Who's the Bully?

From Manong Ernie:

"I am fed up. I am tired of chasing the bully around the school yard,” declared GMA before cheering Kapampangans at the Clark Expo site, while threatening to arrest all protesters.

Opposition leaders retort “79 percent of the Filipino people are fed up. They are tired of your lying, cheating, stealing and dictating. You are their bully.”

Who is the bully, President GMA or Mayor Binay? Who has the Armed Forces of the Philippines, the Philippine National Police, the National Bureau of Investigation, the PSG, the Supreme Court, the Secretary of Justice, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. and government funds in his/her pocket?

It's one error after another for a weakened President. Even FVR disagrees with the Malacañang policy of “calibrated preemptive response.” Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña announced he will not stop rallies in his city, even without permits. Business leaders have sounded off against authoritarian moves.

CNN and BBC graphically showed scenes of thousands of protesters in the business district of London enroute to the Prime Minister's office and in the busy streets around the White House in Washington, D.C. with no vehicular traffic in view. Of course, President Bush and Prime Minister Blair do not dare restrict the rallies, much less arrest participants. They are not dictators. They are true practicing democrats.

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Look in the mirror. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita and Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye fired a double-barreled shot at the senators for not observing the principle of separation of powers by detaining National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales.

GMA and her Cabinet should look in the mirror. In the recent triple murder of the impeachment complaints, Malacañang engaged in wholesale violation of the doctrine of separation of powers with its blatant interference characterized by bribery of congressmen, capped by offers of a big junket to New York. Groups of congressmen were brought to Malacañang while the committee on justice hearings were going on.

Political and legal circles have long been abuzz with Malacañang's intercessions with justices of the Supreme Court.

And Malacañang regularly exerts pressure on members of the Commission on Appointments (CA). GMA also dictates on who should be elected leaders of the House.

Meanwhile, constitutional expert Joaquin Bernas, SJ, writes that there are no clear national security issues in the Venable LLP contract. Fr. Bernas aptly points out too that executive privilege does not apply to Gonzales because he is not a Cabinet member of a line department but is just given Cabinet rank and is not confirmed by the CA.

Anyway, he has appeared in the Senate hearing and has therefore, waived any right to claim executive privilege.

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Telltale signs. Secretary Ermita announces an upgraded policy of calibrated preemptive response against protesters. Then GMA announces she is fed up, bans rallies in Makati City and promises to arrest rallyists. When the President is pikon na, anything can happen.

What's next? “Camp Aguinaldo sources indicate that plans to declare martial rule, in place since June, are now being finalized. A list of 100 opposition and media personalities to be neutralized” is being prepared, with the Hyatt 10 and senators high on the list. Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez has admitted tasking his assistants to prepare emergency proclamations.

Simultaneously, the takeover of Hacienda Luisita by the Department of Land Reform is in the works and DILG is studying the suspension of Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay. Remember the sudden suspension of Cavite Gov. Ayong Maliksi?

But the 158 GMA allies in Congress should not rejoice.

If martial rule is decreed, it most probably wouldn't be submitted to Congress. The chances are Congress will be closed.

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Unequal treatment. The problem with GMA's ban on rallies is the fact that pro-administration mayors allow pro-administration rallies and deny permits to opposition rallies. Remember the July 16 rally at the Quirino Grandstand? That stopped traffic on Roxas Boulevard, P. Burgos, San Luis and surrounding streets affecting all the businesses and hotels in the area.

One possible compromise would be for every mayor to designate a freedom park where any group of citizens can speak, such as the Hyde Park in London. Let us start with the Luneta in Manila, the Amoranto Stadium in Quezon City and the reclamation area in Pasay City and Parañaque City. Then the rallies need not be held all the time on Edsa or Ayala Avenue.

Incidentally, the Makati Business Club as well as financial and management executives called for GMA's resignation on July 8. The Ayala rallies are, therefore, in support of their stand. Can Malacañang identify the Makati businessmen who have complained to them? Or is it only the Yuchengcos, the Arroyos or the classmates of Mike Arroyo in the Makati Rotary Club?

What's hurting Makati business are not the rallies but the mismanagement by GMA of the economy which has greatly diminished the purchasing power of the Filipino. Ask the mall owners. Sales are 30 percent down in all areas.

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Vengeance. Secretary Ermita fired Juan Miguel Luz as undersecretary of the Department of Education despite an adverse opinion of Civil Service Commission Chairman Karina David. He is the brother of Bill Luz, executive director of MBC.

Dean Raul Pangalangan was also replaced as UP College of Law dean. He joined the Resign Gloria calls last July.

All the congressmen who voted to impeach GMA are also being relieved of their chairmanships.

That's politics. But didn't GMA and Archbishop Fernando Capalla say, let's stop all this politicking. Well, it's politicking when the opposition acts, it's good governance when GMA does it. So what else is new?