Author: Ellen

Malacañang’s script is unfolding as planned:

Oliver Lozano questions before the Supreme Court HR 1109 for what the authors want: a decision on a ‘judiciable controversy.’

Click here for the Inquirer report.

Meanwhile STOP (Sa Tamang Oras at Paraan) Cha Cha Movement said the special press conference supposedly tomorrow featuring presidential aspirants is postponed indefinitely due to scheduling problems.

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Mark June 2, 2009, 11:30 pm as the hour of ignonimy.

Let’s all bow our heads in shame.

House Resolution 1109 that seeks to convene a Constitutional Assembly, without the participation of the Senate, to amend the Constitution was approved by the House of Representatives.

Gloria Arroyo’s offer of P20 million for each vote for Con-Ass worked.

From Inquirer online:

Arroyo’s tacit approval

The President herself gave tacit approval for Lakas-Kampi-CMD allies in the House to push for the passage of HR 1109, according to Nograles.

He said the decision to push for HR 1109 over his own HR 737—which seeks to lift constitutional limits on foreign investments through regular legislation, or the “fourth mode” of Charter change—was reached during the official merger on Thursday of the ruling parties Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats and Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino (Kampi).

“The leaders of Lakas and Kampi decided in that meeting that this is one of the things that we will push for. I will not deny that she (the President) was present when we decided on that, but she did not say anything,” Nograles said in an interview.

HR 1109 was aggressively promoted for signatures in the House by the President’s elder son, Pampanga Rep. Juan Miguel Arroyo.

House rams through House resolution

Con-Ass needs Senate okay

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Gloria Arroyo is using the frog formula on the Filipino people in pushing for Charter Change and it looks like it is working.

What’s the frog formula?

It is said that if you put a frog into a pot of boiling water, it will leap out right away to escape the danger because it’s survival instincts are geared towards detecting sudden changes.

But if you put a frog in a kettle that is filled with water that is cool and pleasant, and then you gradually heat the kettle, it will relish the warmth. It’s tolerance level is high as long as it’s gradual. By the time it would realize the danger, it would be too late to jump out of the boiling water.

It would then be turned into a nilagang palaka.

Notice how Arroyo and her cohorts keep on saying that the 2010 elections will push through. Speaking at the formal merger of the two parties that supports her, Arroyo declared,”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.”

Interior Secretary Ronaldo Puno, the master election magician, and Gabriel Claudio never tire of talking about 2010 elections. That’s because they know that Filipinos love election.

The masses look forward to elections because it’s the only time that they become important to officials who ignore them once they get elected. It’s a fiesta complete with food, entertainment and money. It’s a safety valve in a highly-stressed environment.

A Pulse Asia survey showed that 65 percent of Filipinos are convinced the May 2010 elections will be held as scheduled and believe that there will be much trouble in the country if the elections are not held.

So Arroyo will give Filipinos elections in 2010. The people will have their circus. But it doesn’t mean that the Constitution will not be changed.

Last Monday, with three days left before adjournment, the House committee on constitutional amendments convened an emergency session and approved a resolution to convene Congress, even without the participation of the Senate, into a constituent assembly to amend the Constitution.

The minority in the House led by Rep. Satur Ocampo thought that it succeeded in blocking the railroading of the Con-Ass resolution when it was sent back to the committee on constitutional amendments. He didn’t reckon with P20 million each incentive promised by Arroyo for the passage of the Con-Ass resolution.

The congressmen held an emergency session and approved the Con-Ass resolution. At 11:30 p.m. of June 2, 2009, the House approved the Con-Ass resolution.

At the meeting with the foreign correspondents yesterday, Puno confirmed that Arroyo did meet with the congressmen at the presidential suite of the Manila Hotel after the Lakas-Kampi merger last Thursday and talked about the Con-Ass resolution. But he denied the reported offer of P20 million each for those who would be voting for it.

House Speaker Prospero Nograles, explaining the haste that they are pushing the Con-Ass resolution, said there are no marching orders from Malacañang. “It’s part of our agenda. We have to get this over with.”

As of this time, debates are ongoing. Voting will be in a while.

After the Con-Ass resolution, which excludes the Senate in the process of amending the Constitution, is passed, it is expected that someone would question it before the Supreme Court. Arroyo’s operators believe they have the numbers to distort the Constitutional provision of three-fourths of Congress to amend the Constitution. Referendum will be in September and as declared by Arroyo, elections will be held in 2010.

It matters little if it will be for members of the parliament or officials in a presidential system. The main feature would be Gloria Arroyo stays in power forever.

We laugh at Arroyo’s ‘Palaka’ (Partido ng Lakas at Kampi) but actually they are the ones who are having the last laugh. They must be enjoying seeing us boiled in the waters of complacency

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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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