Palace challenge: Show us one soldier to prove poll fraud. There’s none.
She also dared the soldiers who question her legitimacy and the way the 2004 elections was conducted to resign their position.
Malacañang yesterday dared the elements in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) who oppose President Arroyo and who question her legitimacy on charges of poll fraud to hang up their uniform and resign from the service.
This was the challenge hurled yesterday by Mrs. Arroyo’s trouble shooter, and her chief of staff, Michael Defensor, as he stressed there would be no amnesty for these rebels amid the continued purging in the AFP, which is being undertaken by both AFP Chief of Staff Generoso Senga and Army chief Gen. Hermogenes Esperon.
He also dared the rebels who question the President’s legitimacy to produce one soldier as witness to his having cheated for her, saying there is not one soldier who can be produced by the renegades to prove their charge.
“There is already a process being undertaken by the AFP leadership in the continuous crackdown of those military officers involved in the attempted coup. They will be dealt with professionally, stressing they will not be treated with kid gloves.”...
Mrs. Arroyo’s chief of staff and trouble shooter also dared the rebels in the military to produce soldiers and prove that they took part in election cheating operations for her during the May 2004 polls.
“(They can’t even produce one witness). This all turned out to be black propaganda... let them produce a soldier who will say he took part in election cheating, but there was none. They can’t prove it. It (accusations) won’t fly. Our top military generals, down to the battalion commanders and to the rank and file can attest to the public that our President did not use them when she ran in the 2004 elections,” Defensor claimed.
There were at least two who had come forward before the Senate to testify that there was indeed poll fraud committed: now retired Brig. Gen. Francisco Gudani who was relieved of his command for refusing to play the cheating game and Col. Alexander Balutan, both of whom are now facing charges before a court-martial for testifying on this issue.
All military officers have also been gagged by Mrs. Arroyo through her Executive Order 464, said to have been resorted to by her, to ensure a cover-up of the poll-rigging operations.
Would love to see Balutan resign from the military and continue with his testimony before the senate.
As for Gudani, he was forcibly retired na pala from his post for going to the senate to testify on election cheating committed by Arroyo's boys. Plus, both gen. gudani and col. balutan also are facing court martial charges for testifying on election fraud.
Of course, the decision to resign from the military is a serious matter, but all it takes really is for another gudani and balutan to come out and expose election fraud and corruption during the 2004 elections, and prove Arroyo and Defensor wrong.
AFter quitting from the position, derecho siya sa senado to testify (sana televised ito LIVE) and do the talk show circuit, and become media darlings (i hope) in the magnitude of a john mccain or a cindy sheehan (although i don't share her politics) because of their bravery. He would be another in the long list of Whistleblowers, the guys who took the risk to tell the truth. But this time... the military dissenters within the AFP who question the credibility of the 2004 elections will now have a voice, somebody who articulates their demands for justice.
UPDATE: I think a better idea is for the soldiers to disobey E.O. 464 and go the senate and the media to expose the cheating, and risk a court martial.
UPDATE: Arroyo and Defensor must have forgotten this guy too.
‘Jueteng’s P300M helped
Gloria buy poll victory’
Captain says he was shocked by massive cheating
BY JOAN DAIRO
A SENATE witness yesterday claimed that alleged jueteng lord Rodolfo "Bong" Pineda gave P300 million to the campaign kitty of President Arroyo during the May 2004 presidential elections.
Army Capt. Marlon Mendoza, who was presented to the Senate as a witness of the Senate minority bloc, told senators former Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano made the claim before a group of election regional directors and provincial supervisors during a "drinking spree" in Naga, Camarines Sur, sometime in April 2004.
Mendoza said he was Garcillano’s chief security officer from April to June 2004. At that time, Mendoza was on floating status following his relief from the Intelligence Service of the AFP over graft charges. He said he was recommended for the job by his "kumpadre" and classmate Capt. Valentin Lopez, who he said is a nephew of Garcillano.
Mendoza said Garcillano was in Naga as guest speaker in a meeting of the Prosecutors League of the Philippines during which President Arroyo was supposedly the guest of honor.
"I distinctly heard Garcillano say that Bong Pineda gave P300 million for the Presidents success in the elections," Mendoza said.
On the questioning of senators, Mendoza admitted he did not witness the turnover of the money. "No, I did not personally see Pineda give the money to Garcillano or GMA," he said.
Senate minority leader Aquilino Pimentel earlier said Pineda has been contributing to Arroyos campaign kitty since she was a senator. Pimentel had said Arroyos campaign posters in last years election, which showed her holding a rose and in a pose like actress Nora Aunor, was supposedly donated by Pineda.
Mendoza also corroborated the testimony of former Palace staff member Michaelangelo Zuce who had claimed that Garcillano spearheaded a special vote-rigging operation in the May 10, 2004 presidential elections, purportedly on the instructions of Arroyo.
Mendoza said he saw Zuce distributing money to election officials in Mindanao and that he was appalled by the massive cheating that was going on.
UPDATE: The criticism that i've read from some about "the resignation idea" for the whistleblower is that bakit raw sila ang magre-resign, eh wala naman silang ginawang mali. Dapat raw si Arroyo ang mag-resign. Good point yan.
I know there are many honest officers in the military, and they worked hard to get where they are. It is true na isang sacrifice ang ginagawa nila when they resign for something na wala naman silang kasalanan.
Pero in my opinion, all it takes is one really at this point, to come out and spill it all. Gudani, Balutan and Mendoza have already done their part.
At kung may resignation na mangyayari from the military over GLORIAGATE, let the media know about it. Pag-usapan nyo kung sino ang magre-resign. I prefer to see somebody who is highly decorated, and well respected in the AFP, para mas mahirap siraan ng arroyo admin sila.
As for life after the military para sa mga truthtellers na nag-resign, I'm sure he/she won't have a difficult to finding employment in the private sector that pays more than his current salary in the AFP. I'm sure marami sa business community ay tutulong sa kanya.
Or if going to private sector is not his thing, and he's more of a public service kind of guy, he can always run for office (a House seat) in 2007, running on his military record and his fearless truthtelling on the GLORIAGATE issue. i'm sure he will cream his opponents. and i'll do my best to help that guy win.
as for kung magkakaroon tayo ng 2007 election... that's another story.
UPDATE: Sabi ni Karl:
Mahirap yang sinasabi ni DJB na resign en masse pag inisip nila kung ano mangyari pagtapos nuon...
I don't agree with DJB too about his suggestion na mag resign en masse ang mga military dissenters. They don't need to. Gudani, Balutan and Capt. Mendoza have already done their part in exposing GLORIAGATE.
All it takes is one more honest soldier at this point, to come out and spill it all.
And he will symbolize the voice of dissent of the soldiers over how the 2004 elections was rigged. He will be the guy who risked it all to tell the truth. He will symbolize integrity, courage and truthtelling... and help clean up the tarnished image of the military for it's role in the 2004 GLORIAGATE scandal. He'd be like the Cindy Sheehan for the GMA resign movement.
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