Malacanang blasted CBCP for their impeach stand

• Bishops back Yniguez impeach bid
  
  

  Ranking officials of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) yesterday vowed to defend and throw their full support behind their fellow bishop whom Malacañang wants to be punished for filing the third impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.
  
  Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the CBCP, Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales and Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz, former president of the CBCP, in unison said they will fully back Caloocan City Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez, who filed the impeachment complaint last Wednesday.
  
  “It is a very heroic stand which he has taken, therefore, all the more we would like to give him our support and encouragement,” Lagdameo said in a church-run program aired over Radio Veritas.
  
  He stressed that though Iñiguez said his decision to file the third impeachment complaint was his personal stand and that the CBCP is not part of it, the Catholic hierarchy is convinced that what the Caloocan bishop did is the right thing.
  
  Rosales, like Lagdameo, expressed his support for Iñiguez, saying it was a “personal decision of Bishop Iñiguez and he must be respected.”

  
  Malacanang OTOH, blasted the CBCP for their impeach stand.
  
  Hmmm... I didn't hear much complaints about the "separation of church and state" issues from the pro-Arroyos when Fr. Robert Reyes signed the impeachment complaint agaisnt Erap back in 2000. From the Tribune editorial:
  
  

  But isn’t this so ridiculous a call from her, considering the indisputable fact that she, along the late Jaime Cardinal Sin and the Catholic bishops, with her military generals, the chief justice and his judicial clique, conspired to oust a legitimately elected President of the Republic through mob rule, discarding the constitutional processes and the rule of law?
  
  What she, her bishops, the elite and the military generals did was certainly an unpardonable breach of the Constitution and if the religious flavor must be injected, that was a breach of Catholicism, on grounds that the voice of the people is the voice of God — a voice that they had thwarted, not once, but twice, through a naked power grab in 2001 and again, through massive poll cheating in 2004, which electoral fraud these bishops even blessed by claiming that while there was cheating, the vote still reflected the people’s will.
  
  It is also to be recalled that in 2000, when an impeachment complaint was filed against then sitting President Joseph Estrada, this was signed by a priest, Robert Reyes, then the attack dog of Jaime Sin. And there is no denying that the bishops were behind her in a staged “people power” revolt, but there was no objection from Gloria and her coup plotters on such disgraceful behavior of the church leaders.
  
  But now that a bishop files an impeachment complaint against her, she now wants his actions probed? Just who does she think she is? Hell, she is not even the legitimately elected President of the Republic!

  
  LOL. And wasn't Fr. Joe Dizon also one of the signatories on Erap's impeachment complaint back in 2000? Didn't hear much complaints about that either.
  
  

  Militant groups have condemned the Macapagal-Arroyo government’s granting of Estrada’s request to be allowed to travel abroad. “This is yet another proof of Arroyo’s treachery to the cause and ideals of People Power 2,” said Fr. Joe Dizon, spokesperson of Plunder Watch which filed the plunder case against the deposed president, in a statement to the media last week. “She has again abetted corruption by allowing Estrada to flee from justice.”
  
  Fr. Dizon is one of the signatories to the impeachment case filed against Estrada in 2000. The impeachment trial was aborted through a maneuver by senator-judges partial to Estrada on Jan. 16, 2001, leading to the People Power 2 revolt that ousted him four days later.

  
  More here:
  
  

  But outspoken Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz pointed out that if there is anybody to blame for the furor over the impeachment complaint filed by Bishop Iñiguez, it is none other than the presidential allies due to their penchant for turning small issues into big ones.
  
  “In the case of Bishop Iñiguez who filed an impeachment complaint against Mrs. Arroyo. We wouldn’t have said anything if they (Palace aides) did not push us (into making this support stand public.) It’s just a small thing, yet they made a mountain out of this molehill,” the archbishop said.

  
  Naku! baka bawiin ni Arroyo yung "regalo" nya na sa CBCP at kay Pope Benedict.
  
  From Conrad de Quiros:
  
  

  I HEARD IGNACIO BUNYE ON RADIO THURSday night saying the Department of Justice would look into the canons of God and man that Bishop Deogracias Iñiguez violated when he filed an impeachment case against Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The usual suspect, Prospero Nograles, was also around to register his moral—as if that word can ever sit well on anyone of them—indignation at Iñiguez’s affront. “We would like to see a stricter implementation of the separation of Church and State,” he demanded.
  
  Never mind that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines—whose political interventions during the time of Archbishop Fernando Capalla they took to be God’s voice itself; particularly when the CBCP said, at the height of the “Hello Garci” scandal, that it saw no need for GMA to resign—has backed up Iñiguez. Never mind that the same CBCP—whose former head, Archbishop Capalla, kept telling the world that the 2004 elections were peaceful and fair—now says that what Iñiguez has done falls completely within Church canons, specifically its pastoral letter demanding the dogged pursuit of the truth about the last elections.
  
  Mind only the gall of these people.
  
  There should be separation between Church and State? Well, who in God’s very good name has been poaching on whose territory with relentless zeal? Bunye seems totally oblivious to the irony of his complaint about Iñiguez trying to be the Pope’s spokesperson. Who can speak better for the Pope, Iñiguez or GMA? Iñiguez, at least, is a bona fide bishop or prince of the Church, GMA is a fake President or head of State.

  
  LMAO!!!


• Hmmmmm....
  
  

  A few days ago the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal (HRET) decided to unseat Tawi-Tawi Rep. Annuar Abubakar in favor of his challenger, Nur Jaafar.
  
  The HRET recount showed Abubakar actually losing to Jaafar by about 1,500 votes – polling some 25,700 votes to the latter’s 27,200. This, in contrast to the Comelec ruling in May 2004 that Abubakar had won the post with 37,000 plus votes to Jaafar’s 35,000.
  
  On the face of the decision this would appear to be just another of those long-delayed rulings on election protests, one that is handed down with barely a few days, if not months, left of the contested term. Remember that Pasig congressional bet who won his contested seat – on the very last day of Congress?
  
  There may be deeper implications in the HRET decision, though.
  
  Implications especially for the presidency of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.



• Getting rid of Arroyo's partisan and incompetent COMELEC officials will restore the public's trust in the COMELEC, not the other way around. From CDQ:
  
  

  ONE of the funniest things I’ve read over the past weeks was our news item last Sunday. It said Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez opposed the idea of Election Commissioner Resurreccion Borra or, heaven forbid, his fellow commissioners being impeached. Should that happen, Gonzalez warned, it would greatly affect the 2007 elections. The public, he said, would not trust an electoral body that will have its attention divided between preparing for those elections and attending to the legal case against its top officials.
  
  But of course, filing impeachment charges against Borra and company will greatly affect the 2007 elections. It will make them honest. What on earth makes Gonzalez think the public trusts the Commission on Elections (Comelec) now? For that matter, what makes him think the public trusts him? What makes him think he and the word “justice” have any connection whatsoever? What makes him think his utterances are of any consequence to any Filipino in his or her right mind?

  
  Read the whole thing. Eto pa:
  
  

  But Aquilino Pimentel is right: Why only Borra and why impeachment? The Mega Pacific scandal, which consisted of the Comelec awarding the bid to computerize canvassing to a patently unqualified bidder, one that had just been put together thereby grossly violating the first criterion which was that the bidder should have been around for several years, was approved by the commission en banc.
  
  If the argument is that the other commissioners did it in good faith, then they are monumentally incompetent, or downright stupid, signing things they have not scrutinized or understood. Their good faith can only represent a bad fate for the voters, and the country at large. Indeed why impeachment when there is a simpler, more direct and complete solution to the problem, which is to file criminal charges against the commissioners? That is how it’s done in the United States, where the officials of electoral bodies are not regarded as being in the same league as the president and chief justice and deserving of impeachment.



• Rina Jimenez David supports the Black and White Movement's call to turn Rex Borra into a "state witness" vs. the Arroyo admin.


• Dangerous Life on an OFW inside Iraq


• Who are these people?


• What does chavit want this time around?
  
  Ike Seneres: "In a democracy where all citizens are supposed to have an equal voice, there appears to be some influential people who have a louder voice — a voice moreover that government does not mind, even if what is stated is illegal. Take the case of Chavit Singson who loudly said trouble would erupt if Erap is acquitted. He might have been expressing his personal opinion but he appears to be immune from government lawsuits, else he would be a prime candidate for inciting to sedition."



• GMA names Jose Pidal's cousin as next PNP chief



• Ike Seneres: "Talk about boycotts against businesses owned by “pro-Gloria” supporters is nothing new, but what may be new is the more solid determination among the proponents to go ahead with it, using boycott as a political weapon to neutralize the administration. While some Makati Business Club members have already withdrawn their support from Gloria, there are also others who are still with her, fearing reprisals from her. But boycott planners are now in the process of defining who and what go into the boycott list. In a sense, a boycott is also a “withdrawal of support,” yet another proof that politics and economics are always intertwined. What could a boycott do to tilt the political equation? For one, the downswings in the sales of goods and services coming from “blacklisted” companies would directly influence the behavior of the congressmen who would be voting for or against the impeachment raps filed against Gloria. Many congressmen are businessmen themselves, or are closely associated with business interests."


• The Masinloc power controversy. I think this is not getting enough coverage. It should concern us though, dahil mukhang tataas na naman ang singil sa kuryente natin dahil sa shady deal na ito. Key point:
  
  

  Sources said the Palace has supposedly intensified its pressure on Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) to sign a power supply contract with Malaysian-based Ranhill Berhad, which reportedly rescued the undercapitalized YNN Pacific recently by providing the needed financial resources.
  
  Malacañang announced last Friday that President Arroyo approved the extension of the June 30 deadline for YNN Pacific as requested by Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi.
  
  Osmeña said, there are indications that Ranhill Berhad is in the same boat as YNN Pacific as allegations abound that the latter is also a new company with no track record in the power industry.
  
  Pimentel, for his part, warned of higher electricity rates, should YNN Pacific finally take over operations of the country’s biggest power plant and enter into a supply agreement with Meralco.
  
  Power rates, he said, would surely go up if the poorly-capitalized buyer of the Masinloc power plant is allowed to operate the facility even after repeatedly failing to pay its financial obligation to the government.
  
  He added the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management (Psalm) Corp. should have rescinded the sale of the 600-megawatt coal-fired power plant to YNN Pacific and confiscated the company’s $14-million performance bond after reneging on its $227- million down payment on the third deadline last June 30.
  
  Pimentel maintained that Psalm should have declared a failure of bidding in view of YNN Pacific’s repeated non-payment of the upfront fee. Thereafter, he said a rebidding of the Masinloc plant should be held instead of allowing YNN Pacific to enter into a buyout deal with Berhad.
  
  “The entry of Ranhill Power has exposed YNN Pacific for what it is — a mere broker or conduit — not a legitimate player in the power industry,” the minority leader said.
  
  He added it defies explanation why YNN Pacific, with an actual paid-up capital of only P625,000 was awarded the contract to purchase the Masinloc power plant at a price of $651 million.
  
  Like a jigsaw puzzle whose pieces are beginning to fall into place, Pimentel said it has become crystal-clear that YNN Pacific gave a fantastic bid price to ensure it would beat rival buyers despite its doubtful financial capability and lack of credible track record in power generation.
  
  Obviously, Pimentel said, YNN Pacific, due to its thin financial resources, intended to source the payments for its financial obligations to the Philippine government largely from the sale of expensive power.

  
  Sheeeeet. Read the whole thing.


• Dirty Tricks before the Makati mayoralty race? From ike Seneres:
  
  

  Some criminal elements possibly backed up by rouge cops are planning to cause trouble in Makati City, in an apparent attempt to project the notion that Mayor Jejomar Binay has lost control of the peace and order situation in that city. But the moves may be part of a plan to raise an election issue against him, or serve as a prelude to a plan that would place the city under “police control,” a strategy that could effectively remove from him the power to issue rally permits.




• From Ninez Cacho Olivares:
  
  

  Under the Gloria government, and specially with its Justice Secretary, Raul Gonzalez, any and every act or even statement made by critics of Gloria Arroyo is a crime.
  
  A call to civil disobedience or a boycott made by Tito Guingona, former Vice President, is a crime of sedition, or rebellion and any other crime Gonzalez and his principal can think of.
  
  But wait, the same Gonzalez also states that such acts of the critics are not quite a crime yet, but he will see how far they go and gather evidence to fit the crime.
  
  Doesn’t that sound like a clear admission by the Gloria government that it is into manufacturing evidence to fit what Gonzalez says is a crime?
  
  But didn’t people such as Gonzalez, Guingona and the then anti-Marcos forces do the same in 1986 when they spilled into the streets, without any permit whatsoever, in complete disobedience to the rule of law and the Constitution when they and their groups not only called for civil disobedience and a boycott of establishments identified or associated with Marcos then? And didn’t they oust Marcos then at Edsa? As for rebellion, which is supposed to be an armed one, why, the military that defected was armed. So why weren’t the officers punished from going against the military’s chief of staff then?
  
  If it was not seen as a crime then, why should this same act, committed by them then, now be regarded as a crime, simply because this time around, the government is headed by Gloria Arroyo?
  
  As a matter of record, party-list Rep. Crispin Beltran, was arrested on charges of rebellion on the strength of a 30-year-old arrest warrant issued under the Marcos regime, on claims that rebellion is a “continuing crime.”
  
  If so, then Gonzalez and all Palace aides should be charged with sedition, rebellion and coup d’etat as they all actively participated in a power grab last January 2001 when they ousted then sitting President Joseph Estrada. If ousting a President is a crime then by rights, they should all be charged with the same crime.

  
  Ouch!



• From Peking Duck: China to be more aggressive in cracking down on blogs, search engines


• Nakalusot sa TimesSelect:
  
  

  Rumblings From China
  By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
  Published: July 2, 2006
  
  In the 17 years since the bloody crackdown on the Tiananmen democracy movement, China has enjoyed an economic miracle and remarkable political stability. But my hunch is that that period of smooth sailing is now coming to an end.

  
  Complete article here.


• Roger Ebert is seriously ill