Category: Politics

Arroyo’s peace adviser merely watched his son’s mauling spree

Published by Ellen on December 28, 2008

Update: ABS-CBN reported that today Secretary Pangandaman was seen golfing with Mikey Arroyo, congressman son of Gloria Arroyo in Baguio Country Club.Was it to show off that they are that close to the powers-that- be. May reklamo kayo?

Inquirer update: Golf club suspends DAR chief over brawl

Three days after Gloria Arroyo announced the appointment of Nasser Pangandaman, as member of the reconstituted government peace panel to negotiate with Muslim rebels, the agrarian reform secretary watched as his mayor-son mauled a 56-year old golfer and his 14-year old son at the Valley Country Golf and Country Club in Antipolo City.

While mainstream media was taking a holiday break, the blogging community was in a furious state over the brutality of Arroyo’s adviser and his son as recounted by Bambee de la Paz in her blog (http://vicissitude-decidido.blogspot.com/2008/12/world-is-fucked-up.html) last Dec. 26.

Here’s excerpts from de la Paz’s blog entry on Dec. 26, 2008:

Rotarian to Rotarian

Published by Ellen on October 26, 2008

Please find in comments the statement of Prof. Harry Roque on Bolante’s return. .

When former Agriculture Secretary Jocelyn “Joc-Joc” comes back this week, he will have the rare opportunity to help in the cause of truth, justice and democracy in the country.

He can take up the challenge and tell the truth how he executed the crime of stealing from the poor farmers at least P728 million alloted to buy fertilizer and using the money to underwrite the vote buying and cheating of Gloria Arroyo in the 2004 elections. By doing so, he will help in cleansing the system of corrupt elements. He would be doing the Filipino people great service.

Or he can continue hiding in the darkness of the crime. In so doing, he will always be living in fear because as long as he is there, he will always be a threat to the masterminds and their accomplices.

Malaking pera ang kailangan ni Arroyo

Published by Ellen on October 13, 2008

Inquirer editorial: Judas’ followers

Sinasabi ng Malacañang na walang mangyari sa panibagong impeachment complaint na isinampa kahapon nina Joey de Venecia at iba pang mga Filipino na nagmamalasakit sa bayan kasi hawak nila ang House of Representatives.

Yun pala eh. Bakit biglang lumipad sa Switzerland si Marilyn Yap, secretary general ng House of Representatives, at hindi man lamang nag-iwan kahit clerk para tumanggap ng impeachment complaint? Dahil ba may tina-trabaho pa ang Malacañang na makuha para mag-file rin katulad ng ginawa nila kay Oliver Lozano at kay Ruel Pulido noong mga nakaraan taon?

Maraming nagtatanong, bakit naman kasi Sabado at walang opisina ng ganoong oras. Oct. 11 kasi ang isang taon ng huling impeachment complaint na na-isampa. Sa Constitution natin kasi, isang impeachment complaint lang ang maaring tanggapin laban sa isang impeachable na opisyal sa isang taon.

Why try impeachment again?

Published by Ellen on October 12, 2008

Click here for Inquirer story on filing of impeachment complaint.

When it was announced last Friday that concerned citizens will try once again , for the fourth time, to file an impeachment complaint against Gloria Arroyo, the immediate reactions I heard were, “ “Why try again? It won’t prosper anyway.”

My answer is, Gloria Arroyo should be impeached because she has committed impeachable crimes. That’s the plain and simple reason.

What are those impeachable crimes that Arroyo committed? Culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, just to name a few.

Impeach raps set vs Arroyo, again

Published by Ellen on October 10, 2008

Complaint to be filed Saturday, Sunday, Monday

By Lira Dalangin-Fernandez
Inquirer.net

An impeachment complaint will be filed against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo for three consecutive days, starting Saturday, a private lawyer said Friday.

Harry Roque of the University of the Philippines Law Center said the impeachment complaint would be filed at the House of Representatives at 7 p.m., Saturday, exactly a year after the filing of a similar case; 12 midnight, Sunday, to mark the end of the one-year ban under the Constitution; and at 9 a.m., Monday, when he and other petitioners would personally go to the House to file the complaint.

Roque said the same complaint would be filed on separate days to ensure that no other complaint would slip past the group.

Vicious Erap rumor

Published by Ellen on October 9, 2008

There are vicious email and text messages being passed around about former President Joseph Estrada alleged sexual relationship with his spokesperson, Margaux Salcedo.

It’s not true.

The ugly message was sent to me by a certain “Natividad Balete”. The blog which was opened only less than two weeks ago is titled “Filipina ako so what.”

The writer says he was formerly an Erap fan but is disgusted by what the former president did to his wife, Dr. Loi Estrada. The story is that Loi caught Erap in a compromising situation with his young and pretty spokesperson. It even alleges that Margaux is pregnant and that, just like with other Erap mistresses, he is building her a house.

Queenmaker, kingmaker?

Published by Ellen on September 24, 2008

by Lito Banayo
Malaya

After Joseph Ejercito Estrada was all but sworn in as the 13th president of the Philippines, his announced Executive Secretary, Ronaldo B. Zamora, instructed Elmer Mercado, Jimmy Policarpio and myself, among others I presume, to start working for the election of Joker Arroyo, the congressman of the first district of Makati, as speaker of the House of Representatives. This was a campaign commitment, as soft of course as political commitments go, made by then candidate Erap to Joker.

At about the same time, Mrs. Cynthia Villar of the landowning Aguilar clan of Las Piñas and Muntinglupa suddenly became a regular fixture at the incoming president’s Polk address in North Greenhills. Her husband Manuel was elected virtually unopposed for his third term as representative of Las Piñas, the family fiefdom. Villar openly supported Jose de Venecia of his party Lakas for president. Of course Erap swept all of Metro Manila including Las Piñas, but that was no thanks to the Aguilar-Villar clan. Erap maintained that Nene Aguilar “secretly” supported him, but then, even if the latter did not, all of Luzon except Pangasinan was swept by Erap. Surely the residents of the fiefdom of Las Piñas are not the unthinking robots of their landowners.

Kaban ng Bayan, Bantayan, (part II)

Published by Ellen on September 24, 2008

(The second privilege speech of Sen. Panfilo M. Lacson which the camp of Senate President Manny Villar tried, but failed, to block. September 22, 2008)

I would not have taken the floor today as I am concerned the core issue of corruption in the national budget will be diverted. But for the lies that are now part of the Senate record and other misinterpretations of the contents of my privilege speech last Monday by the gentleman from Makati and Camarines Sur, I now rise on a matter of personal and collective privilege.

I will not dignify by wasting a second of the Senate’s time, however, the points raised by the other fanatical defender of the Senate President. Arguing with the gentleman, I am afraid, would be like talking to a chatterbox in a TV paid advertisement.

Going back to the points raised by Sen. Arroyo, or at least some of them, without conceding of course that the other issues raised are correct, please allow me to state here and now:

Worrisome omens

Published by Ellen on September 23, 2008

Let’s help Lorelei Fajardo, deputy presidential spokes-person, understand where the fear that Gloria Arroyo will ferociously hold on to power even after June 30, 2010 is coming from.

Fajardo said, “The President intends to vacate her office when her term ends in 2010, and does not know where such fear-mongering is coming from.”

Let’s remind Fajardo that on Dec. 30, 2002, Arroyo pledged before the statue of Jose Rizal that she would not run in 2004. Ten months later, on Oct. 5, 2003, she said without blinking an eye, “I will run for President in May 2004.”

As we all know, not only did Arroyo run in 2004; she cheated and stole the presidency.

Cayetano answers Lacson

Published by Ellen on September 18, 2008

Privilege speech of Sen. Alan Cayetano last Sept. 16, 2008

Let me just repeat that I stand on a question of personal and collective privilege, because of the speech of the gentleman from Cavite, I was specifically mentioned, and the whole Senate, the integrity of the Senate was impugned yesterday by Senator Lacson.

To quote Matthew 7:1, “Judge not so that you be not judged for with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged and with the measure you used, will be measured to you. Why do you see the spec that is in your brother’s eye but do not notice the love that is in your own eye.” It is difficult sometimes Mr. President to take to heart this verse because it is precisely sometimes our job or our task to judge. Judge which bills need priority; what is better for the country; what appropriations should be prioritized, and in some of our committees we are even asked to judge whether there were wrongdoings on the part of some people.