang rating ng palabas mong Marimar.
Most of the time, General Farolan writes nostalgic pieces about old soldiers who have faded away so it comes as a pleasant surprise to see him now openly hitting Gloria Arroyo. Truly, Gloria Arroyo is no lady per this gentleman’s dictionary.
Happy New Year to all! I pray and hope this year will see the end of the Dorobo administration of the piggies in the Philippines.
BTW, I watched “Ang Alay ni Da King” yesterday. Susan Roces has expressed herself well in that movie. She hinted that she was not interested in politics when she said that her husband made a mistake, though he never regretted it because it opened their eyes to what was really happening in the country that they would not see if they remained in their own celluloid world, in entering a world different from theirs.
The Filipinos indeed missed a chance to see a better Philippines with a “president that never was” like Ronnie Poe. Sayang! Now they are saddled with a greedy and voracious piggie who knows nothing but to brag, mudsmear her opponents, lie and steal. Di bale sana kung walang napeperhuwisyo!
Puro yabang, wala namang ibubuga! Otherwise, why the expensive publicity to boost up her image? Kasi walang sinabi sinabi! Puro nakaw pa!
Tuloy ang laban! Walang urungan!
Oops, hindi lang pala mudsmear, pinapatay pa like those activists, media people, et al who are critical of her lousy administration!
Right on General Farolan! Tell it like it is!
Gen Farolan, true to himself, is one of the more decent officers the AFP ever produced.
I second the motion! Indeed, with nary a doubt, Ramon J. Farolan is undeniably one honorable human being worthy of emulation!
MAJ. GEN. RAMON J. FAROLAN
http://www.paf.mil.ph/CGPAF/farolan.html
Thanks, Jug for the link.
I could say that I knew the PAF chiefs from Gen Acot (and their “record”)… While I wouldn’t want to sound grossly unfair, to my mind, there are three among them who have become open symbols of corruption within PAF, namely:
LtGen Loven Abadia (highly corrupt), Lt Gen Nic Rodriguez (so under de saya that his wife, a former Miss Beauty Queen something, ran the air force for him and brokered publicly for PAF contracts) and General Arnie Acedera. The latter, in my book, does not deserve the title of “The decisive leader.” (He was decisive alright but for all the wrong reasons.)
Two or three among them, I would consider professional “airman”, (ok, ok, not “airman” but chief PAF): MGen Pol Acot, LtGen William Hotchkiss (he is in my view the better one of the lot of chiefs starting with Acot) and one may include General B Defensor among the “professionals”.
Florendo and Santillan were pretty below average in my book (and forget all about Tolentino!)
I do believe that generally or on the whole, professionalism in major armed services, or among their chiefs ended with class PMA Class 62. After that, you could safely count with the fingers of one hand, the professionals among major service chiefs who possessed military chief character in the truest sense of the word (and who displayed the least corruption, publicly that is).
In the army, professionalism was displayed under Gen Boy Enrile (Clas 62) and surprisingly under LtGen Volt Gazmin.
In the Navy, professionalim was displayed greatly with corruption being the least prevalent under Vice-Admiral Billy Marcelo (Class 61) and Vice-Adm Edd Santos (Class 66). The least professional among the Navy chiefs was Vice-Admiral Pio Carranza (Class 63).
In other words, the AFP went downhill in general after Class 62 onward.
Vice Admiral Hingco’s (not a PMAer) leadership was so below average and so lackluster, safe to say, he wouldn’t be missed.
Gen Efren Abu Class 72, tried his darnest best to save what could be saved and tried to “professionalize” the Army (when he was CGPA) and the AFP (when he became CSAFP) but there was no turning back — under Gloria’s regime, the Philippine Army’s and the AFP’s leaderships have been so prostituted, difficult to turn back the clock.
Farolan’s has been silent about the Sumilao farmers. Perhaps he found the Sumilao issue as of no national significance, or like other military mind, he is distrustful of red infiltration among the poor farmers.
However, his gun salute to a fellow military man is worth reflecting. Happy new year…
PAF chief cuts short term of service
By Tarra Quismundo
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 17:26:00 12/31/2007
Philippine Air Force Chief Lt. Gen. Horacio Tolentino has decided to retire a month early to give Malacañang a wider berth in choosing his successor.
Tolentino wrote higher headquarters expressing his desire to end his term this month in order to give the two most senior Air Force generals a crack at his post.
“I decided to relinquish my post early to give a wider array of options for my successor,” Tolentino told the Philippine Daily Inquirer in a phone interview.
For the rest of the story, click here.
Nothing noble in the Tolentino caper — he was ASKED to relinquish his post. Gloria wants to make sure she’s got the generals’ loyalty by buying out Tolentino so that the others may serve her. Ang mga gagong heneral naman, sige lang sila, ok lang na mabili sila. Mga putç&çàè(à&èçàè((èng duwag!
anna, ang dapat silipin sa butas ng karayom ay ito: “saan nakakiling ang katapatan ng sino mang heneral na bebendisyunan ni gloria upang mamumuno sa PAF?”
maliwanag na ang paghawak sa baton ng kapangyarihan sa alinmang sangay ng sandatahang lakas ang pinakaasam at pinaglalawayan ng sino mang heneral, matino man o gahaman (katulad ng mga uri ni esPWEron) at ipakikitang lahat ang katapatan sa magpapalang kamay kahit mangahulugan ng pagbibili ng kanilang karangalan at pagkatao (kung meron pang natitirang linis sa pangalan).
sino ba ang tatanggi sa maliwanag nang pagkakamit ng buhos ng grasya?
sino bang naging commanding general ng major service ng AFP ang hindi nakapagpatayo ng halos palasyong bahay at hindi mabilang na ari arian?
ang mga heneral pa kaya ni gloria ang magpalampas ng pagkakataon samantalang ang pundasyon kasalukuyang pamahalaan ay itinayo sa pandaraya, kasinungalingan, panlilinlang, pagkagahaman at pagkauhaw sa kapangyarihan?
sino ang makakalimot sa “ay em sori” ng talipandas na babae?
anna, ang dapat silipin sa butas ng karayom ay ito: “saan nakakiling ang katapatan ng sino mang heneral na bebendisyunan ni gloria upang mamumuno sa PAF?”
maliwanag na ang paghawak sa baton ng kapangyarihan sa alinmang sangay ng sandatahang lakas ang pinakaasam at pinaglalawayan ng sino mang heneral, matino man o gahaman (katulad ng mga uri ni esPWEron) at ipakikitang lahat ang katapatan sa magpapalang kamay kahit mangahulugan ng pagbibili ng kanilang karangalan at pagkatao (kung meron pang natitirang linis sa pangalan).
sino ba ang tatanggi sa maliwanag nang pagkakamit ng buhos ng grasya?
sino bang naging commanding general ng major service ng AFP ang hindi nakapagpundar ng halos malapalasyong bahay at hindi mabilang na ari arian?
ang mga heneral pa kaya ni gloria ang magpalampas ng pagkakataon samantalang ang pundasyon ng kasalukuyang pamahalaan ay itinayo sa pandaraya, kasinungalingan, panlilinlang, pagkagahaman at pagkauhaw sa kapangyarihan?
sino ang makakalimot sa “ay em sori” ng talipandas na babae?
Magno,
Lusot ka na sa Akismet ni Ellen. Tignan mo, dalawang post mo kahit na spam, lusot.
Yung email mo about Fr. Suarez, ipapalabas sa GMA7 tungkol sa mga milagro ng pari, aabangan ko. Thanks.
Tongue, I recovered MR’s comment from spam folder. Akismet has not yet learned that MR’s comments are not spam.
sigurado akong itneg na ilokano itong akismet na ito. hindi kasi marunong bumasa ng tagalog, eh.
kahit nga inggles kunehong posts ko eh hindi mabasa.
apay ngay?
Akismet? Tunog-Ilokano ngarud!