The United Opposition yesterday renewed its call for a presidential snap election coinciding with the May 14 elections because it said the Arroyo administration no longer enjoys a mandate from the people.
Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay, UNO president, said the postponement of the Asean summit in Cebu and the backing off by the House from its Constitutional Assembly plan were clear indications that President Arroyo and her allies now realize they no longer enjoy support from the majority of the people.
Binay said this should be more than enough reason for the President and the majority in the House to resign.
Should they ignore this, as is to be expected, Binay said, a snap election can be held.
Binay also said that the House majority has not officially and formally canceled Con-Ass.
But even if it did, he said, the administration congressmen should still be held accountable.
“Even attempted, or frustrated, rapes or murders are already considered crimes, and are punishable as such,” he said.
“The House leadership can deny this all they want, or give all sorts of explanations for it, but the fact remains that the House majority has developed major cracks within its ranks and is about ready to disintegrate,” Binay said.
He said protest rallies are still a go, including one scheduled today at the Batasang Pambansa.
I support the call for snap election!
I support the call for snap election, too!
***
Takot lang ng tiyanak!
I can already hear Bunye say, “It’s unconstitutional”. Or Ermita saying “The president will not resign, there can be no snap elections”.
Revolution na lang!
i don’t think gma will fall for a snap election..it’s time, we, the sovereign Filipino people call the shots!
The fate of our country lies in our very hands!Let our voices be heard and our rights protected..it’s time, now is the perfect time to say ‘we’ve had enough!’
I second the motion!
Naku po! Lalong ngatog na ang tumbong ni Tiyanak niyan sa panibagong panawagan ng snap election!
Ano na naman kaya ang pang-kontra nila?
Ang lahat ng antas ng pamumuhay ng mga Pilipino, unit-ulitin ang panawagan na – KAILANGAN AY SNAP ELECTION!!!!
Unfortunately, GMA is too smart to agree on snap election. She has learned this from Marcos who agreed on snap election and got ousted. If she agrees, it’s a no-win situation. If she wins, people would claim she has cheated. If she loses, then she’s out of power and shall face tons to cases that are waiting. Wasn’t that what happened to Marcos? The truth is, Marcos actually won the snap election. But, anti-Marcos forces were already prepared for that scenario. Cory’s groups and Cardinal Sin led Catholics had long conditioned the minds of the people that Marcos would cheat. The rest was history.
If they suggested for snap election, it should be the earliest possible time, say January 30. Kaya nga snap eh. Ang tagal pa noong May 14. It will give time pa for GMA to rehire Garcillano. To in harness again that documents expert Manapat to put in doubt the citizenship of whoever will be pitted against her, etc.
If the opposition is really serious in their call for a snap selection, see to it that you have only one candidate. Mayroon na ba? Kaliskisan nga natin. Kung wala pa and if everybody will run dahil mahina na si GMA, tumigil na tayo sa ginagawa nating ito.
Hmmp! Umiinit tuloy ang ulo ko sa inyo!
Ay, nagkape lang ako kanina at hindi pa pala ako kumakain kababasa ng mga poste dito. Nakaka-aliw talaga.
Ate Ellen, paki sabi kay RC binanatan siya ni Efren Danao.
Who’s Efren Danao?
Anna says: Who’s Efren Danao?
Efren Danao is a columnist at the Manila Times (manilatimes.net). His column and tirade against RC can be read today.
Thanks Joeseg.
Just read Danao’s column. I can see some of his points are valid but others he enunciated are plain BS are very telling of someone whose emotional quotient is synonymous to that of a person with a deppreso-maniaco affliction.
Professional reporters are expected to be used to the rough and tumble ways of the journalism profession – the de Venecia presscon was already highly emotionally and so politically charged by the mere presence of a man who is technically a congressman albeit the speaker of the House proposing to change provisions in the constitution that are in clear violation of the sovereign will.
In that sort of highly charged environment, water throwing, shrieking for RC to respect de Venecia and his ilk by Agustin and Pedrosa merely aggravated the situation. Their actuations are very telling of how badly they handle themselves in public; their over reactions show that they are in fact no better than the activist who broke into the “exclusive” party.
What’s the big deal is what I would ask Danao. The whole RC event was in fact a scoop and he and the others should have dealt with it as such, nothing more, nothing less.
Danao is way out of line and clearly needs to take Prozac!
Efren Danao, meron bang nagbabasa diyan?! Manila Times?! hahaha! Binabasa pa ba ‘yon?! Sorry sa mga MT writers, pero hanggang Tribune and Malaya & sis publication lang ako!
To Anna,
Maybe, Efren Danao is something of nainggit kay RC after that incident.
Siguro, nabasa mo rin today’s column of Belinda Olivares-Cunanan who also touched on the incident. Katabi pala niya ni Carmen Pedrosa sa upuan that time.
Cunanan’s husband, a retired general, is with SSS as Chairman. She is listed as among the Inquirer stockholders. She’s a frequent companion of GMA in her trips abroad.
npongco Says:
December 12th, 2006 at 9:55 am
Unfortunately, GMA is too smart to agree on snap election. She has learned this from Marcos who agreed on snap election and got ousted.
sorry Npongco, this time I beg to disagree with you, gloria is not “smart”, as what people falsely perceived her to be…she’s cold, heartless(and maybe liverless too), ruthless, shameless, hypocrite, and above all mindless puppet…yes, just a puppet of one who has the “SMART evil brain”, her kingpin, pig of a partner named jose miguel pidal arroyo, the one, the only, king of all pigs. Want to know why I said this? Then you have to ask if you still haven’t figured it out on your own “kabayan”.
I agree that snap election should be held early. That’s why it’s called snap election. Marcos was trapped into agreeing to snap election and it was immediately held. Marcos then was confident he would win. But just like what I earlier mentioned, Gloria will never agree to a snap election. If there’s one thing Gloria is good at; she’s good at learning the mistakes of Marcos and Erap. She now makes sure she doesn’t commit the same blunders and bo-boos of the other two.
Spartan, when I describe GMA as smart, it was not a compliment at all. I meant she was an evil smart woman. She will not make the same mistakes like what Marcos and even Erap did. She learned those lessons.
Ang sa akin, tama si Joeseg. Bago mag snap tingnan muna kung sino ang kakalaban kay Glue. United na ba ang opposition? kung hindi nga naman ay baka masayang lang ang pagkakataon na mapaalis si Glue. Kung talagang ang ilalaban ng oposisyon ay still under the radar, dapat ay lumabas na at makilatis na nga.
Joeseg,
Yeah, Ellen said in a previous thread that Cunanan’s hubby is a the chairman of a big entity.
I’ve never liked Cunanan much or not at all because of the way she “physically” licks the ground Gloria walks on to have those freebies. I also think she is a shameless bigot who has seems absolutely bereft of the notions of right and wrong.
In spite of that, in the spirit of democracy’s freedom of speech, I would have been prepared to tolerate her rants had she been at least less cavalier with some truths.
I’ve stopped reading her column after she wrote a follow on article about the 9 million hits of the Singaw website wherein she incidentally included one of my comments in quezon’s blog discussing the said 9 million hits…
INSIDE CONGRESS
By Efren L. Danao
Presscon 101
THE brouhaha that took place at the presscon called by Speaker Jose de Venecia at the Dusit Nikko Hotel last Saturday should underline one basic fact—a presscon is and should be for members of the press only.
Activist Renato Constantino Jr. has an open line to media and it is the height of boorishness to gatecrash into a presscon called by persons whose ideas clash with his own. If we follow Constantino’s example, then dissent would be stifled. He could have easily called the media to another place and time to air his views but he did not know any better. Or, is his obsession for publicity getting the better of his intellect?
I remember the time when a group of Senate reporters were interviewing Sen. Ping Lacson at the Senate session hall. A man who had no business being at the session hall joined the reporters and was badgering Ping with questions and rude comments. This irritated me because we were pressed for time and we wanted only the facts that were newsworthy. When the man persisted, I barked at him to stop because he was hampering the work of reporters. It was a good thing he stopped, otherwise, the water thrown at Constantino by a colleague and fellow Novo Ecijaño, Vic Agustin of the Inquirer, would have been a very tame one. (I came to know later that Ping thought the man was a reporter so he endured the uncivil questions.)
Besides gatecrashers, another no-no in presscons is the presence of rah-rah boys, which could distract the press from performing its work. At the first presscon of the actress Susan Roces against President Arroyo at Club Filipino, her supporters were booing some reporters asking difficult questions and were clapping at most of her answers. Rooters could be present in presscons, but they should not be hostile to any member of the press. Members of the media were at the presscon upon invitation, and they should be treated with respect worthy of guests. If they wanted to give moral support to their leaders, then their mere presence should have been enough.
Another basic thing is for reporters to learn to ask the correct questions and in the correct manner. I shiver with shame when supposedly more knowledgeable reporters appeared to be meandering with their questions. Others ask trivial questions that only waste the time of the resource persons and other members of the press.
Sometimes, reporters gather facts and backgrounders from some statements or briefing kits given beforehand by a media relations officer. These kits are very helpful—but not always. Once, a controversial politician arrived late at a presscon and asked reporters to shoot questions immediately. One stood up and sought clarifications about a pugnacious statement against the administration. The politician appeared bewildered and muttered softly: “Did I say that?” Well, he did, according to the press statement attributed to him by his PRO, and which was distributed before his arrival.
Eto ‘yung excerpts sa column ni Mang Efren Danao…let’s all feast on it first by reading and then “idighay” natin ang ating mga “komentaryo”…hehehe. 😉
Joeseg,
I’ve also stopped reading Ducky Paredes. There’s been a change in the way he formulates his opinion or perhaps I’m just being too finicky but I find that his stance doesn’t seem to be as cut and dry as they used to be with regard to Gloria and her government.
on npongco’s FM snap election:
nanduon sa libro ni Mr.Arillo kung papaano iniwasan ni Marcos na mapasakamay ang Pilipinas sa mga kuko ng militar. – innunahan!
Kaya nga mas pinili niya si Arturo Tolentino, – ang totoong constitutional expert, na maski basahin ng pabaligtad ang 1935 at 1973 constitution ay kaya nyang gawin!
BEST B.C. bet ng 1984 ata yan!
mahirap magtiwala sa mga nagpapanggap na expert(kuno!) na hindi naman hinalal ng taumbayan noong 1986!
tayong lahat ay saksi sa kasaysayan!
Efren, huwag kang malikot. Magagalit sa iyo si Lola Basyang!
Anna,
Pinagtatiyagaan kong basahin lahat na columns and articles that there’s to read and analyze what they wrote. That’s why if you noticed, I’m able to compile quotable quotes from different sources.
I have my list of political columnists who are for and against the issues at hand. I could it put as 80% in our wavelength. Maybe 10% lang ang against. The rest, parang sumasakay lang. Cunanan is most outspoken pro-GMA. Binabasa ko ang mga sinasabi niya at nakakapikon pero she has the right to write it as we enjoy writing what we would like to write against them.
Ducky didn’t wrote much about the cha-cha but he’s pro-erap being a classmate, so he’s against GMA. The late Max Soliven is inclined to GMA but he didn’t mince words against cha-cha and JDV.
Siempre, pinaka-matindi ang tropa coming from Malaya and Tribune kaya halos lahat sila, nakademanda. Must read din ang articles sa Newsbreak. I read your item way back, not in this blog because I just came a week ago, why the parliamentary system is not applicable or not good for the Philippines. I can’t recall who’s that columnist who included that in his column.
bago mag-snap election, dapat tanggalin sa puwesto sina abaluslos, brawowowner, borrat at iba pang mga basura sa comelec!
Just read that exports increased almost 16% compared to a year ago. BULL, all made up! If we do not know how crooked this administration is, maybe we will believe it. BUT WITH A RECORD OF CORRUPTION, CHEATING and the like, who knows if this figures are just made up. Whenever the people revolt, Tiyanak always comes out with something good kuno! NO MORE, YOU CAN NOT FOOL US ANYMORE! ITULOY ANG PROTESTA AT SNAP ELECTION THEREAFTER!
Gloria Arroyo and Noli De Castro must resign first before SNAP ELECTION. Senate President Manny Villar will be the Acting President. Mrs. Arroyo has the slight edge because the cheating machinery-COMELEC is still intact. Peoples’ vigilance at the precincts, municipal and provincial levels can neutralize massive cheating.
SA IKAKAUNLAD NG BAYAN, SNAP ELECTION SHOULD BE GIVEN A CHANCE, let all elective official resigns (including those from the opposition) , from the lowly barangay up the president, anyway the presidency is highly questionable, not to mentione the questionable moves by the great YODA and gloria’s hoods in the LOWER house of representaTHIEVES.
I have saying this long time ago, snap election is the best solution for the Philippines to move forward in progress.
We were able to stop the chacha train of these TONGressmen, why not force all of them to resign now
SNAP ELECTION NOW NA!!!!!!!!!!!!
prans
Coincidentally, Batong_Buhay, Efren Reyes was related by blood to the great Lola Basiang, the favorite radio storyteller before the advent of TV in the Philippines. I remember as a child getting nightmares after a “Kuwento ni Lola Basiang.”
parasabayan Says: “Just read that exports increased almost 16% compared to a year ago. BULL, all made up! If we do not know how crooked this administration is, maybe we will believe it.”
psb, figures don’t lie! you must have noted that numbers of filipinos sent overseas to work as slaves increased and they in the DOLE have met their target.
Snap Election is not a possible reality, a wish that’s not going to happen. Bogus Gloria loves where everything stood at the moment, and why should she cave in when she got everything to lose, why take the chances. A lesson learned from Ferdi Marcos, so history isn’t going to repeat itself. Might as well forget the snap election, it’s not a possibility while bogus Gloria is holding the throne. If anything, and being familiar with bogus Gloria’s mentality, come May 2007 there won’t be no election at all but a fabricated Martial Law. Or, if there is an election, we can be sure if will be massive cheating to favor bogus Gloria and more killing. Undoubtedly, Bogus Gloria will hang on and fortified Malacanang even more so she can remain in power. It has been bogus Gloria’s game planned ever since she subverted the legitimate govt of President Estrada.
There is one, and one solution to this problem – “One Million Warm Bodies” at the gates of Malacanang.
Bogus Gloria already took the gloves off a long time ago, that’s why she still in power. Gloria has been playing hard balls ever since she stole Malacanang, not only once, but twice. So, if I’ve to advice the opposition, abandon the idea of snap election. It ain’t going to happen. Instead, do the only sensible, if they want to be free from bogus Gloria’s illegal empire that she built through lying, cheating, thieving and killing of activists and journalists – approx. 780 of them. What more reason one needed beside the 780 dead? Stop playing footsies with bogus Gloria and the oposition should arm themselves with only tool capable of ridding bogus Gloria. One Million Warm Bodies is the only thing a reality to kick bogus Gloria out of the Malacanang. Sooner of later the country will resort to such, so why wait ’till later when it’s now very obvious more than ever.
There can be no negotiating and reasoning with bogus Gloria, she fully understand what at stakes, while the oppositions still quite confused of how to go about it. At the moment bogus Gloria is at advantage, she got all the resources at her disposal. But, it can be matched, not with weapons, money, nor by the use of courts, yet through legal mean, by the people as in democracy, taking their country back from distatorship of the Arroyos. One Million Warm Bodies are needed now more than ever. The abused of illegal power must now cease for good. Time to kick those Arroyos out of the House of the People.
Snap Election? A bad joke!
an excerpt from tribune headline:
GMA lawyer calls for appointed Con-con delegates
By Sherwin C. Olaes
12/13/2006
A Constitutional Convention is apparently favored by President Arroyo and her allies, on condition that she gets to appoint the Con-con delegates, instead of their having to undergo expensive elections as well as their one-year stay as a body that the Budget Secretary claimed would cost the government some P10 billion.
This appears to be the new tack of Malacañang as Mrs. Arroyo’s lawyer yesterday proposed to Congress to install the Con-con delegates by appointment, not through elections, and impose a ban on politicans and their relatives from being appointment.
Romulo Macalintal, the President’s lawyer, said his proposal request is to minimize government
expenses on the Con-con process and to make sure that only those qualified personalities will be named Con-con delegates.
This was officially submitted by Macalintal at the House of Representatives yesterday while emphasizing that this move was amde on his initiative and was not dictated by the Palace.
“I submitted this morning to the House my written proposal that delegates to Con-con be appointed and not elected. This is my own initiative with out asking President Arroyo, saying that through appointments, only delegates with academic and experience qualifications will pass muster. There will be no politicians, no relatives of politicians. This will be less expensive and not divisive, and at least we are assured of qualified delegates,” Macalintal said in a text message.
He said that both Houses of Congress will decide who will be appointed and who will be the appointing power. (…)
*************************************************************************
mga bulol! dami n’yo pang paeklay! hindi n’yo na kami maloloko!
Wow! Only Glue gets to appoint the delegates as a condition to a ConCon! Bakit? Does she have the edge these days to do that? Ang mga talo ay walang karapatang magbigay ng kondisyon!
Glueria and minions have all turned comedians due to panic!
Snap Election? I second the motion.
Bakit si Great Switik ang magde-decide ng destiny ng bansa? Sino siya? She does not have the mandate to led much less rule!
PATALSIKIN NA, NOW NA! MAGUGUTOM ANG PILIPINAS NA UMAASA LANG NGAYON SA MGA ABULOY EVEN FROM JUETENG LORDS!!! PANAY SIGURO ANG UKININAM NI SINGSON DAHIL KAILANGAN NIYANG SUSTENTUHAN IYONG MGA GANID SA MALACANANG!!!
Toney, snap election is not a bad joke. Rather, it’s one of the few legal options left to remove this evil woman. If an election would be held today, anyone who runs against this devil woman could easily win. In fact Toney, with the dumping of the Republican candidates last US election; your man Bush’s mishandling of Iraq War and very low rating, there should be a US snap election too.
The POWER should be with the PEOPLE. If majority of the Filipinos feel that having a SNAP ELECTION will be good for the country, then so be it !
Snap election? GMA resign? People kicking her out of Malacanan? Let’s not make a distinction, the common thread is: SNAP THIS PRETENDER TO THE THRONE! The sooner she goes, the better.
Anything This Woman sets her eyes on or touches, turns despicable. Parang Medusa. Poor Makalintal. Used to be a decent respectable fellow before he joined the Despicable One’s camp. He’s just one of a long list of formerly good decent men and women turned into “damaged goods”.
Honorable men like that lawyer Macalintal are typical of people who would trade their souls for money and power. But They are pitiful creatures, indeed! Ironically, one wonders why such good men also allow themselves to be used by that woman from Malacanan, who by all indication is the source of all evil hounding this government. She has the knack to use good and decent people. Look at how she divided the bishops during the second impeachment attempt.
Damaged goods? They really are, nobody buys such badly damaged (read: rotten) goods unless something is wrong with their perception of reality.
Unfortunately, some may be gullible enough not to discern things, or are willing parties to national decay. If we see more people doing a Macalintal, Bunye, JDV and other lapdogs of Gloria’s Strong Republic, the more they turn the country into a “damaged state,” far worse than “damaged goods.” Better trash these rotten people than the system that they are now destroying.
I still believe the snap election is a bad joke being offered as the last resort of desperation when all else has failed. Snap Election is not a provision provided in the constitution, and surely it’s not a constitutional guarantee. It’s a wish or a creation to satisfy the need on the other side of the political spectrum. In this case, the opposition wants to rid of bogus through snap election. Hyphothetically, snap election was held and bogus Gloria won? So, where that leave the country? Back to square one, I’d imagine. Will the country accept the result if bogus Gloria won the snap election? Cory didn’t when Ferdi Marcos won the snap election. Instead, Cory wore the yellow dressed and took it to Edsa. I guess, we all know the rest of the story.
In the present political atmosphere, I don’t believe that snap election is the answer in order to just rid of bogus Gloria. It’s a waste of time and resources when the result is quite obvious. A game in which will never amount to anything, so why even resort to such.
Toney, may I say again that snap election is not a bad joke or option. If it’s a joke to you, it’s not to me and most of us. It’s much better than a coup or revolution. Even if it’s not in the constitution, the chief executive or president can always issue a PD (Presidential Degree) calling for snap election. When Marcos called for snap election, I don’t think it was also in the constitution. The poor guy was provoked and challenged into calling it. Gloria could do the same if she really wants to prove her mandate from the people. The question is, will she?
SNAP ELECTION IS LIKE HAVING ANOTHER RELATIOSHIP AFTER SEPARATION FROM A PARTNER. Too much of bad stuff in the previous relationship may lead to impulsive choices, picking just anybody who comes along. Before the snap elections, maybe we should have a breather. Then look at the line up and see who is the best pick. Right now, all the potential canditates are just under the radar. If they come out too early they can be shot to death or incarcerated while Glue is in power.
After the May 2007 elections( if ever it comes to fruition), the dust will probably settle. We can re-group and re-focus.
Parasabayan, you are partly correct. We just cannot replace this evil woman with another evil. Cory was abruptly installed and selected to replace Marcos but what has she done? After six years, she the country became worse than during Marcos. She did nothing but to go after the Marcos family and run after his cronies and friends. All those time, she devoted herself visiting Sin and convents. Then at Malacanang, she played mahjong with her comadres. In the meantime, his brother Peping of the Kamag-anak Inc. was having a great time.
To me, Cory made one great contribution to the country: she restored democracy with all its faults and its warts. It exacted a huge toll on correct governance but as in everything that’s difficult to achieve, democracy is not always smooth sailing.
Cory also honoured her promise to let go of the presidency and gave up the most powerful seat when her time was up.
Obviously we can discuss ad vitam eternam her failings, her inadequacies, her incompetence at governing such an unruly class of people – the Filipinos and her inability to control the post Marcos scalawags who joined her in her government, including her own brother.
But since the Filipinos chose her at some point to be their national leader, they just have to learn to live with her minor legacy: restoration of democracy and ability to let go of power, two things that’s not easy to replicate, particularly when you’ve got a midget in power today, why, even FVR was hell bent on continuing his hold to power for another six years but was blocked!
Cory restored democracy? Or she restored the business empires of her friends? For instance, the Lopezes got back their businesses. On the other hand, those owned by Marcos cronies and friends even if those were legitimate were confiscated and taken by Salonga’s gang. If democracy was restored and it indeed worked, why did the country suffered further during her term and until today? In fact, many believe that while it took Marcos 20 years to steal the people’s money, it only took Cory six years to do this via her good looking brother Peping. A case in point: Remember that old poor fall guy Congressman De Guzman who was jailed after admitting to owning those guns smuggled throught the airport? Those were actually Peping’s. The poor old man died in shame protecting another who should be the one in jail.
And after long silence and saying nothing about JDV’s gang railroading the Con-Ass, Cory now declares that she’s joining the rally this Sunday. Is she joining the bandwagon or just because many of her bishops and Catholics are participating? I’m sure she misses Cardinal Sin so much…
I’m not saying that Cory is a saint. Far from it. I merely HONED IN on one technical political point in her career, i.e., abolition of a dictatorship to restoration of democracy, warts and all.
Admittedly, her regime, just like she was as president, was far from being ideal, it was not the democracy that people expected but heck, the Filipino nation brought her in.
Democracy didn’t work in the Philippines then (nor does it today) because Filipinos on the whole do not know or have not realized that democracy is not only a word, it is a concept, an ideal that should be learned, should be practised, and that should be understood to mean collective duty and responsibilites to sustain it.
Gee, it seems like whoever is installed to the presidency, ends up being corrupt or condones corruption. Obviously, we need to install more check and balance in our leadership. Maybe we need a major overhaul. Or simply, try and try again until we hit the right leader. If one does not pan out, oust him or her PRONTO. No second thoughts. WHY PROLONG THE AGONY? After all we can easily produce “a million warm bodies”. Just provoke the people and you will see a mass movement. We should practice this more often. If a leader does not perform, have a mass rally and boot him or her out. I am surprised that Glue lasted thing long!
npongco, are you saying that giving back to the Lopezes their businesses after Marcos forcibly took it and gave it to his cronies is wrong? And the businesses of Marcos’ cronies were legitimate?
Phil, there were other reasons unknown to many why the Lopezes lost ABS-CBN and Meralco during Martial Law. I don’t want to dwell on that because sharing those info requires lots of legal references. The question that must be asked and people should know was why was it so fast for the Lopezes to recover all those as if they were just returned to them. The Lopezes were not the only ones. Many who belong to the Makati elite, the Makati Business Club, were similarly lucky when Cory took over. I didn’t say all the Marcos cronies were legitimate. I meant all who were identified with Marcos were harassed by the PCGG. Its head Salonga and his Commissioners then made a killing. If all Marcos cronies’ businesses were illegitimate, why are tycoons Lucio Tan and Danding Cojuangco still very much around? Tan and Danding prospered in business in the 70s when Martial Law was at its peak.
Anna, like the many others who are and were against Marcos, you guys keep calling him dictator. Do you know that being a dictator is not necessarily bad per se? Sometimes, a nation needs a strong leader with a strong hand. At the outset of Martial Law, things were pretty good. People were disciplined. Later, the system of corruption and padrino system overtook whatever benefits Martial Law initially gave. That was especially true when Imelda began to put her nose and finger into the day to day matters of the country. She became the real boss in Malacanang. That was Marcos’ biggest mistake and frustration. Imelda was among those who caused his downfall. Again, dictator is not bad per se. It is when one abuses his power that makes him bad. If you ask me, this country needs a dictator…a good dictator.
leaders are duty bound to primarily protect the entity they head and in the case of duly elected and/or appointed government officials, the sovereignty of the republic and the welfare of the people should always come first and their respective personal interests should take the backdrop. they must remain committed to their sworn responsibility of protecting and respecting the rights of the people in front of any pressure they may encounter while in the performance of their functions, be it from anyone more superior in position than theirs or threats from outside.
Npongco,
BUT Marcos WAS a dictator, whether he was good or bad, he WAS a dictator and there’s NO sidestepping that.
The mere fact that during his regime, he DICTATED on the people, he did away with legitimate, legal opposition, that he could dispense with the law to take over corporations, dismantle family-owned enterprises at will, that’s DICTATORSHIP, to stifle legal dissent to close down media not sympathetic to his cause, to round up perceived enemies without due process of the law, and to rule and govern without checks and balances, those acts by ANY INTERNATIONALLY ACCEPTED STANDARDS, are called a regime of DICTATORSHIP.
Whether he did good to the country by implementing dictatorial orders is beside the point. The fact remains that he WAS a dictator and this is the issue, the heart of my comment, nothing more, nothing less.
I must however agree with you that at some point, a nation with such an unruly class of people need to be disciplined in order for some form of progress to creep in.
There is a need for a country of that kind of a BENEVOLENT dictator but that individual is difficult to find.
Largely unknown and unperceived by many, France was lucky that at a given time after WWII, Charles de Gaulle was brave enough to implement “soft” dictatorship on a people that was ideologically divided by the war. But de Gaulle was able to do this because he was BENEVOLENT and DEEPLY PATRIOTIC; he didn’t flout his power or his will, he used the power of the carrot by modernizing France rather than the stick. Everything he did was for France and its people; the most telling of his benevolence was that he ensured that his family, NOT ONE MEMBER of his family would take advantage of that power that he wielded.
But who in the Philippines is capable of doing a de Gaulle? Marcos could perhaps have done it, he was positively devious enough to do it, the intelligence and the charisma to effect it, maybe he did try but the attraction of cash, the trappings of power, the incessant demands of a frivolous spouse, were probably much stronger and so, in the end, he failed.
Or perhaps, he failed (and any other ambitious benevolent ruler will) becuase the Philippines is really fated to remain a fundamentally failed democracy because its people are divided, geographically, linguistically and socially. (Remember it took the Philippines as a nation (????) to revolt against its invaders and colonizers almost 4 centuries!)
I have no quarrel with you about the terminology of “dictator”, Madame Anna. Marcos became a dictator when he declared Martial Law. He was supported by the constitution of the land. Then, the President could declare Martial Law unlike the current constiution that requires the Congress to concur. In the early 70s, communist movement and insurgency was at its peak. The Plaza Miranda bombing that was blamed on Marcos was later found to be the works of the Communists. And this was only revealed several years after his death by no less than Victor Corpuz and seconded by Jovito Salonga. But of course we all knew that Marcos declared Martial Law to remain in power; but let’s not discount the Communist factor. After Cory took over, NPAs and Leftist were released from prison in huge number. Many were even appointed to Cory’s government. Many continued their political carrer up to this day. Famous personalities include Joker Arroyo, Saguisag, Sanchez, Pimentel, etc. Today, hardcore Communists or at the very least Communist sympathizers are in Congress represented by Party-list groups. Is dictatorship good for the country and people? For countries like us that follow the democratic form of government like that of the US, the term “dictatorship” is allergic to many. But upon careful analysis, it might just be the one this country needs due to the lack of discipline and disregard/violation of our laws. A good leader who runs the country by dictatorship might even solve some of the never ending problems we face. Let me ask you: Is Gloria not a dictator? If she is, who is a better dictator…she or Marcos?
Npongco,
Re: “Let me ask you: Is Gloria not a dictator?”
I’ve said as much in this same blog but in a different thread and in no uncertain terms that Gloria’s regime is a de facto dictatorship.
As to who is the better dictator, this to me is a double edged sword because, I am a proponent of democracy, warts and all, and dictatorship practised by either Gloria and Marcos to me is anathema.
But in the spirit of an open honest to goodness debate, I must be consistent with why I’ve said in the past threads where I reckoned that the first 2 years of Marcos’ dictatorship showed promise. Alos, you will notice that I’ve said in an earlier comment in the same thread, I believe if there was to be a dictatorship in the Philippines, that dictator must be BENEVOLENT…
However, Marcos while he showed promise of being an ambitious dictator, i.e., putting order in a miserably disorderly house, messy society, failed and that failure is what hangs in the balance of my judgement of his dictatorial policies.
With regard Cory’s releasing communists from jail and embracing them within the fold of the law was a good idea then, as your examples have shown today.
Again, while I am strongly and staunchly for democracy, I also believe that democracy cuts both ways: it is essential to understand that for it to be effective, for it to be workable, the State must not only recognize, it must perform its duties towards its citizens, to ensure their welfare, to uphold the rule of law but in the same manner, for those democratic privileges to be sustained, the citizenry must also be aware that they have responsibilities and serious obligations to uphold and to respect toward the State, so that those privileges may be sustained – for the good of the society as a whole.
Anna, we’re not debating but only discussing. You seem to have been influenced by your comadre to behave that way. You said you are an advocate of democracy and yet the tenor of your argument is that Communism is not bad as shown by your support of those former or still active Communists (or sympathizers) in the government and are now elected politicians. I’m not an expert in political science; but I think Communism or those with left leaning ideology is the opposite of democracy. With this, I think I see some contradiction on your part.
Npongco,
I am calmly stating my opinion here. Am surprised that you should interpret the way I advance my arguments differently.
When I said, “honest to goodness debate,” I wasn’t implying that we are bickering for the sake of bickering; it is a univesally accepted terminology I used to mean an open and honest exchange of ideas, a discussion as you say, so let’s not go about splitting hair if we can help it.
But never mind.
Let me say that where I sit, communists are NOT hunted members of the society. The communist party is a legally accepted political party in the West.
My sympathy for active or inactive communists is not the issue here. I am merely stating real, existing facts. Moreover, without looking outside the Philippine borders, isn’t the Communist Party legal in the Philippines?
I am not a commie nor a believer in Communist dogma because I am essentially a pragmatist to believe that their dogma works but I am also NOT in favor of the American political dogma that states communists are considered evil beyond any doubt. That hardline, no compromise attitude leaves no room for an honest to goodness debate and causes democracy to wobble, i.e., abuse and misuse as in the general acceptance of torture of prisoners, an ignoble practice that contravenes all that is morally acceptable in society!
Well Anna, sorry I misinterpreted you. Je suis de’sole’. But speaking of Communism, it’s not exactly bad. Many Communist countries (at least those used to be) have now progressed. A case in point is China. On the other hand, countries that have democratic form of government like us are still backward.
Parasabayan,
That is why I could not understand why there are those who were so against, say a Marcos, or an Erap, are so PRO-GLORIA. Although I was anti-Erap, it did not mean I would stick it out with Gloria, because the same yard stick I used in discerning about Erap is the same one I’m using on Gloria. This is not about the person. It’s about how the person is able to perform his/her duties & responsibilities, and at the same time be able to motivate his/her people. It should NOT MATTER what social background the person is from, because I think many have come to realize that the ruling elite has not proven mucho after all this time. Maybe it’s time for a change where the leader will really be sympathetic to the majority.
That is why I agree with your statement when you say that “we need to install more check and balance in our leadership. Maybe we need a major overhaul. Or simply, try and try again until we hit the right leader. If one does not pan out, oust him or her PRONTO. No second thoughts. WHY PROLONG THE AGONY?…If a leader does not perform, have a mass rally and boot him or her out…”
Why were you anti-Erap, Chabeli? Mind telling me the reason or reasons? If you compare Erap to GMA now, what can you say? Many have changed their opinions about Erap (and even Marcos) today after witnessing and experiencing the harms done by this fake president! Yes indeed, GMA is the worst (fake) president the country ever has.
kung ako ang tatanungin mo npongco, grabe ‘tong taong ‘to. garapal! if you are going to rate them who is the worst’est, GMA got the highest rating. mukhaan na ginawang tanga ang pinoy dahil pang-mentallyretarded reasoning ang ibinibigay sa bawat aksyon na ginagawa nila… ang mentality ba ng pinoy ganun lang? insulto sa taumbayan!
All the presidents before this tiyanak are saints compare to her!
Well, it’s only now that most people like us come to realize that all the past presidents including Marcos whom many described as the most evil have become some sorts of saints compared to this GMA. If this is the case, what are we all waiting for? Kick out this Gloria from the Palace where she’s been illegally occupying for many years!