Luli clueless on Mom's illegal activities

From the Inquirer:

MABALACAT, Pampanga -- Evangelina "Luli" Arroyo thinks the disqualification cases filed against her mother are funny.

"[The cases] are really comedy, di ba?" President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's only daughter said Tuesday in response to a question from the Inquirer. "Parang, o, sige, mag-imbento pa kayo (Go ahead, invent some more). The opposition likes to say [she has done nothing] over the past three years, but it is also complaining that she is also using government projects."

"So what is it, really?" Luli demanded. "Ano ba talaga? Wala ba talaga siyang nagawa, o naiinis kayo na marami siyang programa (Has she really done nothing, or are you just annoyed that she has many programs)?"

Hindi na kailangang mag-imbento Luli, kasi GARAPALAN na ang pandaraya eh.

As for your mom's "programa", bakit ngayon lang ito naglabasan during election season?

Your mom had 3 and a half years to make this country better, pero ngayon nya lang naalala ang tungkulin nya -- which is to SERVE THE PEOPLE, NOT TO ENRICH YOURSELVES.

WHY?

Bakit nung malapit na ang eleksyon atsaka lang nya naalala ang mga constituents nya, hmmm?

At bakit puro short-term lang ang mga "programa" ni Madam Arroyo? Why are these programs (most were started on Jan-Feb. 2004) slated to end on or before May 2004? Bakit hanggang Jan to May 2004 lang siya, Luli?

Coincidence lang ba nagkasabay yung beginning at ending ng mga "programa" ng nanay mo at yung beginning at ending ng election season?

Akala ko pa naman eh mga "long term" solutions ang binibigay ng nanay mong presidente sa publiko... HINDI PALA!

It will only last until the election season is over.

Malaking kalokohan ito luli!

Hindi lang basta-basta pwedeng gamitin ng nanay mo yung taxpayer money namin for her own political campaigns.

Ano ka ba? Like mother, Like daughter?

Or even worse, Like Father, Like Daughter!

Desperado na ba si Ate Glo?

First, Mrs. Pidal wanted to pirate FPJ's media bureau chief and former press secretary Rod Reyes for P5 Million. But Mr. Reyes wisely rejected their offer and stayed loyal to FPJ.

Then, it was KNP head Ed Angara's turn to get an offer from the Palace to defect. Senate Presidency raw at 3 cabinet portfolios ang ibibigay. Angara too rejected the offer.

Is it obvious that Malacanang wants to create a perception that FPJ's followers are abandoning him to weaken his candidacy. Pero palpak ang plano nila.

Of course, when asked if Malacanang made offers to Reyes and Angara to defect, deny to death kaagad si GMA spokesperson Mike Defensor.

But IIRC, Malacanang's boys also made an offer to Raul Roco to slide down to VP or drop out of the race last year. Ayaw rin ni Roco sa offer nila.

Pero nung tinanong ang Malacanang sa Roco offer nila, sabi ng GMA spokesperson na hindi raw totoo yon and denied such a thing took place.

Why the desperation to buy off people? What are their internal polls telling them?

Is GMA in trouble?

Don't care if GMA's immune from criminal charges, DISQUALIFY HER!

DOJ Secretary Merceditas Guttierez said that filing charges against GMA is futile because President Arroyo is immune from criminal cases.

The only way to remove her is thru impeachment or voting her out of office raw.

Ang sabi ko naman kay Ms. Guttierez ay... Okey lang, we can wait naman eh.

Basta ma-disqualify lang si GMA, ayos na.

We can always impeach or file criminal charges against Mrs. Arroyo after the elections, but there is enough evidence available for COMELEC to disqualify her on grounds of illegal use of government funds and resources for her election campaign -- illegal diversion of PAGCOR money to GMA's political campaign, PCSO "public service" ads, PHILHEALTH cards, GMA's "walking ads" streetsweepers.

HEY COMELEC, DO YOUR JOB!!! GARAPAL NA ANG PANDARAYA NI GMA!!! WAG KAYONG MAGBUBULAG-BULAGAN!

Basahin nyo itong mga articles ni Conrad de Quiros (dito, dito, dito at dito) ng PDI para malaman nyo kung gaano ka garapal ang pandaraya at illegal na paggamit ng pondo ng gobierno (for GMA's political campaign) sa loob ng rehimeng Arroyo.

Excerpt sa article ni De Quiros "Stop Her":

What makes the matter particularly grave and urgent is the scale on which she's burning money. It makes drunken sailors look positively abstemious. You see legions of street sweeps materializing from out of nowhere wearing Macapagal-Arroyo shirts and erasing the campaign materials of Ms Macapagal-Arroyo's rivals from walls, and being told the future of their employment depends on Ms Macapagal-Arroyo winning, you know you're being fried in your own fat. I myself personally find oppressive the ad produced by the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), which has become even more ubiquitous since I last wrote about it. I watched parts of the national billiards fest and an NCAA game on the Solar Sports television channel last Monday, and I swear PCSO head Honeygirl de Leon appeared there on every commercial break to proclaim Ms Macapagal-Arroyo's virtues. I do not know how much that 30-second or so spot costs, but I figure Solar must now have amassed a fortune from it.

I ask anyone of those who have been writing to complain that I have been unfair to Ms Macapagal-Arroyo to explain how that ad cannot possibly be openly campaigning for her, in flagrant violation of Commission on Election (Comelec) rules. Or never mind the Comelec, since rules are to Comelec as garlic is to a vampire. Of basic decency, or fair play. The ad opens with Ms Macapagal-Arroyo being shown with knitted brows, the picture of compassionate fortitude, flying to the aid of all sorts of disaster victims: floods, fire, you name it. The point is clear: It is not government as a corporate entity but Ms Macapagal-Arroyo as an individual person who is rescuing embattled citizens from their plight. It ends with De Leon saying in a voice that gets more and more unctuous each time I see and hear the ad (and it is inescapable) that cooperation and perseverance are what we need to bring about Ms Macapagal-Arroyo's vision of a strong republic. Again Ms Macapagal-Arroyo in various poses.

I challenge any expert in content analysis to come out in the open and say this is not a campaign ad.

As it is, the economic impact of this election spending may be the least of our problems. Though it is a monstrous problem enough in itself. Whoever wins the elections will have to deal with empty coffers and runaway inflation afterward. Like I said, one is tempted to hope that it is Ms Macapagal-Arroyo herself so she can reap the fruits of her profligacy. But that is like throwing a turtle into the sea to drown as punishment.

Exactly!

Washington Times wants Lacson to win?

From the Washington Times:

Many in the Philippines are skeptical that dialogue can successfully pacify terrorists. Sen. Ping Lacson, a former chief of the Philippine National Police who is running against Mrs. Arroyo for the presidency, is pushing for relentless attacks to wipe out terror camps and force the separatists to surrender. The president maintained to us: "The conditions for lasting peace are there. The ceasefire (with the MILF) is holding and (economic) development is starting." Internal polling at Malacanang Presidential Palace shows that Mr. Lacson has a slight edge over Mrs. Arroyo if the opposition unites behind one candidate. The May election will determine whether the future policy of the Philippine government will be to step up the fighting against or the negotiations with radical Islam.

Mukhang hindi solidly behind ang WashTimes sa patakaran ni GMA, ah? Mukhang mas gusto pa nilang manalo si Lacson.

At agree rin yata ang WashTimes sa observations ko, at sa pananaw rin ni Dean Jorge Bocobo:

Even as she has built up a strong reputation for backing the West against the Islamist terrorist groups, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has actually indeed been "soft" on domestic terrorist groups like the CPP/NPA and the MILF/Abu Sayyaf/Jemaah Islamiyah. The failure of her administration to pass anti-terrorism legislation has been a boon to the continuing fund-raising and above-ground activities of these groups.

Nabasa kaya ng WashTimes ang blog ko o yung kay Dean Bocobo?

Don't expect Unity if Al Queda attacks US before Nov. Polls

Conventional Wisdom #1: Any terrorist attack on US soil will benefit George W. Bush in the elections.

Conventional Wisdom #2: Any terrorist attack on US soil will only help unite Americans behind the President.

Normally, those 2 statements above would apply to this (or any previous) US election year.

But there is nothing ordinary about the upcoming elections in November.

The way democrats and the "mainstream media" are reacting to Bush now and slamming everything he does, I believe this election is going to be one of the most bitter, divisive and partisan ever. I've never seen anything like this before. Very highly-charged talaga ang political atmosphere sa US ngayon.

Especially the Left-leaning "mainstream media". The way "mainstream media" handled the Clarke affair (believing everything he says while ignoring the glaring inconsistencies) reveals a strong effort/bias on their part to help the Democrats oust Bush in November.

I am almost tempted to consider the Left (most Dems, "mainstream media") a "strategic enemy" on the WOT.

(Not all liberals are bad of course. There's Blair, Joe Lieberman and Zell Miller who are strongly pro-WOT.)

Now assuming for the sake of argument that the Dem party is unwittingly acting like the political wing of Al Queda, Can you imagine what would happen if the US were attacked by al queda ala Madrid before the elections (I believe there's a 95% chance of that happening)?

Hundreds or thousands dead I assume.

But don't be surprised if a day or two after the incident, a previously unheard-of Dem partisan "9/11" group springs out of nowhere and accuses the Bush administration of:

1. failing to protect the american people


2. provoking the terrorist because the US invaded Iraq


3. manipulating the information on what really happened and who was responsible

"Mainstream media" then immediately picks their story and it immediately becomes BIG NEWS. There won't be enough time for the victims and the country to grieve because these groups will make a lot of noise and it will be amplified by the anti-bush media around the world.

Then the Dems and Kerry's surrogates come into the picture and back these "9/11" groups, accusing the administration of dereliction of duty, incompetence and coverups.

And all hell breaks loose.

Now, does the tactic sound familiar? Well, that's because it's the same one used by Zapatero and some of Spain's "Socialist party"-leaning media to manipulate the voters by accusing the government of lying and blaming Aznar (not the terrorists) for the Madrid bombings.

Because the Dems have chosen a "scorched-earth" policy in attacking the Bush admin, you can almost be certain that they would react the same way their left-leaning Spanish counterparts did during the aftermath of a terror attack.

And the Bush admin won't know what hit them.

A One-two combo. Al queda attacks first. Then the Democratic Party finishes the job for them in November.

Don't expect Americans to unite behind the prez after a horrific terror attack. Instead, watch as the US descend into "blame-game" and finger-pointing.

Al queda will step aside and gloat as the dems and republicans go after each others throats.

This elections season, don't expect Unity. Expect winning at all costs.

Expect "civil war". But I don't think it will be as bad as what Den Beste predicts will happen to the palestinians after the violent death of Sheik Yassin.

Should Condi Rice testify publicly?

I don't think Condi Rice will but it was very stupid of John Kerry to politicize 9/11 commission by getting involved with the investigations for partisan purposes.

But if Condi decides at the last minute to testify publicly (to satisfy the Democrats clamor for her head on the plate), I predict her scheduled testimony before the 9/11 commisssion will be the most anticipated and most watched on TV.

I know she'll do a great job of defending herself and the administration and she'll blow all of Clarke's outrageous accusations out of the water.

This Australian got it WRONG on some key issues

My comments on Mr. Greg Sheridan's article in The Australian. (The guy is obviously pro-GMA and anti-Estrada):

Worst of all is the pervasive crisis of governance and corruption. There are 7 million Muslims in the southern Philippines who have never been integrated into national life. The terrorist groups that thrive there - from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front to the Abu Sayyaf group - are the epicentre of regional terrorism.

Western intelligence is aware of at least one Jemaah Islamiah terrorist training camp in Lanao del Norte, in Mindanao, still functioning today. There may be others, in what is JI's Mantiki3 area. Although the MILF denies it is connected to JI, there is a substantial JI presence in Mindanao.

According to Philippines military sources, there could be as many as 400 to 500 Indonesians and Malaysians undergoing military training in Mindanao. Military sources confirm that the terrorists get many of their weapons from the Philippines military and that elements of the Philippines navy are routinely involved in smuggling to terrorists.

Joseph "Erap" Estrada may be a lot of things, but being labeled as "soft on terrorism" is not one of them.

Unlike Mrs. Arroyo, at least Joseph Estrada was tough on the MILF terrorists, no? Instead of just going after the Muslim terrorists in 2000 and treating it as a "law enforcement" issue, he waged war against the terrorists and those who harbor them and give them safe haven.

One of the biggest terrorist training camp (Camp Abubakar) in Asia fell on July 2000, thanks to Mr. Estrada's unrelenting efforts to fight terrorism.

But when Mrs. Arroyo came into power, what did she do? She appeased the MILF terrorists by RETURNING ALL THE TERRORIST CAMPS (including Camp Abubakar) back to the MILF and signing on to a "termporary ceasefire". Mrs. Arroyo did that because she wants to run again in 2004 and doesn't want the MILF issue hounding her.

Can you imagine George W. Bush handing over the Afghanistan Training Camps back to the Taliban and Mullah Omar?

I don't think so!

Isn't this the reason why so many of our brave Filipino military officers protested the handover of Camp Abubakar and other satellite camps back to the terrorists?

But that's what Gloria Macapagal Arroyo did. So I'm not surprised at all that JI still has training camps in Mindanao. You won't hear much from GMA on why they are not doing anything to destroy these camps because it is near the presidential elections at mabubuking na naman si GMA ("Who returned the terrorist camps to the MILF?")

Short-term political gains lang ang habol niya dito. She just doesn't want to deal with it and wants to postpone or pass the Terrorism problem along to the next administration.

The Philippines crisis is multidimensional. I recently spent a dolorous few hours with a very senior Filipino, a cosmopolitan, liberal, moderate man who has spent years at the heart of government. He told me of the grip organised crime has on Philippines politics, of how much of the national drugs trade is controlled by triads and how much money they pump into politics, and how much influence they have as a result.

He claimed the drugs trade is deeply linked back into mainland China and that the triads often work in the political interests of Beijing. He even attributed key Senate votes against continuing US bases in the Philippines in the 1990s to triad influence. Other sources say that at any one time up to 100,000 illegal immigrants from China are in the Philippines working in the drug trade.

That's the problem with these Western Journalists. They are spending too much time on these "Civil Society/PDI" types. Sino pa ba ang pinapatamaan nung "very senior, cosmopolitan, liberal, moderate" Filipino na ito kung hindi si Ping Lacson? LOL!!!

Siguro dapat tanungin na lang niya kung bakit laganap ulit ang kidnapping at corruption sa ating bansa after Estrada was removed from power.

The terrorist groups in the south have become deeply involved with organised crime and in bribing local officials. Thus the Philippines has the most deadly combination a modern state can have: terrorism intertwined with organised crime. This makes eliminating terrorism almost impossible because so many criminal and even official networks have a financial stake in it.

The consequences of all this for Australia are pretty obvious. If a regional terrorist conducts a devastating operation against Australia, or against Australians in the region, there is every chance he will have been trained in a camp in the Philippines.

I have written about that dangerous combination (terrorist-military) last year (article located here). All the details, the collusions, the coverups of the Arroyo administration to protect the corrupt military that helped install her to the presidency... nandodoon lahat.

(Why was she doing it, you ask? Because she's AFRAID of the military.)

Poe is, of course, no terrorist. But he is backed by a mixture of cronies who backed the Philippines' two worst modern presidents, Ferdinand Marcos and Joseph Estrada.

Arroyo deserves credit for turning the country around after the disastrous Estrada. But she has not championed economic reform, so the gradual slide to crisis continues.

LOL! Another smear. And what is this nonsense about GMA "turning the country around" after the disasterous estrada? Our lives did not get any better under Arroyo. In fact, she made it worse.

Corruption is worse. Unemployment is up. Business is down. Crime and kidnappings are up.

So I just don't know what Mr. Sheridan is talking about. Maybe he should try getting out more instead of spending all of his time in Makati and other Civil Society hangouts.

Did Zell Miller betray his own party?

Why is Sen. Miller -- the guy who once helped bill clinton secure the 1992 democratic nomination -- now supporting Bush?

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Bush-Cheney campaign Wednesday unleashed its most famous Democratic booster, Georgia Sen. Zell Miller, to make the case that presidential candidate John Kerry advocates policies inconsistent with some of history's most popular Democratic presidents.

Miller, a Georgian who is the lone Democratic senator to back publicly President Bush's re-election bid, criticized Kerry in a speech announcing his leadership of a national "Democrats for Bush" effort. He was joined by a handful of lesser-known Democrats, but the campaign said it would release a more comprehensive list in the coming weeks.

The popular former governor cited the policies of Democratic Presidents John F. Kennedy and Harry S. Truman while contending that Kerry, not Bush, is outside the mainstream on issues ranging from tax cuts to war.

"John F. Kerry has the same initials as John F. Kennedy," Miller said, "but he has a far, far different view of what the government can do to help families prosper. John Kerry's spending and tax plan would stifle our economy and stall our recovery at the worst possible time."

Didn't he use to be friends with Hill and Bill and was their keynote speaker for the Democratic National Convenntion in 1992?

Perhaps remembering the Zell Miller of 1992 was too painful. Hillary was staying (some say hiding out) in the Georgia Governor's Mansion in early 1992 when the Gennifer Flowers sex scandal broke. In fact, Hillary was sitting at Zell's side watching TV news when word of the relationship between Gennifer and Bill was first broadcast nationally. Miller would never discuss how Hillary reacted, except to say he was one of her ''biggest fans'' and that he admired her strength.

Miller was always happy to recount how he went to bat for Bill Clinton in the Georgia presidential primary that year, persuading Democratic stalwarts such as Sam Nunn to cast aside doubts and support Clinton. Miller almost single-handedly stopped the momentum of the on-rushing Democratic candidate Paul Tsongas.

Despite the sensational Flowers affair, Clinton won Georgia, went on to conquer the Super Tuesday primaries and sew up the presidential nomination. Clinton credited Miller with saving his campaign, and, of course, his coming presidency. Miller was tapped as a Clinton keynoter at the Democratic National Convention. The Clintons said he delivered an eloquently hard-hitting speech. ''Bill Clinton is a Democrat who has the courage to tell some of those liberals who think welfare should continue forever, and some of those conservatives who think there should be no welfare at all, that they're both wrong,'' Miller shouted. The Clintons really liked old Zell.

O, bakit ayaw na ni Zell Miller sa Democratic Party?

Second question, would McCain also do a "Zell Miller" and jump ship to help his buddy John Kerry?

Stanley Ho's Back! Bakit tahimik na lang ang Simbahan ngayon?

I thought the CBCP are against "all forms of gambling"? Bakit dati maingay sila nung inimbita ni Erap si Mr. Ho dito sa Pilipinas para magtayo ng casinos?

Bakit ngayon'y tahimik na lang sila?

Bilib ako sa mga Taiwanese, ayaw nilang magpadaya

Kung alam nyong ginagago at dinadaya kayo ni GMA, what would you do?

Stay silent and hope for the best?

OR FIGHT BACK AND DEMAND THAT THE ELECTIONS BE CLEAN AND HONEST Like what the Taiwanese opposition are demanding?

Dahil zero-tolerance ang approach ng Taiwanese opposition when it comes to cheating, they're getting results (recount).

It got so intense na nagkaroon ng SAPAKAN between pro-opposition lawmakers and pro-admin types. HOORAY FOR THE OPPOSITION!!! MARUNONG SILANG LUMABAN!!!

Kung ganyan lang sana tayo ka-seryoso sa issue ng eleksyon at demokrasiya eh, alam kong hindi magtatagumpay ang mga masasamang balak ni GMA na i-"dagdab bawas" ang eleksyon!

Wag sanang payagan na mangyari ulit ang nangyari kay Miriam nung 1992, nung dinaya siya ni FVR in the closest presidential election race in Philippine history.

Sana, magkaroon ng lakas ng loob ang ating mga oppositionistas to say... NEVER AGAIN!!! and then back it up kung lumabas na nandaya si GMA.

Bilib ako sa mga Floridians at mga Taiwanese, they know what real democracy is all about at ipaglalaban nila ang kanilang karapatan to a free and fair elections.

Tayo, do we have the guts to stand up to a pandak bully like GMA? Or are we gonna take it in the arse again as usual on May 10?

Lacson thinks he's Zapatero

Ano ba naman ito, Ping? You're making mistake after mistake. Bakit ka hindi sumali sa debate?!?!? Sinayang mo lang ang pagkakataon mo na gamitin ang debate for additional free exposure.

Tapos ngayon, ano itong balita na "you'll do a Zapatero":

He told the forum: "I'll do a Zapatero. You know who he is, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero," referring to the incoming leader of Spain who beat the surveys by having his party win a majority in the Spanish parliament.

"So surveys are not a guarantee of winnability. There are such things as platform, qualification, most important, there's such a thing as country, there's such a thing as Filipino," he said.

Obviously, you are ignorant of Spain's political situation. Poor You. Ang lamang lang ng partido ni Aznar over Zapatero's Socialist party a day or two before the 3/11 madrid bombings -- and 5 to 6 days before election day -- was 3-5% points or 42-37%. Kaya lang humataw si Zapatero'y dahil nung binomba ng Al Queda ang madrid, at marami sa mga Spanish voters ang nagalit kay Aznar at sinisi siya sa Iraq policy niya.

Eh yung sa iyo naman ay mukhang hindi realistic. Nasa 8-10% ka lang, habang 33% si FPJ at 32% si GMA. So agwat ni FPJ sa iyo ay at least 23% points.

The only chance na pwedeng manalo kay ay kung ma-disqualify si FPJ, which ain't gonna happen anymore. Or kung 90% ng Filipino voters ay anti-Iraq war.. at nagpasabog ang al queda ng bomba sa loob ng Pilipinas 3 days before the elections... at isa kang anti-war candidate like Zapatero... DOON, BAKA MAY PAG-ASA KA PA!

But based on the way you are running your campaign so far -- YOU DON'T DESERVE TO WIN THIS ELECTION.

You may be more qualified than the others, pero puro kapalpakan lang ang nakikita ko sa kampanya mo.

Mean-Spirited GMA, pati si Dolphy hindi pinatawad

Meron pa bang Pilipino na naniniwala sa mga pangako ni GMA about "reconciliation"?

I remember the day after Edsa Dos, pinangako ni Gloria Macapagal Arroyo na she will unite this country and "heal the land" raw.

She started to fulfill her pledge by first arresting and treating President Joseph Estrada in a humiliating manner that angered Erap's supporters and even shocked some anti-eraps.

Result: Edsa Tres. Galit ito ng tao sa iyo GMA -- not only for the way you treated erap, but also for the undemocratic way an elected president was forced to step down by a small elite minority kahit na wala naman silang credible evidence na mai-presenta vs. erap.

You would think na after Edsa Tres, natuto na si pandak, pero hindi pa rin eh. Maybe she has learned not to mess with Erap again, pero puro paninira pa rin sa opposition ang nasa isip niya. Instead of Erap, naging iba na ang "flavor of the month" niya -- Opposition Senator Panfilo Lacson.

Malacanang funded and supported Victor Corpus' P12 Million smear job vs. Lacson in 2001. On August 5, 2001, pinasabog ni Corpus at Philippine Daily Inquirer ang bomba nila kay Lacson. Complete with "evidence" and "witnesses" ang mga bintang niya kay lacson. Yung mga kakampi ni GMA sa senado ay kaagad nagbukas ng imbestigasyon against their senate colleage. Talagang nagiging madumi na ang political atmosphere nung panahon na yon. Pero wala naman silang napatunayan. Naging malaking joke ang imbestigasyon kay lacson. Even the Inquirer had to admit that they never really had any evidence vs. lacson on the narcopolitics and money laundering issue.

Result: PDI's credibility took a BIG hit. At dito nalaman ng taongbayan na Bullsh*t lang pala ang "let's unite the country" rhetoric ni GMA.

Fastforward to 2004, nung nalaman ni GMA na tatakbo sa pagka presidente si FPJ, sinimulan na ng malacanang ang bogus na disqualification case ni FPJ, even forging documents para lang "mapatunayan" nila na hindi natural born citizen si FPJ.

Result: Hindi sila nagtagumpay. And this is a first sign for the voters na magiging madumi talaga ang eleksyon sa Mayo.

And now the latest victim: Dolphy. If the stories on his show's cancellation are true, at na cancel ang show ni Dolphy kapalit ng Manynilad agreement ng Malacanang at ABS-CBN, then isang malaking katarantaduhan ang ginawa ni Mrs. Arroyo kay Mang Pidol.

Porket ba kaibigan lang siya ni FPJ eh pwede mo nang ganyanin siya. Dolphy is loved by millions of Filipinos. You think na hindi sila magagalit sa ginawa mo? You think na hindi nila ilalabas ang galit nila sa eleksyon?

Mean-Spirited talaga si Ate Glo. Dapat nang pabagsakin ito.

Don't mind John McCain

I know that a lot Republicans were upset when Sen. John McCain defended Kerry's record on defense and criticized the those who used "negativism" to go after Kerry.

(Actually, he criticized both sides but he was obviously reacting to the attacks against his friend John Kerry.)

I know that many republicans want to lash out at McCain for being disloyal to the party and his president, but going after McCain is not only counterproductive -- it will make things worse for Bush and the Republicans.

Don't know if some here agree with me or not, but I do sense that "mainstream media" is active in it's efforts to strengthen the Democrats by helping the DNC recruit McCain to be Kerry's veep. They want to drive a wedge between Bush and McCain to help Kerry.

They're doing this because deep inside, they know that Kerry doesn't have a chance against Bush come November and they need someone STRONG to back Kerry up.

It's interesting that whenever a Republican ad score damaging hits against Kerry's weak record on defense, the "mainstream media" immediately tries to get mccain's reaction on the GOP's "smear attack".

They do this because they expect McCain to come to Kerry's defense. And I'm not surprised by it because McCain and Kerry are friends and both are former vietnam veterans.

And I won't be surprised either if another Republican, Sen. Chuck Hagel, comes to Kerry's defense ala McCain because he too is a friend and a veteran.

So what to do with John McCain if you're a Republican?

Well, lashing out against him won't work. This guy has a history of going against his party's stand on some issues and is not afraid of any criticisms from fellow republicans. Attacking him will only backfire and might drive him towards Kerry's open arms.

Sending Karl Rove or Ed Gillespie to talk him out of defending Kerry won't work either. McCain's a maverick and an independent and will not like being told what and what not to do and who and who not to see. He'll only get insulted and cause more mischief for Bush.

Best way to deal with him is to leave McCain alone (to do his own thing). Don't get too worried with what he may or may not do. Unless he says something that is really unreasonable or outrageous (which he hasn't so far), then it's best to respond to mccain's comment by respectfully disagreeing with him.

It used to drive Democrats nuts when Sen. Zell Miller would say something negative against his own party. Remember the "Heads must roll" comment after the discovery of the Rockefeller memo urging democrats to politicize the Intelligence probe? But they didn't react harshly to Sen. Miller, did they?

Now, it's our turn to get the same treatment from Sen. McCain. But it's okay, as long as his comments doesn't go out of bounds.

And i really wouldn't worry at this point whether McCain will jump ship to become Kerry's VP or not. Republicans should by now be prepared for that possibility. If he really wants to be a democrat to avenge his defeat in the primaries last 2000, there's nothing any republican can do or offer to McCain to change his mind.

UPDATE: It's interesting to note that while McCain claimed Kerry is not weak on defense, he gave no proof of his assertions. He was given a chance to defend Kerry's voting record but McCain avoided it completely.

Smart guy... cuz nobody is dumb enough to defend the indefensible.

FPJ, Roco and Lacson should demand GMA's disqualification

Why do we let Gloria Macapagal Arroyo get away with bloody murder over her illegal uses of Gov't funds for her election campaign? WHY?

Why are some still wasting their time over this bogus FPJ disqualification case? Dapat yung disqualification case ni GMA ang atupagin na lang nila.

Sobrang na kasing garapalan ang pandaraya ni GMA eh. It is so obvious that even pro-GMA people privately admit that GMA is guilty of diverting taxpayer money for her personal campaign needs.

Pero nagbubulag-bulagan lang sila dahil ayaw nilang manalo si FPJ. Halata rin ito sa mga mainstream media na katulad ng Inquirer at Philippine Star. Dati maingay sila sa mga alleged corruption activities ni erap. Ngayon, tameme lang sila sa mga "walking ads" streetsweepers ni GMA na biglang naglabasan, yung pera ng PCSO at ng PAGCOR na inuubos para sa mga political commercials at yung kalokohan sa PHILHEALTH cards.

Nakakahiya ang mga dyaryo na ito. They're not accurately and aggressively reporting on GMA's illegal activities. They'd rather talk pursue stories on FPJ's "illegitimate children" and this nonsense citizenship issue of Poe.

Here's a suggestion: FPJ, Roco, and Ping (pati na rin si Brod Eddie kung gusto niya) should come together and hold a press conference denouncing GMA's illegal and criminal diversion of funds for political purposes. This, I'm sure, will get plenty of media attention because nagsama-sama ang presidential candidates (even if it's a temporary alliance) para batikusin si pandak.

Having all three of them presidential candidates agree on anything is rare and this joint press conferenece will send a very strong message against corruption.

Then they can demand an independent committee be formed to investigate the issue. Their parties can also go to the Sandiganbayan, COMELEC, the ombundsman or PAGC and file charges there together.

People will say... but going to the COMELEC, Sandiganbayan, the ombudsman and the PAGC to file charges is a bad idea because biased ang mga ito at baka puro coverup lang ang gawin nila.

Ang sabi ko naman sa mga may concerns sa issue na ito... okey lang, kahit na itapon nila ang kaso o i-declare na not guilty si GMA, WALANG MANINIWALA SA KANILA dahil sobrang obvious at garapalan na ang pandaraya ni GMA.

The candidates like roco and ping can use this as another example of why our justice system is so corrupt under GMA... pwede nilang sabihin sa mga voters na "kita nyo kung gaano ka corrupt ang mga institutions natin? we've already provided evidence and all they do is stonewall and act as if bulag sila."

This is good strategy because instead of them just mentioning the word "corruption" ng paulit-ulit and not going any further than that... they are actually exposing corruption in gov't and judiciary by giving concrete examples right before election day.

Roco, Ping and FPJ shouldn't be timid about aggressively pursuing this case of blatant cheating by GMA. Kasi kung hindi nila sineryoso ito, baka isipin ni GMA na mga pushovers sila roco, ping at fpj.

Paano na kung may "dagdag bawas" sa May 10? The way they are reacting to blatant cheating right now... they might as well hand over the presidency to GMA because she will most likely do "dagdag bawas" in the may 10 elections.

Anyway, Conrad de Quiros also writes about the same issue in his column today.

Al Queda gloats, humiliates Spain even more

Al Queda's supporters and fellow jihadists are making dumb statements:

A group claiming to have links with al-Qaeda said today it was calling a truce in its Spanish operations to see if the new government would withdraw its troops from Iraq, a pan-Arab newspaper said.
...
"Because of this decision, the leadership has decided to stop all operations within the Spanish territories... until we know the intentions of the new government that has promised to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq," the statement said.

"And we repeat this to all the brigades present in European lands: stop all operations."
....

"Praise be to God who gave us this victory in the conquest of Madrid... where one of the pillars of the axis of Crusader evil was destroyed," the statement said, affirming its earlier claim for the Madrid attacks.

It's like al queda is saying to the spaniards "good boy, good boy... now you have to deliver on your promise to pull all your troops out or else!"

Now if i were al queda, i'd keep quiet about the whole madrid incident and not gloat instead of embarassing my new friends the spaniards even further.

Maybe they can celebrate with their fellow jihadists in private, but taunting and humiliating the spaniards is a BIG mistake. That's just poor PR, IMO.

The Spanish voters have already learned the UNSPOKEN lesson and doesn't need al queda to remind them about it.

Instead, let them guess and debate our true intentions. Let them worry and fear us. Let them use their IMAGINATION on what we may or may not do.

But these al queda fools are getting a little cocky. they're beating their chests and trying to push their luck even more by threatening Spain with further terrorist attacks unless they fulfill "their commitment" (to al queda ;) ) to pull all the troops out.

HEH!

I admit, the 3/11 bombings was a huge victory for AQ.

But these latest statement by their supporters are just plain stupid.

They should train their jihadists in the future not to gloat.

Al Queda "getting smarter"? Or Spanish voters "getting dumber"?

Somebody I know said al queda is "getting smarter" because they have "changed tactics" to attack US allies instead of mainland USA and that they have successfully effected "regime change" in Spain.

Well, I don't know if Al Queda is getting smarter or not, but the Spanish voters sure made them look like geniuses.

LMAO!!!

Fear is what drove Spanish voters to capitulate to Al Queda

It is true that most Spanish voters are against the war in Iraq, but it is interesting to note that before the bombings, most surveys from (from February to March) indicated a good win for Aznar's Conservative party even though everybody knew Aznar and his successor Mariano Rajoy were pro-US, pro-Iraq War.

(The Conservatives were expected to get 170 seats (6 short of a majority) and the Socialist 140 seats.)

OTOH, Zapatero ran as an anti-Iraq War, anti-US candidate. His campaign rhetoric were... Bush and Blair "lied" about WMDs, this war is "illegitimate", Iraq is a "disaster"... let's move away from the US alliance and rejoin the French-German axis... he debated Rajoy on the Iraq issue...

But the Iraq issue didn't really help Zapatero that much with the voters before 3/11.

So how did Zapatero end up winning the election?

Two words: Fear and Cowardice

The Spanish voters feared of another potential Al Queda Attack so they Cowardly voted Zapatero in to appease the terrorists.

Thank Spain, for surrendering on behalf of the Western World.

Mas magaling pa ang Pilipinas kaysa sa Espana. Mga bakla kasi kayo eh.

Al Queda Topples Spanish Government

This is a bad day for the forces of good. A short-sighted and cowardly decision on the part of the Spaniards defeated Aznar's Party and installed an anti-war Socialist candidate as their new Prime Minister.

I'm sure Al Queda is thinking... hey, if we can successfully affect Spain's election to our advantage by killing their people, maybe we can do this to other countries too that support the US but have an overwhelmingly anti-war population, like the UK, Italy, Australia and other european countries...

That would be bad.

But would it work on the US elections? NO. Sixty-percent of the population still support the war. And that's the only issue (NATIONAL SECURITY) keeping dubya afloat in the polls.

He gets a lot of thumbs down on all the other US domestic and social issues.

Second question... would this al queda strategy work on the Philippine elections, where not only Filipinos are overwhelmingly pro- Iraq war but also pro-American?

The answer is NO again. If there's a large scale terrorist attack on Philippine soil by Al Queda, most Filipinos will correctly blame them for the atrocities and not President Arroyo.

Besides, why would Al Queda get involve in our elections when GMA is already losing big to the front-runner FPJ? Their terrorist actions might only backfire and spur people to rally around GMA.

But I wouldn't be surprised to find out if our corrupt pro-GMA military officers, some of whom had ties with abu sayyaf and MILF, were found to be planning similar type attacks on the civilian population and then go blame it all on al queda/abu sayyay/jemaah islamiya -- to generate sympathy for president Arroyo before the elections.

Sadly, those types of situations are not impossible or improbable in the Philippines.

US Elections "October Surprise" won't be about Bin Laden but WMDs

When David Kay issued a report a few months ago stating that his team had not found any WMDs in Iraq, Democrats immediately pounced on this info and used it to justify their claim that "Bush Lied" about the existence of Iraq's WMDs.

[Never mind that there was a consensus among the intelligence communities around the world (US, France, britain, Germany) before the war that Saddam had WMDs.]

Even though most anti-war democrats are now taunting bush for not producing Iraq's WMDs, the Bush administration is not yet giving up on finding some.

Even John Kerry, in this TIME interview, admitted that we may yet find these weapons of mass destruction.

Now, why am I still talking about WMDs when many Democrats now believe that have never existed in the first place?

Well, remember when some Democratic partisans floated a rumor that this year's "October Suprise" will be Bin Laden's capture?

Nice conspiracy theory, but I have a different prediction.

I believe Bush's "october surprise" will be the discovery of Iraq's WMDs and what happened to them.

Is it crazy? Yes, but many democrats also believed the same crap about the Bush admin hiding Bin Laden and were only waiting to announce his capture before the elections...

So anything is possible... ;)

Ito pa ang pwedeng sabihin ni Ping at FPJ re EDSA DOS

Kapag tinanong sila sa debate kung ano ang posisyon nila sa Edsa Dos... kung agree sila o hindi, Ito ang pwede nilang sabihin:

I don't believe in rushing to judgment, and I believe that is what happened in Edsa Dos. I think this move by a small minority of elites backed by the military was not only unnecessary and undemocratic, but highly divisive and unfair to the accused and the Filipino people who BTW, overwhelmingly voted for Estrada to give him a landslide victory.

If you're going to oust a legitimately-elected president, better make sure IT IS DONE RIGHT AND FAIRLY, daanin sa proseso, because to do so otherwise is to DESTROY DEMOCRACY as we know it.

Probably most filipinos (and masa voters) would have forgiven GMA if she had delivered on her EDSA dos promise... but she only made our country poorer and more corrupt compared to the previous administration she helped replaced.

For those who participated in and believed in Edsa Dos naman, GMA killed edsa dos and the whole EDSA movement. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo perverted the spirit of Edsa Dos to her own selfish ends.

She kicked out Jose Velarde, only to replace him with Jose Pidal, her corrupt husband.

Ito naman ang pwede nilang sabihin sa masa:

Alam nyo, pababayaan kong gawin ng sandiganbayan ang trabaho nila. Pero gusto ko lang pagusapan natin ang nangyari noong Edsa Dos. I believe what the did to erap was unfair, unjust and contrary to everything what democracy and justice represents.

A small cabal from Makati along with the CBCP and the military, plotted erap's ouster as early as Jan. 2000. Naghahanap lang sila ng tamang oras para simulan ang pagpapatalsik sa kanya. They found a perfect tool by the name of chavit singson. dahil nagaway si erap at si chavit sa bingo 2 ball, trinaydor niya si erap.

Yung impeachment trial na yan, kunwari lang yan, circus lang yan. Wala naman talaga silang ebidensiya eh.

And I would like to assure the masa that erap will not only get a fair trial, he will also get justice... justice from edsa dos. I promise, aayusin natin ang tama, at babaliktarin natin ang nangyari noong edsa dos.

Ben Abalos brings LAKAS to the COMELEC

Everybody should know na malakas ang "ties" ni Ben Abalos sa LAKAS at kay Jose Pidal. Kung may dayaan sa eleksyon, I won't be surprised kung may kinalaman siya dito.

To be sure, the affable Abalos apparently knows just how to soothe ruffled feathers and tend toes that have been stepped on. Yet having him head the Comelec may turn out to be not that good an idea at all. After all, the former chief of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) still sits in the national directorate of the Lakas-NUCD, the party of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. While the Comelec has had its share of commissioners who were politicians, it is the first time in the country’s history that an active political party leader is serving as the poll body’s top gun, a fact that can give rise to questions regarding conflicts of interest during elections.

According to the Constitution, the Comelec is supposed to be “an independent constitutional body capable of giving substance and meaning, through the electoral process, to the democratic principle that sovereignty resides in the people and all government authority emanates from them.”

This early, though, questions are being raised whether or not the Comelec can remain independent under the helm of Abalos, who is not only known for his unflagging loyalty to the Lakas-NUCD, but who also acknowledges a close friendship with First Gentleman Miguel ‘Mike’ Arroyo, as well as with siblings of the president herself.

Read it all.

Note to OPPOSITION: Embrace Erap, Attack Edsa 2

I have previously written about this and I think it needs to be re-emphasized again. Ping and FPJ, YOU BOYS NEED TO GET TOUGHER... maybe a "backbone transplant" is needed for these 2 wussies... katulad ng ginawa ni Howard Dean sa mga Democrats when he gave his listless and directionless party the toughness and the "backbone" necessary to go after Bush.

Please burn this into your skulls FPJ and PING:

EMBRACE ERAP, EMBRACE EDSA TRES, ATTACK EDSA DOS, ATTACK THE "CIVIL SOCIETY" PLAYERS.

This should be your mantra. SPREAD THE WORD to your followers.

So far Ping and FPJ have been trying to distance themselves from Estrada, thinking that by downplaying their links with estrada, they could attract the "civil society" votes or the "Edsa Dos" votes.

Ang tanong ka lang sa dalawa eh, WHAT THE FUCK ARE THEY SMOKING? SIRA BA ANG ULO NILA?

They will NEVER get those EDSA dos voters, NEVER! Galit ang mga yon sa opposition (ERAP, FPJ, PING) and no matter what you say or do, YOU'LL NEVER GET THEM TO VOTE FOR THE OPPOSITION!!!

Ito ang sinulat ni Rod Kapunan:

Instead of listening to Estrada who could have defined to him the meaning and the stand of the opposition, and the need to be identified as a real opposition party, he allowed himself to be coached by others. As a result, FPJ had to marginalize Estrada's Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino because he was probably told that identifying with it was more of a liability than an asset to his candidacy. Probably he was also told to ignore Butch Aquino's wing of the LDP as this would not cause a dent to the party. The net effect is that FPJ unnecessarily caused a split within the opposition umbrella and centrifugally drove away many of its influential leaders and propagandists who could have articulated his reason for running.

Among the serious blunders committed were as follows: One, FPJ failed to exert his efforts to reconcile with Lacson. Second, he aggravated the rift by choosing as his runningmate Sen. Loren Legarda, a known anti-Estrada basher and a prot?g? of the Lopezes. Third, he failed to realize that while the LDP members constitute an elite handful in the opposition, it was the Puwersa ng Masang Pilipino that could deliver the manpower needed. Fourth, he diluted the opposition ticket by including candidates who sought the impeachment of the man who now sits as the venerable leader of the opposition.

Tama si Rod.

Lacson and FPJ seems reluctant to bring up "EDSA dos" and the unconstitutional and UNDEMOCRATIC way Erap was removed from power... maybe because they think this issue is "divisive". Well, diyan sila nagkakamali.

Matagal na tayong hati, and it's not the opposition's fault. Nagsimula pa yan nung 1998 nung naging presidente natin si Erap... sinimulan na ng mga Erap Haters paninira at pag-atake sa kanya. Tuloy-tuloy yan hanggang Edsa Dos. It was the Edsa dos event that really split us in half.

I also thought Rod made a good point when he criticized the KNP leadership (Angara) for worsening the opposition disunity by recruiting former anti-erap personalities on their VP and senatorial candidates. Dito napikon si Miriam at Imee Marcos. Hindi lang yan, pati si jinggoy at si maceda muntik na hindi masali sa lineup dahil ayaw ni Angara na sobrang identified ang KNP sa kampo ni erap.

Resulta: hindi masyadong energized ang erap supporters sa opposition ngayon dahil parang binastos ng KNP/FPJ camp si erap by distancing themselves from erap and his legitimate causes (anti-Edsa 2, anti "civil society").

At hindi nyo ba nahahalata na iniiwasan ni GMA ang edsa dos issue o banggitin si erap dahil alam niya na "losing issue" ito para sa kanya. Because, when the masa voters are reminded of edsa dos and what GMA did to erap, lumalabas talaga ang galit nila kay GMA.

That's why she tries to fudge the issue by pretending to be on erap's side when she's not. Yung mga recent statements niya about giving erap a "fair trial" at yung "controversy" ni GMA over his "house arrest" are just efforts by the GMA administration to trick the masa voters into thinking that GMA is erap's friend (when she's really not).

Boto lang ng masa ang habol ni GMA dito. Kaya wag magpapaloko ang mga masa sa demonyita na ito.

And about the giving erap a "fair trial", that's just pure pambobola. But don't take my word for it, si erap mismo hindi naniniwala dito. Read this, this, this, this, this, this, this, and this.

But since may eleksyon ngayon, for now temporarily on hiatus muna ang erap trials. Kasi kapag itunuloy ito during election season, baka magalit ang masa kay GMA eh (dahil reminder ito na nakakulong pa rin si erap dahil kay GMA). Pag tapos na ang eleksyon, atsaka lang ni GMA tatapusin si ERAP once and for all.

At kapag tinatanong naman si pandak kung bibigyan niya ng pardon si erap, ayaw magbigay ng diretsong sagot.

Alam niyo, vulnerable talaga si GMA sa erap at edsa dos issue.

Ang nakakatawa (at nakakalungkot) lang nga dito ay halos walang pinagkaiba ang "positions" ni GMA at ni FPJ at Ping kay erap. Halos pare-pareho na ang mga stands nila.

Kaya naman pala medyo nalilito ang masa. Eh kung pare-pareho lang naman pala ang posisyon ni GMA, FPJ at Ping kay erap at ang edsa dos, eh di kahit sino pala sa tatlo ang iboto ko, okey lang...

Ping and FPJ says they want a fair trial for erap. Yan rin ang position ni GMA.

Ping and FPJ says they can't say for sure kung bibigyan nila ng pardon si erap. Yan rin ang position ni GMA.

Ping and FPJ doesn't want to discuss erap and Edsa dos because they don't want to alienate "civil society" and the elites. GMA too doesn't want to discuss erap because she doesn't want to alienate the masa voters.

Politically, tama ang ginagawa ni GMA. This is what she wanted all along. Confuse the voters on who really is looking out for erap.

FPJ and Ping, OTOH, are not energizing the erap voters because they are "neutral" on the erap issue and edsa dos issue.

Thank god we're still in March, and ping and FPJ can still change tactics.

It's now time to remind the masa voters about the injustice done to erap by the edsa dos mobsters. Remind the masa voters that edsa dos is a lie. Hindi nagkatotoo ang pangako ng edsa of a better economy, peace and order and less corruption.

While Edsa One will always be associated with Cory, Edsa Dos naman will always be associated with Pandak... este Gloria Macapagal Arroyo pala. Edsa dos was GMA's baby and she was the one that most benefited from Edsa dos. Tanggal si Erap, si GMA ang pumalit.

The next time the media asks FPJ or Ping about erap, ito ang dapat nilang sabihin:

I won't interfere with the sandiganbayan kasi hindi pa tapos ang trial. But I truly believe that erap is innocent so I don't think it is really necessary to pardon erap anymore.

But let me say this... I think what civil society did to erap is wrong. EDSA DOS was undemocratic, unconstitutional, very divisive and TOTALLY UNNECESSARY. IT WAS A MISTAKE FROM THE VERY BEGINNING. It did more damage to our democracy than any other event since martial law.

If I were elected president, I'll make sure there won't be another mockery of our constitution and democracy. I'll make sure there won't be another coup. I'll make sure there won't be another edsa dos.

For more ideas on what PING AND FPJ should say, read my previous post on the same issue here.

We will never have unity while GMA is in power. Three+ years na nga siyang nakaluklok sa Malacanang eh wala pa rin tayong "unity". If her 3+ years is anything like the next six years of a future GMA admin... We will always remain a divided and corrupt country. As long as GMA and Pidal is in power, we're fucked.

THE ONLY WAY TO UNITE OUR PEOPLE IS TO UNDO EDSA DOS AND REMOVE IT'S PRODUCT/CHILD/SPAWN GMA FROM POWER BY VOTING HER OUT OF OFFICE.

Edsa Dos is a Failure. Arroyo is a failure. It's time for a new change.

Kick the BIATCH OUT!

UPDATE: HAHA, nagsimula nang umangal si erap, he said he is being treated like an animal by GMA. This is the cue for Lacson and FPJ to FIGHT FOR ERAP!!! GAD DAMN IT, IPAGTANGGOL NIYO SI ERAP!!! PUT GMA ON THE DEFENSIVE!!! PUCHA, MURAHIN NYO SI GMA!!!

SWS, Pulse Asia and Mercy Abad

Did you know that Pulse Asia and SWS do not... I REPEAT, DO NOT COLLECT THEIR OWN SURVEY'S RAW DATA BY THEMSELVES? These organizations subcontract this work to a little know outfit headed by Mercedes "Mercy" Abad called Trends. It is Trends that does the actual interviews and data gathering for both Pulse and SWS.

Hindi ba weird ito? Why aren't they (SWS, Pulse) doing their own data gathering?

Hindi ba sa US, yung mga polling firms and news organizations like Gallup, CNN, Zogby, Rasmussen, and FOXNEWS that do their own surveys ALSO do their own data collection and interviews on a randomly sampled population?

How can SWS and Pulse call themselves "independent" when they are at the mercy of Trends (no pun intended).

So kung gustong doctorin ni GMA ang survey results, hindi na niya pala kailangang "bilhin" pa ang SWS at Pulse. Bayaran lang niya ang mga taga-Trends so they can manipulate the results of SWS and Pulse survey polls.

It doesn't help na Winnie Monsod (where I first learned of the Trends-SWS-PULSE connection) is vouching for Mercy Abad's integrity. As you know, Solita Monsod is one of the worst pro-GMA and anti-opposition partisan out there.

So kung sinabi ni Winnie na "mapagkakatiwalaan" si Mercy Abad, kabaligtaran lang ang epekto niyan sa akin.

Mas LALO lang akong magdududa kay Mercy at sa Trends niya.

This guy also had it right on the Trends issue:

A letter on surveys: "I used to believe in the integrity of the surveys of Pulse Asia and SWS because I thought that they are the ones doing the actual interviews or legwork of the surveys. It turns out that both of them sub-contract this job. And to only one entity: Trends, Inc.

"Now, I don't believe that Felipe Miranda, or the head of Trends, and surely not Mahar Mangahas could be 'reached' to disfavor FPJ in the actual person-to-person surveys. But consider this: If I don't like FPJ and it is to my interest to put down FPJ and I have millions of money to spend, I can surely 'reach' the interviewers and their supervisors. And the bonus is I have only to control the people of Trends and I can already control the results of both Pulse and SWS. "But of course they will say that these are men of integrity and honor. Ah yes, so sorry, I forgot. I will not think this way again. Surely they were not 'reached', di ba?

"Mike Defensor criticized Ibon Foundation and its survey. But at least, they use their own people whose integrity and honor they can vouch for. Them I can believe together with those UP students who made a survey among students of public and private schools. But of course Malaca?ang do not believe them. And that's okay with me." - Bernardo F. Ronquillo

Tama ka parekoy!

"Trustworthiness and Integrity" trumps "Experience and Long Résumés" this election year

After going through 3 and a half years of the failed Edsa Dos Experiment, PEOPLE WANT CHANGE. They know this country can't afford another 6 years of massive corruption, more divisiveness, more job losses, and unchecked rampant criminality under the current president... so this year, voters are looking for somebody who they can TRUST, somebody with INTERGRITY.

Most people believe that FPJ has those qualities, that's why he is the frontrunner.

Unfortunately for Mrs. Arroyo, she is poorly lacking in those qualities.

Experience and "candidates with impressive resumes" are great usually, but these are not the key qualities most voters are looking for this year (maybe 2010?).

We already have a president with such qualities (GMA), but people are sorely disappointed with her for being a worse president than the previous one on all respects -- corruption (her administration is one of the most corrupt in recent memory), managing peace and order and improving the economy.

Most voters don't trust Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and they have good reasons not to. She squandered whatever goodwill she had over the 3 years after edsa 2. Instead of uniting the people like she promised 3 years ago, she went after her political enemies instead.

She, with her civil society friends and the Catholic Church, thought they could crush Erap and his supporters by using strong-arm tactics to humiliate erap in front of his followers. We know what happened after that -- EDSA 3.

The poor people, which comprised Estrada's core supporters, took to the streets and angrily protested against Mrs. Arroyo and "civil society". They tried to overthrow her government in order to return it to it's rightful occupant, President Estrada -- the democratically-elected president in 1998. The size of the crowd at EDSA TRES were estimated to 4 times that of Edsa Dos, but the military did an effective job of quelling the mass riots, so GMA politically survived that day.

But most believe that edsa tres only failed because it did not have military support, only edsa dos.

I'm sure GMA and her allies took that as a sign that majority of the people are still against her presidency and angry at the way erap was treated.

So she shifted her focus on Panfilo Lacson instead, another opposition member and now presidential candidate. On August 5, 2001, then Coronel Victor Corpus, in collaboration with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, launched a series of Malacanang-orchestrated accusations of narco-politics and money laundering against Lacson. With no credible evidence to speak of, Corpus was still able to convince the Senate, controlled by a majority of senators loyal to the administration, to investigate the matter.

Once the senate took responsibility for the investigation, it became a circus... a freak show event against lacson. Phony and manufactured evidences were presented, "witnesses" with questionable credibility (rosebud, ador mawanay) were paraded, at tuloy tuloy ito araw araw for many days on TV.

The Inquirer too was relentless in it's attacks against Lacson. They forgot their standards of journalism when the described evidences they knew FROM THE VERY BEGINNING were bogus, questionable and dubious... as credible and reliable. Zero-credibility witnesses like Mawanay and Rosebud were presented in a positive light without question, even though most people can see that they were lying through their teeth.

And yes, the Inquirer did admit later on that Victor Corpus wasn't credible and that he has yet to produce any credible evidence vs. Lacson.

But that one-sentence admission was buried in the inside pages of their paper. No formal or public apologies to Lacson. No Public Corrections where readers can clearly see it. NONE. NADA.

For most Inquirer readers, Lacson is still guilty of all the crimes Corpus pinned on him.

John Kerry's Flip-Flopping

Here's what Bush said about Kerry at a fundraiser (without mentioning his name):

"The other party's nomination battle is still playing out," Mr Bush said. "The candidates are an interesting group with diverse opinions.

"They're for tax cuts and against them. They're for Nafta [National American Free Trade Agreement] and against Nafta. They're for the Patriot Act and against the Patriot Act. They're in favour of liberating Iraq, and opposed to it. And that's just one senator from Massachusetts."

I laughed when Bush delived those lines because they were SO TRUE!

This guy has a history of being inconsistent on national security issues that is very worrisome if he ever gets elected president.

For example on Iraq, he voted against the first Iraq War... then he voted for the second Iraq War but end up regretting it. He became so anti-Iraq war that he voted against the 87 Billion dollar aid package for Iraq and the US troops.

Now, after he has secured his party's nomination, I believe he will shift his position again... to the center this time AND IN FAVOR of the Iraq War.

Just wait and see.

FLIP. FLOP. FLIP. FLOP. FLIP.

And please read Den Beste's latest on the elections and the war. It good, as always.

Arroyo eyes zero unemployment rate

More promises from President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo vowed yesterday to address the ballooning unemployment in the country and achieve a zero unemployment rate, especially after her expected victory in the May 10 presidential elections.

The President made the pledge in a radio interview hooked up with Iloilo radio stations in anticipation of the expected increase in unemployment in the country with the entry of new college graduates to the Philippine labor force in March and April.

"Itutuloy natin itong million jobs every year. Kung ako ay mahahalal muli bilang President, and if we were able to create one million jobs every year, we will be able to create six million jobs in six years. So over the six-year period bababa nang bababa ang ating unemployment hanggang mawala," she said.

(Translation: "Let's continue this million jobs trend every year. If you elect me president again, and if we were able to create one million jobs every year, we will be able to create six million jobs in six years. So over the six-year period, the unemployment numbers will go down and down until we eliminate it (unemployment) for good," she said.

And NO, this is not from THE ONION.

I guess may katapat na si Eddie Gil when it comes to ridiculous claims, no?

Who's gonna guard the OFW votes?

We haven't been paying too much attention to the Overseas voters, and I believe dapat bigyan ito ng pansin.

Sino sa kampo ni ROCO, PING at FPJ ang magbabantay sa bilangan ng overseas votes? Hindi ba puro mga appointees at government officials ni GMA ang magbibilang ng boto.

SINONG MAGMO-MONITOR SA KANILA?!?!

Medyo delikado ito dahil "under the radar" sa mainstream media ang nangyayari sa preparasyon para sa overseas voting.

Naku Tribune at Malaya, wala ba kayong balita tungkol dito? Baka dito manggaling ang malaking dayaan at si GMA ang magbe-benefit. Magiging mabilis lang ang vote-padding at dagdag bawas dahil walang nagbabantay. Kagaya nga ng sinabi nila... When the cat is away, the mouse will play.

NYEEE!!!

I don't think Lacson will quit the race, BUT...

...if he did, then sana gawin niya lang ito AFTER JOINING the presidential debates... after nailabas na niya ang lahat ng baho ni GMA at Jose Pidal before the TV viewing audience.

Lacson must join ALL the debates (with or without GMA and FPJ) para mas malaki ang exposure niya. Ilabas niya sa debate ang mga isyu ni GMA kagaya ng:

• Jose Pidal money laundering


• PeaceBond Anomalous Bidding


• Diosdado Macapagal Blvd. Project overprice


• Telecoms Scam


• IMPSA deal


• PIATCO extortion


• JDF scam/coverup


• PCSO scam

Educate the voters! Warn the People against voting for GMA and Jose Pidal!!! Patalsikin ang mga Pidal sa Malacnang!!!

Uulitin ko lang, SUMALI ka muna sa debate PING -- then decide if you still want to continue the race.

Not so fast, Andrew Sullivan! The War on Terror is far from over.

Andrew Sullivan, the gay blogger, wants the War on Terror to be over NOW so we can discuss more important issues like gay marriage or the US economy. I too would like to see the US and it's allies victorious on the WOT so we can focus on more fun things.

But the reality is, the WOT is FAR FROM OVER.

Yes, Bush is so far successful in running the campaign against the terrorists and terror-sponsoring states, but we're not even halfway done yet in this fight. Iraq and Afghanistan are not the only countries we have to deal with here. Nandiyan rin ang north korea, iran, syria, libya, saudi arabia, at yung mga Taliban na nagtatago sa loob ng Pakistan.

The US needs to pressure these terror-sponsoring states to introduce democratic reforms in their country. We need to coordinate with the international community to help curb WMD proliferation.

Glenn Reynolds wrote something that is very true:

The war effort is, in fact, going well -- but to some degree that's actually hurting Bush by taking it off the front burner. And if Osama turns up captured or killed, that will actually exacerbate the problem by making it easier for people to pretend that we don't need to worry about the war any more. And a lot of people want to do that either for self-interested reasons -- to get their own special interests on the agenda, or to distract people from their own war-related failures -- to which you can add the general war-weariness that even a lot of war supporters are feeling now. War is stressful, and the temptation to pretend it's over and put it out of your mind is strong.

I believe he's referring to the likes of Andrew Sullivan. Ever since Bush proposed amending the constitution to ban gay marriage, galit na si andrew sa kanya.

Now, the most important issues for Andrew in this election are:

1) Gay Marriage
2) Economy
3) War on Terror

Baliktad naman sa akin:

1) War on Terror
2) Economy
3) Gay Marriage

I know he briefly mentioned in one of his sentences that the war isn't over yet, but if you read the whole text of his article, parang gusto niyang sabihin na delikado si bush dahil patapos na ang gera and he is a victim of his own success.

Ayaw nyong maniwala, then why did he compare Bush to Churchill -- who lost the postwar election to a lesser candidate. Sabi niya na baka matalo rin raw si bush sa "postwar" election sa 2004. "Postwar" election? Aba, tapos na pala ang gera, kung maniniwala ka kay Andrew.

Kaya wag tayong magpapaloko sa mga pikon na tao. Pikon dahil hindi nila nakuha ang gusto nila sa gay marriage issue.

Sa nakikita ko, napilitan lang si Bush ng mga judicial activists sa massachusetts at ng SF mayor... who think he's above the law. I personally am not against gay marriage, but I'm not pushing for it either. Kung gusto nilang baguhin ang batas, dapat idaan sa tamang processo. Huwag lumabag sa batas.

May pagka sira rin itong si andrew. Si john edwards raw ang gusto niyang maging nominiee ng dem party. Naku naman, eh mukhang bata itong si edwards at halatang CLULESS pagdating sa foreign policy at national security. Pati kay John Kerry, talo siya sa issue na ito. Walang experience.

It's obvious that Sullivan chose edwards because of his Style, NOT Substance. NAPAKABABAW NAMAN NIYA! What makes him think edwards is better than bush on the economy? Puro class warfare at protectionism lang ang alam nito. john would have been a good clinton-type candidate in the 90's (or pre 9/11), but in a post-9/11 world, We don't need an inexperienced, smiley-face, feel-good president to lead us in times of war.

Tom Friedman and Andrew Sullivan begs John Kerry...

...to get tougher on the War on Terror. Just shows you how the pathetic the dems are on national security issues.

Here's the Sullivan piece.

And here's part of Tom's loveletter to John Kerry. C'mon Tom, stop begging. You're making the Democrats LOOK WEAK!

Meet the Press
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: February 15, 2004
New York Times

The situation in Iraq is fast approaching the tipping point. The terrorists know that if they can wreak enough havoc, kill enough Iraqis waiting in line to join their own police force, they can prevent the U.N. from coming up with a plan for elections and a stable transfer of U.S. authority to an Iraqi government. Once authority is in Iraqi hands, the Baathists and Islamists have a real problem: They can't even pretend to be fighting the U.S. anymore. It will be clear to all Arabs and Muslims that they are fighting against the freedom and independence of Iraq and for their own lunatic ideologies. Which is why they are desperate to prevent us from reaching that tipping point. Their strategy is to sow chaos, defeat President Bush and hope that his Democratic successor will pull out. Which is also why at this moment the most important statement on Iraq that can be made — one that could even save lives — is nothing President Bush could say. No, the most important statement on Iraq right now could only come from the likely Democratic presidential nominee, John Kerry.

Imagine that Tim Russert followed his excellent interview with President Bush with an interview today with Mr. Kerry. Here's what I hope it would sound like. Mr. Russert: "Senator Kerry, you essentially voted in favor of the war, but argued that the way the Bush team carried it out was deeply flawed. Well, now we're there. Tell the American people how you would deal with Iraq going forward."

Senator Kerry: "Tim, before I answer that question, I first want to direct a message to the die-hard Baathists and Islamo-fascists who've been slaughtering Iraqis struggling to build their first democratic government. And my message to these terrorists is this: `READ MY LIPS — if I am president, I will not cut and run. I will not pull our troops out in the face of your intimidation the way Ronald Reagan fled from Lebanon.' Because that panicky retreat from Beirut in 1984 started us down this whole path, where terrorists believed if they hit us hard enough, we would run and they would get away with it. I hate how George Bush has prosecuted this war. I know I could do better. But I want every suicide bomber — from Bali to Baghdad — to understand one thing about a Kerry administration: `You can blow yourselves up from now until next Ramadan, but we'll still be in Iraq. You'll be dead, but we'll still be there. Which part of that sentence don't you understand?'

"I don't say this to be macho-man, Tim. I'm not George Bush. I say this because it's the best way to save American and Iraqi lives. You see, Tim, I identify so strongly with my band of brothers and sisters wearing the American uniform in Iraq. The best way to endanger them is to suggest to the terrorists that there is daylight between me and President Bush — that if he won't run, I will. Well, there is no daylight on ends. A Kerry administration will see that Iraqis get every chance to produce their own representative government.

The fact that Sullivan and Friedman needed to remind Kerry of this, the vietnam warhero/veteran is very discouraging.

Marcos, Aristide and Joseph Estrada

Well, I've discussed the similarities between Ferdinand Marcos and Jean-Bertrand Aristide's situation in my last post and I believe the U.S. did the right thing by taking Aristide out of Haiti because his presence inside will only cause further instability.

I thought the U.S. also did the right thing with Marcos back in 1986. Instead of sending him to Paoay, where the dictator can make his "last stand", the US instead dumped the former dictator in Hawaii, where he could do the least damage and only have minimal influence on future events in RP and his loyal followers.

OTOH, look at what happened to Joseph Estrada during Edsa dos. I too have a suspicion that the US secretly backed the opposition at that time to oust the democratically elected leader Estrada. The problem with GMA and his followers was that they weren't able to forcibly exile erap to another country (like the US or Australia). Estrada refused to leave the country because he knew what happened to Marcos in 1986 and he doesn't want that to happen to him too.

Look at today, Erap is still popular among his followers and is very influential in the Philippines. Malaki rin ang impluensiya niya sa darating na eleksiyon. GMA is so afraid of offending erap (even if he is under house arrest) because she saw what happened when she humiliated the former president in front of his followers... she saw EDSA TRES.

So again, in the long term, tama yung ginawa ng US kay aristide. I don't consider this a "kidnapping" or an "abduction". I don't think he was forced out by gunpoint. Nautakan lang si aristide ng mga kano. The US admin outsmarted aristide.

The Congressional Black Caucus (with Maxine Waters and Charles Rangel as members) OTOH, is being irresponsible when they claim that Aristide was "kidnapped" by the US. It was a reckless accusation. They did that probably to score some political points against Bush. Anyway, the election and political season is underway now, so it's understandable. The sad thing is that they're actually making the situation worse in Haiti, not better, with their reckless charges.

The problem with many in the Congressional Black Caucus is that most of them are pro-dictators and pro-communists. They hate Bush but love Castro, Saddam, Hugo Chavez and Aristide.

Here's a sample of their brand of idiocy:

Black lawmakers said the White House must prove that Aristide was not kidnapped.

They demanded conclusive evidence that the Haitian leader — whose 2000 election victory was internationally condemned as fraudulent — was not forced out at gunpoint.

Excuse me! What a bunch of morons. The white house has nothing to prove. They did nothing wrong. They're the ones accusing the white house of "kidnapping" aristide. They're the ones that need to present CONCRETE evidence to back up their crazy accusations.

If they have none, then shut the fuck up, Maxine Waters!

Aristide "KIDNAPPING" accusation against U.S. nothing new

I don't believe the Americans "kidnapped" or "abducted" Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide. I think he was tricked (or promised something) to make him board that plane out of Haiti. Maybe the U.S. promised to take him somewhere else (where? I don't know... but with Aristide's consent, I'm sure), but instead of taking Aristide to the agreed destination, the U.S. instead sent him packing to the Central African Republic.

Aristide felt betrayed by the U.S. and is now crying "KIDNAPPING!!!"

Here's an interesting part:

He said he then spent 20 hours in an American plane "not knowing where we were going" until just 20 minutes before landing in the Central African Republic.

He said he was denied the right to make any phone calls.

His American wife, he said, was told not to look through the windows. "You can't imagine this kind of terrible situation," he said.

Hee hee, the americans told him that because they don't want him to know that they are taking him somewhere else.

If you think this is far fetched, it's not. The US did something similar to former Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos back in 1986 by airlifting the strongman to Hawaii, U.S.A., instead of the agreed upon desitination Paoay, Ilocos Norte in the Philippines.

Here's an article on the Marcos "kidnapping":

The former first lady claimed that on Feb. 25, 1986, agents of the US government "in conspiracy with Mrs. Aquino and under the guise of airlifting the Marcoses out of Malacañang Palace to Paoay, Ilocos Norte, brought us instead to the US against our will."

The family of the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos was brought to Hawaii at the height of the EDSA people power revolt that propelled Mrs. Aquino to the presidency.

Marcos claimed their forced exile was in violation of their rights as Filipino citizens to liberty of abode in the Philippines as guaranteed by the Constitution.

And from Marcos' former Labor Minister:

As a matter of fact, the late Ferdinand Marcos strongly resisted a life of exile; he pleaded to be allowed to stay in Paoay, but was instead forcibly taken to Hawaii. Marcos claimed he was "kidnaped" by the Americans and forced to exile in Hawaii in cahoots with the new Corazon Aquino administration.

Another one:

At any rate, it helps to be a friend, not an enemy, of America. When President Ferdinand Marcos realized that he was not being airlifted to Paoay but to Hawaii, he must have protested.

Jobs GMA, what Jobs?

Napapanood nyo yung mga commercials ni GMA na nagsasabing marami raw siyang nagawang trabaho under her administration... and you start thinking to yourself... what the fuck is she talking about?

Well, JB Baylon Feels the same way too.

IF this election, as surveys say, is down to a contest between Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and FPJ, then we can also say it is down to a contest between empty claims and unexplained platforms.

Empty claims, because the tv commercial of GMA boasts of the creation of more jobs as well as a few other so-called accomplishments. Yet ask the man on the street and he questions the validity of these accomplishments. The advert, for example, has the President mouthing the lines of "more jobs"...Really? I know of some 20 people who were let go in December 2003 because business hasn't been all that good with the disposable income of the Filipino shrinking in absolute as well as relative terms.

More jobs? Really? I get so many inquiries from friends and acquaintances (some fresh from school, others already stale) about any job opening - underline the word any - that they are willing to try for just to earn some income. Maybe if we count work at call centers as jobs - and I suppose we can - provided we do not strictly equate qualifications with the task or responsibility being carried out. Otherwise we now have to account for the under-employed as well as the unemployed.

More jobs? Supposedly in Iraq, remember? That was the second reason we were part of the invasion meant to rid Iraq of WMD that don't appear to have been there in the first place. Because we stood shoulder to shoulder with the Americans - actually, shoulder to forehead (their shoulder to our forehead) we were to be rewarded with jobs that would be available when Iraq shifts from war gear to reconstruction gear. Well, Iraq is still far from leaving the war situation behind it, and in the meantime there are no such jobs opening in Iraq while our contingent (engineers, I think) get bombed.

I'd be out there shouting "GMA" hoarse if only there were indeed more jobs all around - more jobs so that my friends who have been posting resum?s all over the place do not have to worry about tomorrow. But there are no "more jobs". That's the fact. And those who insist that there are in fact more jobs out there now should perhaps be subjected to a disqualification petition for failure to understand reality.

Read it all. Binanatan rin niya kasi si FPJ eh.

Who would FREE Iraqis prefer to see win in 2004 US elections

I am wondering, now that the Iraqi people are free, and are making progress towards democracy, who would they want to see win in the 2004 U.S. elections -- George W. Bush or the 2 Dems (Kerry and Edwards) who voted against the 87 Billion dollar aid package for Iraq and the U.S. troops?

One candidate, John Kerry, even regretted voting for the second Iraq war.

Maybe someone can commission a poll to determine Iraqi sentiments. Who would they prefer, Bush or a Democrat, to win the White House? Who do they trust more, a Republican or a Democrat adminstration, to help them rebuild their own country?

BONUS: Maybe someone can also commission a survey among the U.S. troops station in Iraq and Afghanistan to see which party (Rep or Dem) they would like to see win in November.

PDI Isagani Cruz's Obsession

Matapobre pala ito si PDI columnist Isagani Cruz. Not only is the guy out to destroy FPJ, isa rin pala ito sa mga kakampi ni GMA na mababa ang tingin sa masa. No wonder we will never have unity in this country.