Cha-Cha – ellen tordesillas

GMA’s second ascent

Published by Ellen on July 24, 2018

Gloria Arroyo – in a red- orange dress taking control of the situation at the Batasan Session Hall last Monday- was a personification of what German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche said,“That which does not kill us, makes us stronger.”

It is shuddering to imagine what a re-invigorated GMA can and will do.

She stayed in Malacañang for ten years with a dubious mandate. A vice president in 2001, she grabbed power from then President Joseph Estrada by installing herself to the presidency that was not declared vacant. She cheated, using the Commission on Elections and the military, in the 2004 elections.

In the unforgettable words of Susan Roces, the widow of her victim, Fernando Poe, Jr: “… you have stolen the presidency, not once, but twice.”

Heed this constitutional expert’s warning

Published by Ellen on July 18, 2018

Prof. Gene Pilapil. Scrrengrab from GMA7TV

What struck me in the Pulse Asia’s latest survey on Charter Change was how uninformed we are about our Constitution, which we all approved in 1987.

The nationwide survey with 1,800 registered voters 18 years old and above as respondents was conducted June 15 to 21, two weeks before the consultative committee formed by President Duterte to draft a federal Constitution submitted its finished product to Malacañang.

Pulse Asia found out that about three-quarters of Filipinos (74%) have little/almost no/no knowledge at all about the 1987 Philippine Constitution.). Of the total figure (74%), 43% have little knowledge while 31% know practically/completely nothing about the document that spells out the basic laws that govern us.

Hilbay warns of the danger of Duterte’s ConCom

Published by Ellen on July 5, 2018

Con-Com Chair Reynato Puno with former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr. at the start of the Concom deliberations Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City on Feb. 27, 2018. PNA photo by Joey Razon.

We have yet to see the official copy of the new Constitution drafted by the Consultative Committee formed by President Duterte last December so we are relying on the Notes released to media which states about the formation of a Federal Republic of the Philippines.

The approved draft, which states that the Philippines would have 18 federated regions which would get a share of not less than 50 percent of all the collected taxes on income, excise, value-added tax and customs duties, is undergoing polishing in grammar and spelling before it is submitted to the President on or before July 9, in time for his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 23, ConCom spokesman Conrado Generoso said.

Generoso denied that the draft Federal Constitution being circulated online dated June 27 and June 30 is official as it does not contain corrections and changes made as late as morning of July 3.

5 possible reasons why PNoy floated Chacha and term extension

Published by Ellen on August 17, 2014

Faced with overwhelming opposition to a Charter Change to allow President Aquino to extend his term beyond 2016, Malacañang has backtracked and assured the public that he is not supporting changes in the Constitution in the last two years of his presidency.

Press Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr and Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte can resort to all kinds of spins but it is on record (TV5’s interview Aug. 13 interview) that Aquino said he was open to charter change to clip the powers of the Supreme Court and to another term.
But why did Aquino float it in the first place?

We can think of five possible reasons:

Listen to your mother

Published by Ellen on August 14, 2014

The outpouring of grief that catapulted Noynoy Aquino to the presidency.

Had former President Cory Aquino not died on Aug. 1, 2009, her son, Benigno Aquino III would not be in Malacañang today.

At the time of Cory’s death, nine months before the May 2010 presidential elections, Noynoy Aquino, who had an unremarkable record as legislator (9 years as representative of the 2nd district of Tarlac and three years as senator), was not in anybody’s mind for the highest position in the land.

He was catapulted to the presidency by the people’s sympathy for his mother.

He owes his presidency to his mother.

Si Manny Pacquiao at ang Cha-Cha

Published by Ellen on October 2, 2011

Hindi ako sarado sa pag-amyenda ng Saligang Batas ngunit medyo may kaba ako na mai-pasok ang mga hindi kanais-nais na pagbabago.

Sana hindi nila ibahin ang limitasyun sa edad ng gusto kumandidato para presidente at bise-presidente. Natatakot kasi akong tumakbo si Manny Pacquiao sa 2016 at mananalo. Kawawa naman ang bayan.

Kamakailan sinabi ni Pacquaio na hindi pa naman ang pagka- presidente ng bansa ang sunod na pinupuntirya nya sa 2016. Bise- presidente daw.

Sunod na araw, sinabi na mali daw ang report. Dahil alam naman daw niya na hindi pa siya qualified para tumakbo kahit sa pagka bise-presidente. Pareho naman ang age requirement sa mga gustong kumandidato sa pagka presidente at bise-presidente. Kailangan 40 na taong gulagg sa araw ng eleksyun.

Beware of Cha-Cha as Arroyo’s Trojan horse

Published by Ellen on January 11, 2011

Related article: ex CJ Puno: It’s time for charter change

Cha-cha tune is being played again and we should be wary and alert.

Last Sunday, a friend working in the House of Representatives alerted us that Gloria Arroyo and her allies are ready with the charter-change operation and they are just waiting for the right time to start it. She said Arroyo has the “budget” for it.

Arroyo has already made the first step when she filed on her first day as Pampanga 2nd District representative last July 1 a set of bills including House Resolution 8 calling for charter change through a Constitutional Convention. It was co-authored by her son, Camarines Sur. Rep. Dato Arroyo.

The swords are out

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2010

The swords are drawn.

President Aquino gave orders to investigate crime against the Filipino people. Pampanga Representative (2nd district) Gloria Arroyo files a resolution to amend the Constitution.

First day of the new administration and Gloria Arroyo has served notice that she won’t be just waiting for sheriffs to pick her up and dump her in jail just like what she did to her predecessor, President Estrada.

Together with her son, Camarines Sur Rep Diosdado “Dato” Arroyo,she filed a resolution calling for the convening of Congress into a constitutional convention for the purpose of amending economic and political provisions in the Constitution.

Gloria Arroyo files charter change resolution

Published by Ellen on July 1, 2010

On her first day as congresswoman, Rep. Gloria Arroyo filed a resolution calling for charter change.

From ABS-CBN News online:

A day after stepping down as President of the Republic of the Philippines, Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo filed a resolution to amend or revise the 1987 Constitution.

Arroyo’s proposal seeks to convene Congress in a constitutional convention for the purpose of amending economic and political provisions in the Constitution.

Critics of the former President have said Mrs. Arroyo is planning to push for a shift from a democratic to a parliamentary form of government in the hopes that she could be elected prime minister.

Legalizing the illegal

Published by Ellen on March 18, 2010

This is what is disturbing about the Supreme Court decision allowing Gloria Arroyo to make a midnight appointment to succeed Chief Justice Reynato Puno: Arroyo can do anything illegal to stay in power beyond June 2010 and the Supreme Court will give it a mantle of legality.

Photo by Mario Ignacio for VERA Files

This is the scenario that we are looking: There will be partial failure of election. Only in the national level. That means no president, vice president and senators would be proclaimed by June 30, 2010.

Since the term of incumbent Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile will end on June 30, there will be no Senate President, who is third in the Constitutional order of succession. (There have been calls for Enrile to do the patriotic act of resigning as senate president so that someone whose term will end in 2013 could be elected senate president but he has refused.)
Meanwhile, there would be proclamation of winners in the local posts including members of the House of Representatives.

There have been reports of Gloria Arroyo subsidizing the campaign of a huge number of congressmen to make sure that she gets elected as speaker.

The speaker of the House is fourth in the line of succession.

Category: Cha-Cha