On Dec. 12, let’s take a stand against Charter Change — because some types of change will only make matters worse and we can’t allow that to happen.
Category: Commentary
The fourth impeachment complaint has been killed by President Arroyo’s hordes in the House of Representatives and they delighted in doing it. They even went so far as to invent something perverse in the process of protecting their principal, according to lawyer’s group NUPL.
With the impeachment complaint buried, pro-Arroyo diehards appear to be preparing for a dance extravaganza that will trample harder on our rights and liberties. The dance, as we all know it by now, is called Chacha or charter change.
Thus, the Christmas season will be marked with Holiday protests on Dec. 12. Whether this signals something big happening by the first quarter, we can only hope, nay, work for it ourselves.
Last Saturday, the online newsmagazine Pinoy Weekly and several other groups convened the Pinoy Citizen Journalism Seminar at the University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City.
Here is the presentation I shared with the participants:
The Pinoy Citizen Journalism Seminar held Saturday (Nov. 29) at the UP Diliman’s NIGS Building drew nearly a hundred participants, according to event organizer Pinoy Weekly.
IBON Foundation released Wednesday the results of a new survey that gauged public (dis-)satisfaction regarding President Arroyo and her performance as leader.
Clue to the results: Arroyo is in the same sinking boat as George W. Bush.
Independent think-tank IBON Foundation today released results of a survey on the public’s awareness and positions on proposals to amend the 1987 Constitution. The results are overwhelmingly against Chacha.
This is a clear and stern warning to all the pro-Arroyo politicians that they should desist from tinkering with the Charter. The people can see through the subterfuge and the lies.
Recital of Facts on the NBN-ZTE contract and Northrail Project
Presented by Rep. Teddy Casiño
Bayan Muna Representative
Committee on Justice
House of Representatives
November 24, 2008
Mr. Chairman, my distinguished colleagues.
Former speaker Jose de Vencia has given a substantial account of the facts of the President’s knowledge and involvement in the anomalous NBN-ZTE contract. May I just be allowed to add a few more facts.
A few months after the infamous golf game between the former speaker, the President, COMELEC Chair Benjamin Abalos and ZTE officials, the President, through NEDA which she herself chairs, and the DOTC which is under the Executive, approved the ZTE’s proposal for a government to government contract. From a BOT project before the golf game, it became a government to government contract. Wala hong public bidding, lumobo na ang presyo ng ilang beses sa original proposal, at may mga lantarang paglabag sa ating procurement laws.
Pagsusog sa Reklamo Hinggil sa Pagpapatalsik sa Katungkulan ng Gng. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
Pananalita ni Rep. Luzviminda C. Ilagan
Kinatawan ng Gabriela Women’s Party
sa Pulong ng Komite sa Katarungan
Kamara de Representantes
Ika-24 ng Nobyembre, 2008
Mr. Chairman, sa Mindanao, kung saan ang kinatawang ito nagmula, daandaang kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao at Konstitusyon ng Pilipinas ang kinasasangkutan ni Gng. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
THE EXTRA JUDICIAL KILLINGS AND ENFORCED DISAPPEARANCES OF ACTIVISTS UNDER THE GMA ADMINISTRATION ARE CONSTITUTIVE OF THREE (3) CONSTITUTIONAL GROUNDS TO IMPEACH PRESIDENT GLORIA MACAPAGAL-ARROYO
Presented by Satur C. Ocampo
Bayan Muna Representative and
Deputy Minority Leader
To the Committee on Justice
House of Representatives
Nov. 24, 2008
I. OPENING STATEMENT
Esteemed Members of the Committee on Justice, let us hearken to the complaint of the Filipino people charging respondent Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo of having committed three impeachable offenses – first, culpable violations of the Constitution; second, high crimes; and third, betrayal of public trust for being criminally, civilly, administratively, and publicly liable for the extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, and other violations of the constitutional rights of hundreds of militant activists.
I joined leaders of the Telco Entrepreneurs Association today in a press conference at Quezon City. We sought to inform the media and the public about a plan of Smart Communications to “fire” thousands of E-Load dealers by the end of this month.
Yes, folks, Smart now wants to get rid of the thousands of dealers who helped make their company No. 1 by bringing “retail” prepaid load to the masses.
Bayan Muna general counsel Neri Javier Colmenares has come out with a legal memorandum that explains and debunks what he describes as “grossly erroneous” preliminary remarks made by the chair of the House committee that hears the impeachment complaint against President Arroyo.
For Colmenares and Bayan Muna, Defensor has misinterpreted and has practically redefined the constitutional process (impeachment) and the rules governing it.
Those supporting the impeachment complaint and the larger cause of holding Arroyo for her many crimes, this legal memo comes in very handy.
Another journalist has been killed: Aristeo Padrigao, commentator at dxRS Radyo Natin in Misamis Oriental, died from a single bullet wound in the head yesterday.
Padrigao is the 61st journalist to be killed in the line of duty since President Arroyo.
Leaders of the so-called Group of 20 (G-20) have agreed to do what was virtually unimaginable just a few years ago — bat for doses of market regulation — at the “summit on financial markets and the world economy” at the US capital, amid the worse crisis to hit capitalism in recent memory.
Today, their feet are in their mouths.
Do yourself a favor by reading up some really good stuff on the web.
Plenty of stuff available, but I suggest the following:
US President Barack Obama won’t be meeting with Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when she visits the US yet again this month.
Obama is apparently treated Arroyo like a plague, starting with her most recent US visit, when Arroyo tried her best to score a PR coup through an audience with the highly popular Obama.
Barack Obama’s victory in the US elections is a big step forward for the American people. It is a historic achievement that the Americans chose their first black president despite lingering racism. It is likewise welcome news to the world’s peoples that Americans soundly rejected the continuation of Republican rule that is marked by plunder and war. It is thus no surprise that many non-Americans welcomed Obama’s candidacy and were elated by his election.
Progressives in the US and elsewhere have much to learn from Obama’s campaign. Obama’s raising of the clarion call of change captured the imagination and support of people, especially the workingpeople, the minorities and the youth. Even the conservatives were so attracted by the call for change, they left the tight embrace of their political party afters years of fealty and loyalty. Obama also used technology to advance his campaign, be it to expand his organization or to garner financial support mostly from common people who pitched in small amounts. He expanded the political map in favor of the Democratic Party, thanks to his huge organization and the enormous resources that his supporters donated to him, dime after dime.
Scores of student-run newspapers in the US have made endorsements in the presidential election, with John McCain getting the nod of only one paper while rival Barack Obama got support from 69 publications.
Obama has also locked in more endorsements from mainstream newspapers.
Thanks to The Blog Herald for compiling a splendid list of blogs and social media sources for political junkies who follow the US presidential elections which the Democratic candidate now leads by double digits a few hours before voting.
The long US presidential campaign finally ends next week when Americans finally cast their votes on Nov. 4 to choose their next leader.
But will we all recover to this new addiction? Will we get rehabilitated soon enough from news, commentary and features about the race between a Democrat who would be the first black US president and the Republican who would be the oldest US leader?
The rise of new media and citizen journalism has emboldened some to talk about the demise of the traditional press as we know it.
The Inquirer’s banner story today should be a pleasant surprise to many: Oil plunges to $61/barrel.
Local oil prices are said to be based largely on world crude prices. Now that global prices have drastically gone down due to concerns of an economic recession, we have every reason to expect huge reductions in pump prices.
