Month: June 2009

Mabuti naman at sinabi ni US Defense Secretary Robert Gates Jr. na walang posisyon ang Amerika sa problema sa Spratlys kasi akala kasi ng maraming Pilipino na kapag magkagulo sa Spratlys laban sa China, kakampihan tayo ng mga Amerikano.

Wala tayong maasahan sa mga Kano, yan ang katotohanan.

Ito ang sinabi ni Gates sa press conference kahapon sa Camp Aguinaldo pagkatapos ng pag-uusap niya kay Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro: “There are a number of security challenges and obviously concerns on conflicting claims in the South China Sea, the United States takes no position on those claims, we only urge all of the parties involved to try and resolve these issues clearly, peacefully.”

Tinanong din si Gates tungkol sa Visiting Forces Agreement na binabatikos ng mga progresibong organisasyon at sabi niya comportable daw sila sa VFA. Dapat lang dahil nagagamit nila sa proteksyun ng kanilang mga sundalo kahit na binabastos na ang batas ng Pilipinas na pinapayagan naman ang ating mga opisyal.

Ang relasyon pangseguridad ng Pilipinas at Estados Unidos ay nakabase sa 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty o MDT. Ito ang isang provision ng MDT: “Each party recognizes that an armed attack in the Pacific Area on either of the parties would be dangerous to its own peace and safety and declares that it would act to meet the common danfers in accordance with its constitutional process.”

Sa unang basa mo, maaring sasabihin mo na ang pinagkasunduan ay kung magkagulo sa Spratlys dahil limang bansa ang nag-aangkin ng mga isla doon kasama na ang Pilipinas, China, Vietnam, Taiwan, Malaysia, at Brunei makiki-alam ang Amerika.

Sinasabi kasi ng China na pagmamay-ari nila ang buong South China Sea at talagang nag-iingay sila kapag tinutulak ng ibang ibang bansa ang kanilang pagmamay-ari sa mga sila doon. Inukupa nila ang Mishief Reef na ina-angkin ng Pilipinas. Ilang beses na naggirian doon sa Spratlys na mga tropa ng Intsik ang sangkot.

Akala natin, kapag may gulo doon sa Spratlys at sangkot ang Pilipinas at China kakampihan tayo ng U.S dahil sa MDT. Klaro ang sabi ni Gates: wala silang posisyon.

Hindi tayo kakampihan ng U.S laban sa China dahil malaki ang pakinabang nila sa mga Intsik. Ang laking negosyo ang binibigay ng China sa Amerika. Katiting lang ang Pilipinas.

Ang VFA, ang nagbibigay ng legalidad ng pagpunta dito sa Pilipinas ng mga sundalong Amerikano para sa mga Balikatan exercises at iba pang aktibidades, ay implementasyon ng MDT.

Kaya lang, isipin natin, ano ba ang banta sa ating seguridad? Kung hindi natin maasahan ang Amerika sa Spratlys, saan nila tayo tutulungan? Ano ang pakinabang natin sa VFA?

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Looks like Sen.Mar Roxas “padyak” ads are effective in making people notice him. Or maybe because of his crusade against Legacy owner Celso de los Angeles whom he accused of swindling thousands of plan holders. Or it could be the “Korina Sanchez” factor.

Whatever it is, the latest survey of Pulse Asia showed Roxas’ rating improving by five percent while that other presidential aspirants either slightly declined or remained the same, except for Sen. Loren Legarda, whose numbers dipped by five percent.

In the survey on presidential preference conducted May 4 to 17, 2009, Roxas rating went up to 13 percent from eight percent in the survey conducted February 2 to 15, 2009.

But Roxas still trails Vice-President Noli L. de Castro (18%), Senator
Francis G. Escudero (17%), former President Joseph Estrada (15%), and Senator Manuel B.
Villar, Jr. (14%). (Down load here Pulse Asia survey mr1-ub2009-2-mr-on-may-2010-preferences-final)

The ratings of De Castro and Estrada decreased by one percent from survey four months ago while that of Escudero remained the same.

Ana Marie Tabunda, Pulse Asia’s chief research fellow said given that the survey has a six per cent margin of error, the changes in the numbers are not really significant for now. The top five, she said, are in a statistical tie.

But she said, considering that Roxas was only six percent in October 2008, his 13 percent now is a big improvement.

Loren Legarda is number six with seven per cent followed by Sen. Panfilo Lacson and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay with the same four per cent ratings.

Sen. Richard Gordon, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Chief Justice Reynato Puno, and businessman Manny Pangilinan all got the endorsement of one percent of the respondents.

The survey was conducted among 1,200 respondents 18 years old and above.

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Hardly had the croaking of the the congressmen who were at the Manila Hotel for the launching of what pundits call Palaka (Partido Lakas at Kampi) died down last Thursday when they were summoned by Gloria Arroyo to a room where she gave her marching orders: pass the resolution amending the Constitution.

Arroyo, the source said, offered the congressmen a hefty incentive: over and above their pork barrel, they will be given P20 million each.

There are two resolutions calling for the amendment of the Constitution pending at the Lower House. HR 737, authored by House Speaker Prospero Nograles, treats amendment of the Constitution as an ordinary legislation to be approved by three fourths of members of Congress, voting separately.

HR 1109, authored by Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Villafuerte, seeks to convene a Constituent Assembly for the purpose of amending the Constitution even if composed only of members of the House of Representatives.

It’s a perversion of the Constitutional provision that amendments may be done by “The Congress, upon a vote of three-fourths of all its members.”

Congress is composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives but Gloria’s frogs believe they can ignore the senators who are not enthusiastic about amending the Constitution under Arroyo’s watch.

Arroyo’s meeting with the congressmen is the height of of her deceit because just a few minutes before that, she crowed before them, “Cynics and detractors love to paint grim scenarios about a cancellation of the 2010 elections. Let this merger of LAKAS and KAMPI be tangible proof of the Administration’s readiness, nay determination, to help ensure that the elections do push through.”

It’s classic non-sequitor. How can a Lakas-Kampi merger be an assurance that the May 2010 election under the 1987 Constitution would push through? It does not follow.

Actually Arroyo’s message was not for the palakas at the Manila Hotel. It was for the public, to lull us into complacency so that she can execute her Gloria forever scheme without resistance. Take note that she did not say that the elections in 2010 would be a presidential election under the 1987 Constitution.

It’s a setup.

To underscore her deviousness, two days before the Lakas-Kampi merger, her minions in the House committee on constitutional amendments recommended for plenary debate Resolution 1109 . The Committee on Rules will have to schedule floor deliberations on it this week before Congress adjourns on June 5 or else it would have to be in July.

HR 737 is now in the plenary and could be debated upon and voted on anytime.

Former President Fidel Ramos, founder of Lakas, who was absent in last Thursday’s event denounced the “undue haste” of the merger.

The “undue haste” is because Operation Gloria Forever is already behind schedule. In the original timetable, a Cha-Cha resolution should have passed Congress February or March 2009. Proponents expected the judicial question to be settled, in their favor by June. That means, Senate can be ignored.

The writing of the new Constitution should be no sweat. Malacañang has a ready draft of the new Charter and all that is needed is three-fourths vote of the House of Representatives. The approval by the Supreme Court of 32 more sectoral representatives caused some adjustment in Malacañang’s payola budget. But what’s P5 billion for the 200 plus votes (at P20 million each) to buy Arroyo’s protection after 2010?

Once the Con-Ass has produced a new Constitution, the referendum could be held in September. The May 2010 elections would be for members of the parliament (if in the new Constitution the system of government would be parliamentary) or for president without the 6-year term limit. Real smart, isn’t she?

Former President Joseph Estrada said if the report about the P20 million officer for a Con-Ass vote is true,” the people will have to make their voice heard against this attempt by the incumbent president to stay in power forever. This is too much. We do not want to wake up one day to realize that Arroyo can legally stay in power forever under a parliamentary form of government.”

Statements from Arroyo assuring us about 2010 elections should be taken with a grain of salt. Let’s be reminded that on December 30, 2002 she said in front of Jose Rizal’s monument, “ I have decided not to run for President during the 2004 election.  If I were to run, it will require a major political effort on my part since I am among the principal figures in the divisive national events in the last two or three years.  My political efforts can only result in never ending divisiveness.”  

In less than a year, she announced her candidacy as president in the 2004 elections

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