Bush fights back

Kumahog sa pagsaklolo kay Jens Loewe, miyembro ng environmental watchdog Greenpeace, ang kanyang mga kasamahan makaraang mabugbog ito nang husto ng mga armadong guwardiya ng coal-fired power plant sa Masinloc, Zambales. Kinondena ng Greenpeace ang anila’y pagpapaputok ng baril at pambabato ng 600 private security personnel ng planta sa mga aktibista. (AFP)

-- GMA gains more foes for media slur

Instead of gaining supporters for her and her government, President Arroyo succeeded in creating more enemies and earned more criticisms, as flak poured in over her remarks on a media she has called a destabilization agent for their coverage of “kangaroo courts, lynch mobs and witch-hunts” calling the press “irresponsible” as well as being a hindrance to national progress.

A spoiled brat was how most senators viewed the President for attacking the media, even as they coun-tered her criticisms saying it is she who causes the media to report negatively on her and her government.

Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel Jr. was most scathing: “Degree-wise, she is worse than an irresponsible media. At least, media hip shooters don't use government money to silence their targets. She does. Moreover she's the biggest loser in this era as history will show her up as a liar, cheat, raider of public treasury and the Mama-san of thieves in government,” he said.

“A spoiled brat, (Mrs.) Gloria (Arroyo) likes media when they favor her. She hates media when they hit her for cheating, lying and misusing public funds,” he added.

Pimentel noted that the presidential rebuke of the media to the point of dictating to them what to write and not write about, belies her pretension that she respects press freedom.

Heh. Read the whole thing.

From the Malaya:

Arroyo on Thursday told the media to shed its "bad boy" image and be "responsible" by reporting the good news about the economy instead of allowing itself to be used in political games and destabilization plots.

She made the call, her third tirade against the media in two weeks, before a conference of the Kapisanan ng mga Brodkaster ng Pilipinas in Baguio City.

She said the "coverage of kangaroo courts, lynch mobs and witch hunts" assails the peace of mind and the hopes of the people.

She said the public "wants winners... The economy is the only winner here today amidst these losers who carry no public mandate."

Sen. Sergio Osmeña III said Arroyo "is really angry at the media for telling the truth about her stealing, cheating and lying."

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Mrs. Arroyo has no moral ground to lecture about being fair and good.

"Media should lecture her back. She’s not a winner by any measure, yet she has the temerity to lecture about being good and fair," he said.

"If she wants to read, hear and see one good thing about her, the least that she must do is to step down to show patriotism and love of country," he added.

More: Arroyo plays the newsman

Ducky Paredes reacts to the "bad boy" comment.

And Lito Banayo lists down all the "Winners" and "Losers."

-- Bush fights back against critics, slams Democrats' revisionism on Iraq

Here's part of his speech:

While it's perfectly legitimate to criticize my decision or the conduct of the war, it is deeply irresponsible to rewrite the history of how that war began. (Applause.) Some Democrats and anti-war critics are now claiming we manipulated the intelligence and misled the American people about why we went to war. These critics are fully aware that a bipartisan Senate investigation found no evidence of political pressure to change the intelligence community's judgments related to Iraq's weapons programs.

They also know that intelligence agencies from around the world agreed with our assessment of Saddam Hussein. They know the United Nations passed more than a dozen resolutions citing his development and possession of weapons of mass destruction. And many of these critics supported my opponent during the last election, who explained his position to support the resolution in the Congress this way: "When I vote to give the President of the United States the authority to use force, if necessary, to disarm Saddam Hussein, it is because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a threat, and a grave threat, to our security." That's why more than a hundred Democrats in the House and the Senate — who had access to the same intelligence — voted to support removing Saddam Hussein from power. (Applause.)

The stakes in the global war on terror are too high, and the national interest is too important, for politicians to throw out false charges. (Applause.) These baseless attacks send the wrong signal to our troops and to an enemy that is questioning America's will. As our troops fight a ruthless enemy determined to destroy our way of life, they deserve to know that their elected leaders who voted to send them to war continue to stand behind them. (Applause.) Our troops deserve to know that this support will remain firm when the going gets tough. (Applause.)

Bush's speech came just one day after Arroyo's recent rant where she used the media as a scapegoat.

The main difference between Bush and GMA's recent speeches is that Bush agressively responded against and answered all the accusations about lying on Iraq and intelligence manipulation by Democrats.

Arroyo OTOH, opted to blame the media for her troubles and tried to change topics, instead of candidly answering questions about her GLORIAGATE legitimacy problems, the administration's obstruction of justice activities and other corruption issues.

-- Manuel L. Quezon III has lots of interesting items on his blog today. Just keep scrolling down.

-- Malaya has an editorial on the manhandling of Greenpeace campaigners.

Greenpeace has been successful in raising awareness of environmental protection in First World countries with its members’ antics – lying down on railroad tracks to stop transport of nuclear waste, playing a dangerous game of tag with nuclear-power sea vessels, climbing smokestacks of coal plants, etc.

But could they not adapt their tactics to specific conditions of countries they are visiting?

-- Dean J. Bocobo is upset at Rina J. David and another blogger for using the rape case vs. the 6 US servicemen to ruin the RP-US political and military alliance.

Eto lang ang sa akin: There's no need to scrap the VFA over this. But the US should fully cooperate with RP authorities tho. And if they're found guilty, then ikulong ang mga servicemen na ito sa detention cell kung saan nakakulong rin Nur Misuari (and where erap was previously detained too), para medyo disente naman ang cells nila.

But man, what were these 6 US servicemen thinking? The US and RP gov't are trying to deal with Islamic terrorists in the South, then they do something stupid to damage the RP-US alliance.

-- I would not be surprised if this is happening. From Simonsez of Pinoyexchange:

Thought you people should know. Daming PR Prostitutes ngayon dito sa LAFI.

malacanang monitoring internet forums for anti-gma posts
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Have you ever wondered why there is an influx of pro-gma posters in LAFI? I just e-mailed the moral-majority moderator, and this is his answer. Who do you think are these people in LAFI?


From: moral-majority member
To: moral-majority moderator
Sent: Friday, November 11, 2005 2:22 AM
Subject: malacanang monitoring internet forums for anti-gma posts

I would just like to know if Malacanang is also monitoring the internet regarding posts, threads and forums that are discussing Philippine politics? I would also like to know if there is a concerted effort to field in as many pro-GMA post as possible to make it appear that majority of the public are for GMA? I've been in one forum lately, and I've noticed a sudden influx of posts and posters that are very pro-GMA, and they really bombard you with their number and their posts.


From: moral-majority moderator
To: moral-majority member
Subject: Re: malacanang monitoring internet forums for anti-gma posts
Date: Fri, 11 Nov 2005 06:58:46+0800
Yes.
In most of the forums, including our own moral-majority and elagda-forum, there are GMA propagandists. We just have to be more discerning. And they're also very easy to spot, anyway, with their postings.

I suspect some of them are paid professionals (from a PR company) and others subscribe using different names to make it appear that there are several of them.

Don't worry too much about them being able to trace you. I don't think that is their purpose. Their strategy is to disinform and to befuddle some legitimate issues.

God bless

-- Iraqi Kurds thanks America: Go to their website and check out some of the TV ads that'll be running in the US to say thanks.

-- Brian C. Anderson: Conservtives in Hollywood?!

-- Sen. John McCain: Winning the War in Iraq
Ha! He criticized his old buddy John Kerry for calling for troop withdrawals in Iraq.

AEI: The Maverick is Back.

The guy is stepping up to the plate:

Immediately after stating that “success or failure in Iraq is the transcendent issue to our foreign policy—and our national security—for now and years to come,” McCain warned that if we heed the calls of Cindy Sheehan or Senator Kerry, America would “face consequences of the most serious nature.”

You read that correctly. At Thursday’s AEI speech—where in one brief segment he grouped Cindy Sheehan with Senator Kerry—John McCain officially finalized his divorce from the Massachusetts Senator. And McCain certainly won’t pay alimony.

After all, it was Cindy Sheehan who, in a March 15 letter to ABC’s Nightline, stated that her son was “killed for lies and for a Project for a New American Century/Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel.” She went on to write (in case Nightline was wondering), that her “son joined the Army to protect America, not Israel.”

You see, Mr. Kerry? Senator McCain really does think you’re “out of your mind.”

McCain’s speech was important for many more reasons than simply distancing himself from Senator Kerry. As support for President Bush, and the Iraq war, fall to historic lows, Senator McCain is poised to rise as the most outspoken—and eloquent—defender of Iraq. And unlike Bush, McCain is ready for the debate.

In fact, he said so:

“The latest polls and protests at home show that we need a renewed effort to win the homefront. If we can't retain the support of the American people, we will have lost this war as soundly as if our forces were defeated on the battlefield. A renewed effort at home starts with explaining precisely what is at stake in this war—not to alarm Americans, but so that they see the nature of this struggle for what it is.”

And what, according to McCain, is at stake?

“If we leave Iraq prematurely, the jihadists will interpret the withdrawal as their great victory against our great power. Osama bin Laden and his followers believe that America is weak, unwilling to suffer casualties in battle. They drew that lesson from Lebanon in the 1980s and Somalia in the 1990s, and today they have their sights set squarely on Iraq.”

And if they succeed, according to McCain, they will “establish a caliphate in Iraq, extend the ‘jihad wave’ to the secular countries neighboring Iraq, and clash with Israel.”

-- DFA officers bares attempt to hide info on Garcillano

AN underground group of disgruntled career diplomats on Thursday accused the Department of Foreign Affairs of trying to suppress information on the whereabouts of former elections commissioner Virgilio Garcillano who is accused of conniving with President Arroyo in rigging the May 2004 elections.

In an open letter to Secretary Alberto Romulo, the Union of Filipino Foreign Service Officers (Uniffors) said it is saddened to see the secretary squander his hard-won reputation by using his office and the DFA to "insure the survival" of Arroyo.

The letter was posted on the group’s blog www.uniffors.com.

The Uniffors is different from the mainstream Union of Foreign Service Officers (Unifors) which is the official organization of career diplomats.

Garcillano went missing right after Malacañang disclosed in June the existence of wiretapped conversations between him and Arroyo. In the "Hello Garci" recordings, Arroyo is heard asking the commissioner if she could secure a lead of one million votes.

Garcillano has been cited in contempt by five House committees investigating the recordings and the alleged rigging of the polls, for snubbing its inquiry. An arrest warrant has been issued by the joint committees.

Uniffors said when Rep. Gilbert Remulla, chairman of the lead investigating committee, asked the DFA to verify reports that Garcillano had fled the country and passed through Singapore, Undersecretary Franklin Ebdalin was "asked to sit on the information" received from the Embassy in Singapore while Malacañang was trying to work out a deal with the congressman.

The deal involved the suspension of Cavite Gov. Ayong Maliksi and the assumption of office of Remulla’s brother who is the vice governor, in exchange for Remulla’s "losing interest" in following up the Garcillano lead.

"The ploy backfired and Mr. Ebdalin was authorized to transmit the embassy’s reply to Mr. Remulla’s congressional committee," the group said.

It added that when Remulla subsequently requested the DFA to instruct the Philippine missions in Argentina and Brazil to check if Garcillano entered those countries, Ebdalin, who was then acting secretary, sent out orders to the embassies to secure information from authorities in their host countries.

But a few days later, Uniffors said Ebdalin’s instructions were "rescinded" upon Romulo’s authority. Later, the two embassies were told to follow the initial orders.

"Why was this delaying tactic resorted to? Were the final instructions transmitted to put on record that there was substantial, albeit grudging, compliance with the congressional request?" Uniffors said.

Ebdalin was not available for comment yesterday. He was in Beijing for the Philippine Airlines’ resumption of service to the Chinese capital.

Neither Romulo nor his staff could be reached for comment.