Reality check. According to the surveys conducted since the Hello Garci scandal erupted last June, public opinion about the President's culpability in the alleged election fraud has been remarkably steady. After an initial period of doubt, a majority of Filipinos are now convinced that election fraud did take place, and that the President was involved in it.
And yet, there is-there has been-no significant outrage in the streets, no sign that yet another flourish of People Power is imminent. Many reasons have been offered to explain this outrage gap; whatever the reason, it is a reality that opposition politicians must take fully into account.
Reality check my ass. The editorial conveniently forgot to mention na CPR was in effect then, and that mahirap talagang mag-rally sa kalsada ala Thailand kung palagi kang binubugbog at ina-arresto ng pulis. Parang katulad tayo ng mga middle east countries like Iran and Syria, o sa China where holding anti-government protests are banned at nabubugbog at ina-arresto rin ang mga protesters. During the GLORIAGATE scandal kasi, nawala ang "freedom of assembly" rights natin. May "free speech" at "free press" pa tayo thank god, pero medyo under attack ang mga freedoms na yon recently at unti-unting nai-intimidate ang media natin.
So I don't understand how the PDI Editorial can say na "walang significant outrage" sa kalsada? How can they really know that kung may CPR tayo nung panahon na yon? Sure, it's possible na baka ayaw na ng taong bayan na sumali sa rally, but it's difficult to say kung ganyan talaga ang kaso dahil sa CPR. Ang nakakatawa pa, those pro-Arroyos who tacitly approve of CPR are the same ones who like to taunt the anti-GMA opposition for being "pathetic" and not being able to organize huge anti-Arroyo rallies.
(Btw, anybody who doubts the effectivity of CPR can look at Belarus situation.)
The good news though is that Arroyo's Supreme Court finally declared the CPR unconstitutional, but they took an awfully long time in coming up with this decision.
(UPDATE: Arroyo's SC (and everybody else) knew then that CPR and EO 464 were patently unconstitutional, that's why the Supreme Court dragged their feet in coming up with this decision, to give arroyo enough time to weather the worst storm via the brutal CPR and the stonewalling EO 464 policy. That's the most Justice Carpio, Corona and the SC can do for her without totally losing their own credibility.)
It would be great to test that SC decision on May 1, and other future anti-Arroyo and anti-cha cha rallies lined up. I hope susundin ng admin ang desisyon ng SC na bawal ang CPR at Maximum Tolerance ang dapat. At dapat ibasura na rin ang unconstitutional na "No permit, no rally" rule. Dapat ring payagan na ang mga anti-Arroyo rallyists na makapag protesta sa kalsada (mendiola, makati, edsa) katulad nung panahon ng Cory, FVR at Erap admin. The Thailand model of handling anti-gov't rallies is the one this administration should be emulating. Kung lahat ng ito'y natupad, at hindi pa rin maka-organize ang mga anti-arroyo groups ng malalaking rallies within the next 6 to 12 months, then i'll concede na there's no great outrage against Arroyo.
At eto pa ang nakakainis: The Editorial has also swallowed the administration line na the senate inquiries are just undisguised witchhunts:
THE SUPREME COURT DECISION DECLARING two provisions of Executive Order 464 unconstitutional presents the public with the opportunity to help resolve the President's crisis of legitimacy. But we must make clear: The ruling does not constitute a license for the Senate-where the opposition to President Macapagal-Arroyo is concentrated-to wreak havoc on the democratic polity.
The decision should not be interpreted, in the words of administration congressman and Deputy Speaker for Mindanao Gerry Salapuddin, as the first sign of an "open season" on administration officials and allies...
The opposition must therefore use the ruling as an opportunity to build public consensus about the way we proceed from now on. The political theater of senators browbeating witnesses must come to an end. The spectacle of senators coming in late to hearings and repeating questions already asked must no longer be inflicted on the public. Not least, the practice of senators using the coercive power of the contempt citation as a punitive measure, as in the case of the (admittedly frustrating) testimony of National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales, must stop. The democratic project is first about process, before it is about power.
I vehemently disagree with this characterization of the Senate investigations by the PDI editorial. the senate is about to "wreak havoc" on this administration raw and "browbeat" the witnesses. Yeah right. Forget the stonewalling and the coverups and getting to the bottom of the GLORIAGATE scandal.
Parang sinabi ng editorial na ngayong ginawang unconstitutional na ang EO 464, tigilan nyo na ang mga investigations na ito.
- According to Rizalist, nakalamang ang Arroyo admin sa desisyon ng Supreme Court sa EO 464. De Quiros OTOH, pats the Supreme Court on the head with their decision.
- Conrad de Quiros: Thank God for Theresa Pangilinan!
Money Quote:
Soriano is right that people should show respect for others, particularly their superiors. He is wrong to address that injunction to Pangilinan and company. Who was insulting whom in that graduation? You are Pangilinan, you will wonder too what credentials your guest speaker has to lecture you on the subject of how best to get ahead in life -- the honest way. You know that you are a reasonably genuine future leader of the community while the person in front of you is an arguably fake current leader of the nation. You know that you at least won your diploma through hard work, the one thing your teachers taught you to value like life, while the person in front of you won the presidency through cheating, the one thing your teachers taught you to loathe like a plague.
WORD!
- Michelle Malkin: Queen of all media!
- Demaree Raval: Is there even a Mayuga report?
Does the Mayuga Report really exist?
Not until we get to see it published in its unexpurgated candor could anyone say it exists. After all, what Navy Chief Mayuga disclosed were only his alleged conclusions, which may not be supported (yet) at all by the facts actually gathered or concocted so far.
Methinks this a reportage version of reverse engineering, where the conclusions are already predetermined, and the facts or findings are gathered and meticulously tinkered with, tailored, bent and recast to support a foregone conclusion. Any minutae that goes against the grain is weeded out. The conclusions are then inflicted upon the nation, floated like a trial balloon that is tantalizingly pimped up to draw reactions from a populace whom they think is too dumb to see through the subterfuge. That way, the military could claim that it is telling the truth. After all, a conclusion can only be based on facts adduced.
Read the whole thing.
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