More good stuff from Mr. Expose

Interesting items from Manong Ernie:

Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman Benjamin Abalos admits he is green with envy at the way the US elections were conducted efficiently with the results known in 12 hours, with 120 million voters.

Chairman Abalos pledged to automate the 2004 elections and loudly promised that since he was a victim of cheating in the past, he would not allow that to happen again under his watch.

Now, my good friend Ben Abalos' excuse is to blame the Supreme Court (SC) for his failures. No, sir, the SC is not responsible for Comelec supervisors selling dagdag-bawas votes. The SC is not to be blamed for manufactured certificates of canvass or ghost voters or excess ballots. And neither is it the SC's job to monitor the excessive expenditure of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Mar Roxas and others.

Yes, sir, Mr. Chairman, the blame is pointing directly at your forehead. Read the dissenting opinion in Sen. Barber's case which questioned the use of a second set of tampered returns for Sultan Kudarat by the majority. You could not even make good on your personal assurance to me that you will not allow me to be cheated.

Let's give elections 2007 a chance. Chairman Abalos should now resign and give way to a new chairman. He should have resigned after the SC ruled the Mega Pacific contract null and void. Certainly the appointment of Commissioners Manuel Barcelona and Virgilio Garcillano should be rejected by the Commission on Appointments or better yet, withdrawn. They are the biggest roadblocks to credible elections.

And why is no senator really pushing electoral reforms?

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When Simeon Marcelo was appointed Ombudsman, there were high hopes he would do much better than his predecessor Aniano Desierto.

But so far, he has not delivered. He has dillydallied on the filing of plunder charges against Maj. Gen. Carlos Garcia.

And in spite of the SC directive, he has not moved to file a case against Chairman Abalos and company on the illegal Mega Pacific award, a P1-billion loss to the government.

Another roadblock.

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Now you see it, now you don't. The President has become a magician who now has made the fiscal crisis disappear before our very eyes.

In her speech before governors and other local officials, she said there is no longer a “crisis” but a “fiscal problem.” But this was effectively belied by the manifesto read by Bohol Gov. Rico Aumentado who offered the local executives help to bail out the country from a fiscal crisis.

And now no less than Speaker Joe de Venecia and former Finance Secretary Jesus Estanislao said the President's declaration is premature.

“The fiscal crisis is far from over. It will come sooner than later,” Estanislao declared.

Malacañang says we should be hopeful and optimistic, not gloomy. How can anyone be hopeful when Mrs. Arroyo's actions do not match her words?

She talked about the need to stop corruption in her speech before the LGU executives but she is the biggest roadblock. She does not have the will to fire anybody. She cannot even put the First Gentleman and her son Mikey under control.

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Armed Forces of the Philippines nurses Myrna David, Vivian Pangilinan, Elena Nacional and Nora Minor who blew the whistle on Col. William Yu, Fort Bonifacio General Hospital, should be rewarded, not relieved.

Why should there be a prohibition against military officers exposing their grievances in media? That's a constitutional right. Scrap that nonsense. We should encourage it. It takes a lot of courage for anybody to expose the illegal activities of one's superior officers. That's a badge of courage that should be rewarded.

Gen. Efren Abu as Philippine Army commanding general was wrong in not acting more decisively on the nurses' complaint. Lives of soldiers were at stake.

This too from Maceda's column yesterday.

The coming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) summit in Santiago, Chile, scheduled for Nov. 20-21 is now the event to watch.

It will be the first opportunity for President Arroyo to meet with US President George W. Bush since the pullout of Filipino troops from Iraq over which US Ambassador Francis Ricciardone admits the US President was “hurt” and “we have not forgotten.” But he will always say the relations between the US and the Philippines are “good.”

It is customary for Presidents and Prime Ministers to take advantage of the two-day Apec summit to hold one-on-one bilateral talks. In the 2000 Apec summit in New Zealand, (as the Philippine ambassador) we successfully negotiated with the State Department to get a Clinton-Estrada meeting, one of only six such meetings granted by the US President. Press Secretary and concurrent presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye said Mrs. Arroyo and Bush will talk at the sidelines, but that's not enough.

We have it on good authority that as usual the request for a Bush-Arroyo one-on-one formal meeting in Santiago, has been made to the White House weeks ago. In fact, there was a sounding out for a private meeting in the US before proceeding to Chile. But as Ambassador Ricciardone indicated to a columnist during a US Embassy election watch party, there is no word yet on the date for the Arroyo request. There are 20 other countries asking for a one-on-one meeting with newly-reelected President Bush. Which one will the fountain bless?

In the light of his impressive victory, President Bush has emerged as a strong leader with a solid mandate. Even French President Jacques Chirac, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin have issued very conciliatory messages to President Bush.

In this atmosphere, the Philippines becomes a minor, dispensable player in the world stage of George W. Bush. Will the “W” in his name mean, “Wait ka lang GMA, walang panahon?”

In the light of this, the Iraq pullout decision has turned out to be a monstrous mistake.

With the House and Senate in Republican control, it will be rough sailing too, for us in their committees.

Wawa naman si "Iron Lady" Gloria.