These days, Gloria Arroyo, coached by filmmaker Lupita Kashiwahara imported from San Francisco, has been emphatic about a number of things that have turned out to be duds.
Speaking before the Foreign Chambers of Commerce at the Hotel Intercontinental Monday, she intoned” “Yes, a raise in the legislated minimum wage is the right thing to do and everyone in this room should work with employees to find an appropriate center position.”
A few hours after that, after a meeting with a group of businessmen, who all opposed wage hike at this time much more legislated, her trade secretary, Peter Favila, nervously took back her statement. Favila said what Arroyo really meant was wage increase through the regional wage board. No legislated minimum wage. The next day, Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye confirmed Favila’s clarification.
That’s the problem with concentrating on form rather than substance. Arroyo probably thinks that with Kashiwahara’s coaching on proper inflection, expert make-up, and right color for her outfit, she’ll solve her problem of lack of credibility which stems from lack of electoral mandate. That’s her idea of governance. Well, she is making a fool of herself.
I don’t know if Monday’s booboo was less embarrassing than her announcement last Saturday about the capture of Radullan Sahiron, the chief of staff of the notorious Abu Sayyaf Group.
Appearing on the government TV station, Arroyo said, “Gusto kong batiin ang ating mga pulis at ang ating mga sundalo dahil kaninang 4:30 (p.m.) nahuli nila ang napaka-notorious na Abu Sayyaf leader, si Radullan Sahiron na may premyo na P5 million sa kanyang ulo. (I’d like to greet our police officers and soldiers who captured at 4:30 this afternoon the most notorious Abu Sayyaf leader Radullan Sahiron who has a P5 million price for his head.)
“Itong intelligence report na ito ay napakatagal na, panahon pa ni Secretary (Eduardo) Ermita noong siya ay secretary of national defense at ngayon ay nahuli siya. Salamat at congratulations sa pangkat na pinamumunuan ni Police Col. Boogie Mendoza. Congratulations and more power to you.” (This intelligence report has been in the works for a long time, since Secretary Ermita’s term as defense secretary. Now he has been captured. Thank you and congratulations to the group headed by Police Col. Boogie Mendoza.)
Arroyo must have been so excited because her statement contained a number of errors. Sahiron is not the most notorious of the ASG leader. He is just number two. Number one is Khadafy Janjalani. Also the five million reward is in dollars, not pesos.
But the biggest error was they caught the wrong guy. Sahiron is known as the “one-armed bandit” because he lost his right arm. The man Mendoza captured has a right arm. What was missing was his left arm.
Also, Sahiron is about 60 years old. Mendoza’s guy was 20 years younger.
It turned out that the one Mendoza got was Antonio Gara, whose notoriety in Zamboanga is in cockfighting. Poor guy. He should thank Arlyn de la Cruz of Net 25 who was asked by the PNP to identify Sahiron because she knows very well the ASG leaders.
Arroyo has not been heard to say anything about that “accomplishment” anymore.
Of course, this is not the first time that Arroyo has excitedly announced non-captures. In July 26, 2002, she announced while she was in Saranggani in Mindanao, the surrender of kidnap leader Faizal Marohombsar. A few minutes later, Marohombsar, was on radio denying that he surrendered.
But Arroyo’s blunder that was most painful to the victim was her presenting to media Land Bank cashier Acsa Ramirez as a suspect in the P203 million tax diversion scam. It turned out that Ramirez was the one that exposed the scam.
It took a year and constant pressure from media before Arroyo apologized to Ramirez.
Fellow Malaya columnist Ducky Paredes asked why Arroyo takes it upon herself to make the announcements of reports that should have been done by subordinates. Captures of criminals should be announced by police officers.
Again, we go back to her perverted sense of governance. It used to be that she thought she has solved the problem of criminality by having her picture taken with criminal suspects in Malacañang. Now, she goes on TV with raw information on any issue.
I have the feeling that with her preoccupation for survival, there’s nothing more she can tell the public. She is desperate and pathetic.
No amount of Lupita’s image makeover expertise can hide it.
Last week, GMA was teary-eyed when she announced that the peso appreciated against the US dollar because of EVAT. I was waiting for a teardrop to fall. How dramatic!
Lupita should be credited for improvement in her acting performance. Compare last Monday’s “Well, the sky is not falling.” to her “I’m sorry” last July, she is doing well.
siguro sobrang stillnox at brandy bago matulog
E-mail from junhb:
“Intelligent” ba ang mga pulis o mga sundalo na naka-assigned sa “intelligence Unit”? Kasi hindi nila alam ang ‘kanan’ o ‘kaliwa”. Dapat lang sana na alam nila, dahil ito ang palaging nari-rinig nila nang sila ay nasa “basic training” course.O baka naman hindi dumaan sa basic training?Iyong officer nila, si Col. Boogie Mendoza palagay ko naman, eh, nagtapos ng college. O baka PMA graduate pa? Naku, nakata-tawa. Dapat sa kanya, mag-resign sa puwesto na. Hindi siya karapat-dapat. Kung dito sa States iyan, natanggalan na ng rango o kaya na-decommissioned na.
PMA graduate si Col.Mendoza. Siya yung officer sa “Project: Bojinka na nakahuli kay Ramzi Ahmed Yousef, ang mastermind ng 1993 World Trade center bombing na nahuli sa Malate noong 1995. Ewan, kung ano ang nangyari at nagka-ganun.
Ang tawag sa amin diyan ay “Ay Sese!” Ito ang isinisigaw ng isang “male-male” sa tuwing nagkakamali.. Alam ba ninyo ang ibig sabihin ng “male-male?” Kung hindi pa ay tingnan na lang ninyo si GMA sa tuwing binabawi niya ang kaniyang mga pahayag na kasabay pa ng ismid.
Pero ang isang male-male ay napapasigaw lang ng “Ay sese!” kapag ginugulat. Ginulat kasi ninyo si Gloria ng “Hello, Garci!” Kaya napasigaw siya ng “Ay sese! I am sorry.” Pagkatapos ay sunod-sunod na ninyong ginulantang si Ate Glo.
Kaya lang ang sabi ng lelong kong panot, kahit ano pa raw ang sabihin ay hindi maitatatwa na matapang si Gloria at ang kaniyang taropang sina Ermita, Bunye, Defensor, Gonzales, JDV, Nograles, Lomibao at Senga. Kailangan mo ng tapang upang makaharap ka pa sa madla gayong 79% ng mga Pilipino ang nagsasabing “AYAW NA SA IYO!” Pero ano’ng klaseng tapang ba’to? Ang sagot ng lelong ko: “Itanong mo sa bulaklak.”
Ellen, ayaw kong sirain ang araw mo, pero kung naniniwala ka sa Presidium na nagtatangka ngayong lumitis ke Gloria at iniisip nilang kakagatin naming masang Pilipino, laluna ang bumoto ke Fernando Poe Jr. ay nagkakamali sila. Sila ang nagluklok kay GMA at nagtangkang hubaran si FPJ ng kaniyang pagka-Pilipino sa pamamagitan ng mga peke at pinalsipikang dokumento upang pigilan siyang maging Pangulo ng Pilipinas. Nang hindi nila nagawa ito ay dinaya naman nila sa halalan.
Aminin muna nila ang kanilang ginawa at humingi ng tawad sa sambayanang Pilipino at kay Erap na inimbentuhan nila ng “constructive resignation” at kay Ronnie Poe na ninakawan nila ng pagka-Pangulo. Kasama sila sa cheering squad nang puksain ng militar ni Gloria ang EDSA-3 na dinaluhan ng milyon at talagang milyong mga mahihirap ng Pilipino. Pinabayaan ninyong tirisin ang boto nila at ideklarang NOTED lang ang lahat ng mga iyak at sigaw ng pandaraya , upang maideklara lang si GMA. Pagkatapos ngayon ay heto kayo at gusto ninyong sundan namin kayo? Ano kayo masaya?
The elite and civil society took over the revolution of the masses at EDSA-1 and then they contrived EDSA-2 and now they are trying to swing it again. Hanggang kailan paggogoyo ang masang Pilipino?
Umamin na si Cory Aquino na nagkamali siya sa Edsa Dos, di ba? Ang hinihintay ko na marinig ang ganoong panghingi ng tawad ay si Dan Songco ng CODE NGO na kumita ng bilyon.
Kagalang-galang na “bfronquillo”, taga anong probinsya, po ba kayo?
Nahirapan po akong intindihin ang inyong sinasabi dito. Kasi po, yung salitang “male-male”, sa una at maski pangalawang basa ang dating ng ibig sabihin ay “Lalaking-Lalaki” (male)!
Ngunit ang gusto po ninyong pahiwatig, sa aming mga Tagalog, ang ispeling po ay “mali-mali” (pareho ng “sinto-sinto”)- as in…”inutil ka ba”? Or in inglis – “olways mistaking”! (dahil sa nerbyos, yata, or magugulatin dahil baka duwag or puede din, baka guilty).
Sa kabilang panig naman, sa lahi ng mga angkan kong intsik,
na galing sa Mainland China,at salitang Mandarin, ang salitang – sounds like – “sese” (“che-che), ang ibig sabihin ay – “thank you”, “salamat” – “gracias” (in soyti language), na madalas sabihin pagkatapos kumain ng 9masarap na) “komida Tsina”(lalo na pag “loryat”). (Sa mga taga-A’moy…aksent on the first sylyabol,or Fuki-en, yan naman, ang katumbas ay – “tosha”)
Bumalik tayo sa Pinoy na Pinoy na salita – kung ang ibig po ninyong sabihin ay yung “olways blaming me…(?)”, sa amin po, ang ispeling ay “sisi”
Sa mga kantoboy sa amin, na mahilig umistambay at maginuman, “toss or tagay” hanggang magkalasingan, may kasabihang “Hindi bali tumagal ang kamay sa “suso”, huwag lang sa baso.” Hindi ko rin po alam ang koneksyon nitong huling ito sa ating pagsa. Basta bigla ko lang pong naalala.
Parang malapit na din sa “sese” at “male-male” ninyo, kaya, pinasok ko na rin. Tutal labu-labo” naman ang usapan at batikusan dito. (para ding “malabong-malabo?)
Ukol naman sa pangangaral ng inyong “Lelong na Panot” (nahalata ang edad natin sa salitang ito)na “itanong mo sa bulaklak” (kumpirmado ang edad natin), ito naman ang “punta de vista” ng isang nakakatanda (din?):
1. “Hindi matapang si GMA”.
Kabaligtaran ang aking obserbasyon. Magmula sa umpisa ng kanyang pagka-presidente, kung mayroong isang bagay na hindi maiitangi tungkol kay Ginang Presidente – ito ay ang paniniwalang, mapapatunayan, na siya ay “TAKOT”.
Takot sa “oposisyon”. Takot sa “medya”. Takot sa “asawa”.
Takot sa “barkada ng asawa”. Takot kay yumaong Kardinal Kasalanan (Hindi magandang pakinggan ang translation..kasi hindi din maganda ang inglis version – SIN!). Takot kay Tabako. Takot sa military. Ilang kay Cory.
Lahat ba ng “takot” ay “duwag”? Scared versus Coward? Hindi. Pag binigla mo, or NADURO mo ang isang tao…sa mismong sandaling ‘yun, maaring MATAKOT MO SIYA, na maging sanhi ng kanyang PAGKA-DUWAG. Nguni’t, hindi ibig sabihin na sa lahat ng bagay at pagkakataon, ang taong iyong “naduro, at naduwag”, ay tunay at natural na DUWAG, sa lahat ng bagay, at lahat ng pagkakataon. Yun ang sa akin.
Si GMA ay TAKOT…hindi DUWAG. Pero, sigurado ako…HINDI MATAPANG, si GMA. Iba ang MATARAY sa MATAPANG, di po ba? May kasabihan sa atin (o baka sa amin lang) na – “Ang mataray ay di dapat magtapang-tapangan, sapagka’t delikado ang – ‘malakas ang loob, pero mahina ang tuhod’ ” Meron po ba kayong ganoong kasabihan din?
2. Ukol po naman sa mga ibang taong nabanggit ninyo na “pangkat at barkadahan (or sige, kakampi) ng Ginang Pangulong Ina ng Bayan – nagkataon po lamang na nakilala ko po ng “personalan” ang iba sa kanila:
* * General Ermita – noong siya po ay nasa serbisyo pa ng militar, siya po ay kilala na “tahimik, pero kumakasa, huwag kang magkakamali.” Ngunit, siya po ay retirado na. Hind na sundalo. Ngayon po, siya ay “pulitiko” na. Ang tanong: “Si Ermita po ba ay matapang na pulitiko?” Ang sagot ko po sa sarili kong tanong: “Walang pulitikong matapang…madami, or karamihan, mapagsamantala lamang…at parang walang TAKOT gumawa ng mga karumal-dumal.” Hindi ko po sinasabing si retired General Ermita ay “hindi matapang na tao”. Siya po ay magiting na sundalo; ngunit, hindi “matapang na pulitiko”. Nagkaintindihan po tayo, Kagalang-galang “bfronquillo”?
* Bunye – Minsan ko po lamang nakasama at nakahuntahan si Ginoong Bunye. Noong Oktubre 29, 2002! Abalang-abala siya pagsulat ng “chat” nila Ginang Presidente, at dating Gobernador ng California Gray Davis, at dating Mayor ng San Francisco Willie Brown. Nagkataon lang pong “nakasingit” ako sa “exclusive and closed door” (daw) conference. (Ganoon kapabaya ang SEGURIDAD, ng ating Presidente. Dahil kung ako ay may masamang tangka…nakalusot na ako…). Si Ginoong Bunye po ay abalang-abala…sulat ng sulat…katabi ko po siya…pareho kaming nakatayo, malapit sa Ginang Presidente at opisyal ng Estados Unidos. Hindi ko po napigilan…at binulungan siya…”Bakit hindi ka kumuha na lang ng tape recorder?” Para bang takot na takot siyang makita ni Ginang Presidente na walang ginagawa!!!! Sa loob ko lamang naman, kung sa ganyang bagay, takot ang isang tao…malamang sa ibang bagay, “hindi rin siya matapang”. Kaya? Sa mga kanyang pagbatikus at depensa ng Ginang President…sa akin lang naman – kulang na kulang sa puwersa, sa laman, pati na sa drama ang kanyang mga sagot sa katanungan ng medya…lalo na sa oposisyun. KULANG NA KULANG SA TAPANG (ng katotohan, siguro)!
*Defensor – hindi ko po kakilala si Mike. Ngunit, matalik kong kaibigan ang kanyang ama, si “Boy”, (nuong bata pa kami), pero ngayon “Matt” na ang tawag sa kanya. Yan, lahi ng “tunay na matatapang” yan. Pamangkin ni Senadora Miriam Defensor Santiago si Mike. Kung natatapangan kayo sa “katarayan ni Senadora”, lalo kayong matatapangan sa
mapusok (unpredictable) kilos ng batang Mike. Ang kanyang ama ay kasalukuyang Kongresman ng QC, pangatlong distrito. Isipin ninyo, nanalo yan ng halos walang kampanya. Si “Boy” ay malalim ang pinangalingan sa larangan ng “aktivism”. Mas malalim sa lahat ng kabinete ni Ginang Presidente. Una kay Bobi Tiglao yan. Una sa kanilang lahat. Una sa KM or Kabataang Makabayan. Una kay Joma at lahat ng pangkat niya sa CPP, SCAUP, or NDF. Hanggang doon lang ang puede nating pagkwentuhan dito. At sa aking nalalaman…”Ang prutas daw, lalo na paghinog na, hindi malayo ang kalalagyan (or kahuhulugan sa punong pinangalingan.”
* * *Yung iba po ninyong binanggit na “pangkat na matatapang” ng Ginang Presidente…ay hindi ko po kakilala. Mukhang kayo ang may kakilala. Kung maari po lamang paki detalyahin ang mga bagay na nalalaman po ninyo tungkol sa kanila, para kami naman ay maliwanagan ng husto, at makapagpasiya ng sarili, kung sila nga ay tunay na “matapang”, nagtatapang-tapangan, lamang…or baka naman tayo ang “nalalabuan at nalilinlang” sa mga umaatikabong “kwentutang walang tigil”, na bisyo nating mga Pilipino. Ano po?
3. Yun pong kalahating bahagi ng inyong sinulat dito ay sa susunod ko na pong babatikusin…at pagaaralan ko ng masinsinan ang tunay at hindi tunay…sapagkat, ako po ay medyo naguguluhan. Para pong ako ay may “confusement”:
* * *ano ang ibig ninyong sabihing “kaming mga masa”. Sino po ang inyong tinuturing na “kaming mga masa”. Kasali po ba kayo sa masa?
* * *ano po ang inyong pruweba na palsipikadong dokumento ang ginamit para “hubaran si Da Poe King (ina’t ama at talaga namang banyaga)ng pagka-Presidente?
* * *hindi po ba ang “plurality ng boto” ay sapat na para mahalal na presidente? At ang bilang na pinal po sa eleksyon 2004 ay maliwanag na si Ginang Presidente at nahalal ng mga humigit kumulang 2 milyung boto?
* * *Ang COMELEC po, sampu ng Kongreso ng Pilipinas ay nagpasya na si Ginang President ang nagwagi. Humigit kumulang 2 milyung boto! Yung Namfrel ang “hula at kalkula” ay “about,kulang-kulang sa 800K, lang ang lamang ni Ginang Presidente.” PERO PANALO PA DIN SI GINANG PRESIDENTE.
* * *Ang KORTE SUPREMA, ay hindi lang isang beses, bagkus tatlong beses, sa iba-ibang revalida, na ang nahalal na presidente ay si Ginang Presidente!
SINO BA ANG HINDI TUMATANGGAP NG PAGKAPANALO NI GINANG PRESIDENTE SA HALALANG 2004
I posted elsewhere, Ellen, my personal concern about this “kapalpakan by BM”. I would like to reiterate it here in this thread.
Try as hard as I can, I find it simply INCREDIBLE, that a faux pas like this can be committed, WITHOUT SOME UNDERLYING (deliberate, or deliberated) reason!
I am not keen,nor am I alluding to doing an investigation to verify if this is traceable all the way to the top (GMA). That kind of an exercise is futile.
But I would like to see a real well-meaning jounalist look behind, underneath, and deep – HOW CAN SOMETHING LIKE THIS BE ALLOWED TO HAPPEN?
I have a suspicion this was not an INNOCENT MISTAKE, nor a careless one. To me, it is more like a DELIBERATE MISTAKE. Philippine style of human intelligence work is noted or an established reputation for this. They call it “kuryente”.
As a matter of fact – the “kuryente technique” is employed as a standard strategy. With the “kuryente”, what comes next is a “counter kuryente”…..and the beat goes on!
To be sure, and to be fair…TO THE PUBLIC, that is…when a mistake like this occurs, there must be some serious BLOOD LETTING. Hindi biro ito!!!!! This is published globally. And this kind of CRAP just adds to the list of our denigrating labels…as one of the most corrupt (inept) countries in the world.
Who is responsible and who is accountable here???? How come media has dropped (stopped) the ball on this, all too suddenly?
Those are the kinds of issues I would like to read about and analyze…till the guilty party’s blood oozes.
Pepeton
One final note – Lupita Kashiwara has become a known entity to a large extent, I believe, because her brother was Ninoy Aquino. And she her husband is in international (USA?) media.
What is her real profession? A PR-image builder? Since when?
When I met her (and Steve Psinakis) in the USA, a long time ago (shortly after Ninoy’s assassination)- I distinctly remember her telling me that she was a “writer and movie producer”. I am not familiar with her writings or movies.
The story goes, and I heard it at least third hand, that at the height of the “Garcillano Tapes” scandal, when GMA was deliberating what position to take…Lupita K was sent for, by Malacanyang, at the last hour. And the story goes further that it was Lupita K who persuaded GMA…to come and come clean, and admit, whatever it was that she could/should admit. So, if this is true, that Lupita K was the one who persuaded GMA to “admit she called up or spoke with Garcillano”…what conclusion may be drawn from that?
Those who did not agree with GMA’s admission, likewise, did not agree with Lupita K’s advise (assuming it was she, who in fact persuaded GMA to admit.) Looking back, and assessing it in light of the present, in total, I would rate the advice – “moderately suicidal”. If I were president, I will allow my advisers “one mistake” ONLY.
I am not sure Lupita K fits into the character (nor has the experience and reputation) that you have portrayed here, i.e., as a “personal adviser” to GMA, to help improve her hapless public image.) On the contrary, I would say, that lacking any evidence of experience, or expert reputation for the task…plus the fact that she “was” the sister-in-law of Corazon Sumulong Cojuangco vda de Aquino, does not mitigate the apparent tension between GMA and Cory A.
Frankly, I do not believe that the mere “physical nearness” of Lupita K to GMA lately can be interpreted to mean that Lupita has now become GMA’s (official) personal adviser on “public exposure”. It is easy to create the impression, specially if all the “ingredient paints” are readily available. I am not impressed, but will keep a watchful eye and open ears.
Pepeton
The ones who convinced GMA to apologize were the cabinet members composed mostly of the Hyatt 10 plus Pat Sto. Tomas (labor) and Rafael Perpetou Lotilla (energy)and Avelino Cruz (defense). They were joined by her businessmen advisers: tom alcantara, roberto romulo and a few others, mostly from makati business club, who were her supporters then. They thought that if she would apologize that was the end of it.
Lupita merely oversaw the taping of that “I’m sorry” statement. There were only four in the room, excluding the RTVM camera man.. GMA, Lupita, Gina de Venecia and Cecile Alvarez.
One of the four told me that the taping had started when she arrived and what she witnessed were four takes. How many takes before that, she didn’t know. I’m telling you this because there were talks that it took 20 takes for that disastrous statement.
This crisis has brought Lupita close to GMA. In almost all (as long as she is here because she shuttles between SF and manila these days)of GMA’s outings, Lupita is seen hovering around, instructing camera men and photographers. She has become a fixture in Malacañang. But what I hear is she is also being resented by some people in Malacañang.
I think Lupita’s role is merely in directing her media appearances, how to make her look good on cam, and that includes how she delivers her speech, proper inflection, facial expression, etc. etc. Director nga.
Malacañang has hired the U.S firm Burson Marsteller to help in GMA’s image makeover. Although BM’s target audience for GMA was primarily international, they also helped in improving her domestic image because that was what they were going to market abroad.
I did an article on this for PCIJ.It’s in http://www.pcij.org/blog/?p=397
The best image is truth.