Punchline
“GMA never goes back on her word”
By Ermin Garcia Jr.
IS it the height of arrogance or sheer insensitivity on their part? Or are they plain clueless?
I’m incredulous on how President Arroyo and her spokespersons can continue to lie with a poker face and stare at everyone straight in the eyes! Their latest “catch-me-if you-can” episode involved Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita who went on national TV last week, insisting that President Arroyo always means what she says, and she never goes back on her word! (He was referring to GMA’s latest disavowal that she is plotting to stay beyond 2010 with her directive to seek charter change before 2010). I almost puked that time!
I’m sure I heard GMA right when she announced in December 2002 that she won’t seek reelection in 2004! In 2004, she practically mimicked Senator Miriam Santiago’s signature “I lied” when she justified her change of heart and ran for reelection.
And GMA did tell us “I will win cleanly and convincingly in the 2004 elections.” And win she did in a manner that shocked most everyone except her co-conspirators. Can she and her then Press Secretary Toting Bunye be believed in their claim that someone impersonated her talking to Comelec Commissioner Garcilliano in a series of phone conversations topped by “Hello Garci, will I still lead by 1 million?”
I also cannot forget her repeated assurance that her administration will never condone corruption in her administration, yet, when the lurid details of the 2004 fertilizer scam were brought to the senate, I don’t recall her ordering the investigation of Usec. Jocjoc Bolante at any time.
And didn’t she say that neither she and nor any member of her family was involved in the negotiation for the NBN-ZTE contract? And lo behold, her own husband was in the company of then Comelec chair Ben Abalos when erstwhile Neda chair Romulo Neri was offered a P200M bribe, and still pictures surfaced showing her playing golf in China with her hubby Big Mike and then Speaker Joe de V as special guests of the ZTE brass
And speaking of then Speaker Joe de V, GMA was quoted by her press secretary that she was standing squarely behind the beleaguered Speaker as the latter fought off moves to unseat him. Well, who led the conspiracy while she misled JdV? Her two congressmen-sons!
And to placate her own self in the face of persistent and growing discontent with her as evidenced by all surveys, she said she’d rather be right than be popular. How admirable! But her subsequent series of attempts to buy off the people’s affection by distributing cash dole-outs everywhere belied her and her sycophants’ claims. As expected, the people took the money and continued to blame her for their worsening miseries.
Surely, millions others like me again heard her recently say that she won’t pursue charter change for the remainder of her term. And now this?
I can go on and on but these alone are enough to remind all Filipinos not to trust her agenda and motives in seeking to amend our Constitution at this time.
So what do you make out of GMA and her spokesmen who tell us today that she never goes back on her words? You tell me!
Or do they just think of us as stupid inconsequential nincompoops who can’t do anything right to boot them out and send them to jail? Gee, could you be one of them?
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Why is a charter change so urgent at this time? Why is GMA suddenly so enamored with federalism? What is the significance of the memorandum of agreement that calls for the establishment of the Bamgsamoro Juridical Entity to these events?
Please oblige me with my own assessment.
A cursory review of past political events and statements indicates that the GMA regime is obsessed with only one thought – to remain in power beyond 2010 to protect herself, her family, and key collaborators from public prosecution! That’s nothing new.
The sudden urgency, I surmise, is on account of the unexpected relatively successful experience of the Comelec in the use of computer technology in the counting and canvassing of votes in ARMM. GMA’s ‘2010 survival team’ obviously pressed the panic button to launch the next move on realizing that a plebiscite on charter change after the voters’ lists shall have been effectively sanitized via technology would make it threefold more difficult to cheat and ‘fix’ the numbers, a la ‘Garci’.
So it’s now or never for Option 1: Cha-Cha!
In calibrating their moves, federalism as an option to governance actually became the unintended collateral damage. What initially appeared to be a good thing when 11 senators endorsed a resolution supporting the establishment of a federal system, is now the subject of a recall – all because GMA foisted federalism as the convenient and belated alibi to get around the opposition to a charter change.
And the escalating war in Mindanao? I believe that was bizarrely calculated to happen by the plotters in Malacañang to effectively underscore the urgency of amending the Charter, never mind that lives are lost in the process. “We have to stop bloodshed in Mindanao” is the rallying cry.
GMA and her co-conspirators are determined to succeed again and will not stop at anything to achieve their objective – to remain in power to escape culpability and responsibility for the wanton pillage of the country’s wealth, and for a chance to double their ‘winnings’.
Surely, nothing can be more evil than that. Yes, the demon wants to stay. There is still Option 2!
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A JOCJOC IN PANGASINAN? From the fertilizer scam to the swine scam, billions have been lost to corruption and still the country remains in the dark on who should be made to account for these that otherwise could have been used to ensure amply rice and food stock for the country.
Now comes the new fertilizer fund as subsidy for farmers ostensibly to help sustain and improve rice production level in the provinces. In Pangasinan, the provincial board even raised the ante by allocating an additional P50 million to augment the fund.
At this stage, I can only pray that Guv Spines will not take the same route that Jocjoc Bolante took in handling the fertilizer fund circa 2004. I hope the governor, who has so far showed some spectacular performance in his first 365 days, will not risk notoriety by adopting Bolante’s template under the guidance of the former advisers of former Dagupan City Mayor Benjie Lim, now the governor’s advisers.
Having seen how the Lim’s ‘plunder team’ operated in the city, I would not be surprised if their fingerprints will be found all over the blueprint for the handling of the new fertilizer fund.
Will Guv Spines agree to be very transparent in the distribution of the fund? Will he tell the people how much was finally spent for the fertilizer, who was the supplier, who were the beneficiary farmers, and where they are located?
For his legacy’s sake, I certainly hope so because the people will be watching him closely.
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P.S. KABALEYANS’ VISITS. The PUNCH was honored with the visits of Kabaleyan members Mr. Jose Ceralde (NJ, USA) in June, Ms. Nida Rofe (Australia) last month and Ms. Ric (Ca., USA) last week to the office! We always get that exhilarating feeling every time a kabaleyan member comes ‘home’ to say “Hello”! Many thanks for the visit! You made our presswork days!
(Readers may reach columnist at punch.sunday@gmail.com. For past columns, click http://sundaypunch.prepys.com/archives/category/opinion/punchline/
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