Monday, March 13, 2006

Under Threat

This'll be short, have had too long a day, but had to post before turning in. Am sure MLQ3 will post details of what was discussed at this evening's forum, "Are We Afraid of Press Freedom?", hosted by the La Salle, Ateneo at Lahat Na. Lots of top notch news media entities were on the panel, very interesting insights.

Don't forget to check out Ellen Tordesillas' blog for more on the alleged cheating during the last elections. Intriguing, to say the least. I wonder what Mike Defensor will have to say about the pictures as well as the upcoming issue of Newbreak.

Speaking of the news media being under threat - there is a threat on our friends at PCIJ. Read all about it here. There was a momentary fear about Newsbreak getting harrassed as well, that even the PCIJ bloggers were about to be arrested, but it seems that these were just ugly rumors. For now.

Last but not least, it seems that our little group is more interesting to the Palace than even to our middle class detractors. This afternoon, at a preliminary hearing regarding rebellion charges to be filed against Crispin Beltran and the "House 5", a disguised man (found out his name is Jaime Fuentes), as a member of Bayan Muna, claimed to have met with Dinky Soliman and members of our group last December. The subject matter? The overthrow of GMA. Wow.

Now, will someone tell me who this man is? Is he for real? It is clear they are grasping at straws here. We have done nothing outside the bounds of the law. Bayan Muna, Bayan, the Black & White Movement are not undergound groups, they operate above the radar, in plain sight for all to see. Our Black & White Movement manifesto is displayed on our website, and in this blog. Our BnW protest actions, forums and assemblies have been covered by the press. We have done nothing illegal except exercise our freedoms of speech and peaceful assembly. By trying to quiet us, the Palace hopes to quell any fervor the middle forces may have.

What I've stated above isn't a defense, it's a statement of fact. It has been clear from Day One that we believe Madame Arroyo is a cheating, lying, stealing, usurper of power. And we will go to the ends of the earth to search for the truth about her involvement with Garci, Bolante et al. She will try to stop us, but no one has ever been able to suppress the truth.

And so - who will they come for next?

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8 comments:

john marzan said...

Critical media, not military, is biggest threat to Arroyo

Sabi ni Fence-sitting Joker Arroyo:

The elite forces of the uniformed services have supplanted the political opposition as the real opposition group to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. The political opposition has become irrelevant in the power equation, splintered, squabbling, with neither the power nor the high ground to unseat President Arroyo.

As the recent crisis unfolded, it ws evident that the President never thought of the opposition as the power to reckon with. Uppermost in her mind always was the loyalty of the AFP and the PNP.

Dear Joker, you've got it wrong again.

It's not the military that has supplanted the political opposition as the real opposition group to GMA, but the critical media.

Kaya nga may media crackdown yung arroyo administration eh, including threats of a government takeover of the Tribune, and now this harassment PCIJ is getting for "inciting to sedition", because they posted the "Hello, Garci" tapes.

UPDATE: Baycas said:

fishing expedition and political harrassment are what they are doing…pdi has been forewarned…newsbreak was also chilled last night through raw informations of a search in ms. vitug’s office…
if this is true, then by golly, kakatakot naman ito...

Leah Navarro said...

Hi John. At last night's forum, the news media speakers were very vocal about their sins of omission, some going as far as to say that they may have been partially to blame for the public apathy currently infecting many of us. After that, they voiced the hope that more and more people would go out into the streets, and that they would help get us out into the streets.

I agree that the critcal media are worthy opposition to Glo. If they are emboldened to dig deeper, search wider, for the goods on Glo, her family, and their lackeys, then we have hope of keeping the stir up. And we have to be ready to defend the news media when the threats to muzzle them become realtiy. And it will.

Interfering with the blogosphere is another danger. I wonder if those who fence sit will do more sitting once their comfort zone's been demolished?

Another big threat, one that can make Glo cower in fear, are the masses. Remember the Bastille? But my sense is this - they won't make that move on their own until they become mad enough. Now we have to engage them and find out exactly what it is that makes them fume.

I am under no illusion as far as BnW. The little woman will go to great lengths to silence everyone. But we can't stop under threat. All the more reason to keep on at needling the truth out of her.

john marzan said...

Another big threat, one that can make Glo cower in fear, are the masses. Remember the Bastille? But my sense is this - they won't make that move on their own until they become mad enough. Now we have to engage them and find out exactly what it is that makes them fume.

Hi helgs.

re what will move the masses to rise up and throw GMA out? what will get them angry? ito ang naalala ko nung year 2000 about big masa/middle class crowds.

Sabi ni MLQ3 nung jan. 2001:

But then mob rule entered the picture. Edsa II, as it would develop, was
precisely against mob rule; it was mob rule that was mobilized to amass a
million Filipinos at Rizal Park
and which gave Estrada the courage to continue fighting, and to think that his opponents lacked numbers and the will to kick him out...

The truth was, the opposition, filled with faces every bit as repugnant as the
crooks surrounding Estrada and Estrada himself, did a poor showing after
Estrada's massive National Prayer Day rally. The militant left, to its credit,
silly as its stunts appeared at the time, decided to keep the momentum going.


i think manuel was referring to the prayer rally in nov 2000 erap organized where one million people attended. A one-two combo of El Shaddai and Iglesia ni Kristo followers. Yes, malakas si erap sa kanila dati. More on the million man rally here.

re edsa dos naman. it was sparked by the non opening of the second envelope.

of course, wala pang CPR dati, kaya hindi ni erap pinigilan yung slow buildup ng tao sa may edsa. a fatal "mistake" on his part. many private schools were suspended at that time para makasali yung mga high schools students sa rally. college students were encouraged to attend the rallies. the bishops encourage everybody to go to edsa. employees were encouraged by businessmen to attend. and it worked. edsa dos was a success.

IIRC, ito ang attitude ng erap admin about rallies, Sabi ni Alexander Aguirre:

"Ang rallies and assemblies yan ay senyales ng mabuting demokrasya because there is freedom of speech and assembly (They are signs of a vibrant democracy because there is freedom of speech and assembly)," he said.

A far cry from the current admin's attitude, which is: We will fully implement "No permit, no rally" rule and CPR. All who participate in "illegal assemblies" will be arrested or beaten up.

I guess erap was confident na yung mga pro-erap rallies will outnumber the anti-erap opposition at that time.

re edsa tres naman. How did it start? All it took is one influential guy to get angry para magsimula ito. nung nakita ni bro. manalo of INC sa TV na binastos raw si erap nung kinuha ang mugshots niya at gumamit ng 600 na pulis para arestuhin siya sa polk st. he really got angry, and ordered his followers to go to edsa and rally. later, sumali na rin yung mga ibang masa at mga el shaddai followers. at duon lumaki ang crowds.

meron ring potential masa uprising nung tinapos ng mga kaalyado ni arroyo yung june 2004 canvassing. nag rebelde ang mga masa supporters ni FPJ, pero bugbog sarado sila sa mga pulis. successful ang dispersal sa kanila. but the violent dispersal wasn't reported much by the mainstream media back then.

so how do you get the masa to overthrow arroyo? sometimes, all it takes is a mike velarde or a bro manalo to get angry para magkaroon ulit ng people power. ;)

(pero balita ko, maka arroyo na raw ang INC. just watch net 25.

same with el shaddai. but maybe i'm wrong. baka may hatak pa rin si erap kay bro. manalo at bro. velarde. or maybe not.)

the surveys may say that the masa disapproves of arroyo and want her to resign, but i'll admit that it's tough to say whether the masa will rise up and overthrow arroyo or not, as long as CPR is still in place. Maybe they might rise up again against arroyo if CPR is lifted. or maybe not. i just can't tell at this point.

all i know that this admin is implementing the same violent policies the Middle East dictatorships have in dispersing rallies. And it's effective, isn't it? that's why these dictatorships and theocracies were able to last this long... tignan nyo yung ginagawa ng Iranian gov't sa mga Iranian student protesters nila, bugbog sarado... and most of the iranian population are anti-Mullahs and against it's current gov't, pero hindi sila makapalag...

that's not to say na bawal ang rallies sa middle east. pwede kang mag-rally, as long as hindi anti-gov't ito. papayagan kang mag rally ng syria or iran, as long as it's against the US, the Jews/israel or Denmark (over the muslim cartoons). Gov't approved yung mga rallies na yan. :)

Leah Navarro said...

Hey, John. The Church and other religious groups have long held sway over the masses, a reality I'm not fond of. Especially now, when it seems that all the bishops have been left with are their skirts (sorry about the tasteless remark). The fact is that a great percentage of them have been co-opted by Glo, paid off with sizeable alms. Guess these guys know a milking cow when they see one.

Remember the Pulse Asia survey on People Power? It said 58% of the people would support it, 70% in NCR said yes, 62% of the E Class agreed. Not far from the ABC's 67%. Guess we aren't that far apart, but we need to mend fences with the masa first. We ousted their president, then blocked FPJ. After that, we need to find out what's really burning them up. It all begins with trust, I guess.

Maybe CPR and 1017 have cooled a lot of jets, but not much. Having recently marched in the Caravan for Truth and Reform (7km last 22 Feb), I can safely say our poor brethren are feistier than ever. These folks are brave and proud. We just need more than the 25k that marched that day. We're working on it.

Sad thing is that slime like Ronnie Puno and the other Glo subalterns have learned their lessons well. But it doesn't mean they'll ace the ultimate test.

john marzan said...

Remember the Pulse Asia survey on People Power? It said 58% of the people would support it, 70% in NCR said yes, 62% of the E Class agreed. Not far from the ABC's 67%. Guess we aren't that far apart, but we need to mend fences with the masa first. We ousted their president, then blocked FPJ. After that, we need to find out what's really burning them up. It all begins with trust, I guess.

Most of the masa (even the middle class) are for arroyo's resignation anyways and have given her low approval ratings. As for getting the masa's support, well there's susan roces, and she definitely has the "K" to tell arroyo to get move out of malacanang because dinaya ang husband niya.

and seeing cory and drilon visit erap, and reach out to loi and the other opposition members, that helps mend fences with the masa too. the fact that the arroyo apologists and it's media have criticized and pummelled cory and members of civil society for reaching out to estrada and others, have actually given cory, dinky soliman and others STREET CREDIBILITY with the masa. :)

anyways, as long as we don't do any more gimmicks like the "people power lunches", i think we'll do okay.

john marzan said...

I agree that the critcal media are worthy opposition to Glo. If they are emboldened to dig deeper, search wider, for the goods on Glo, her family, and their lackeys, then we have hope of keeping the stir up. And we have to be ready to defend the news media when the threats to muzzle them become realtiy. And it will.

thanks for giving me another idea, helga. i have cross-posted this in my blog too.

Another reason for removing arroyo -- Jose Pidal. You hit two birds with one stone when you remove GMA.

Imelda is to Ferdinand Marcos, as Pidal is to GMA.

hehe, lately nagla-lie low na naman ulit si pidal...

Mike ARroyo is the real "breadwinner" of the family. Si GMA naman is more of the ambitious and power hungry type who will do whatever it takes (by hook or by crook) to get power and protect Jose Pidal and family from the criminal justice system (obstruction of justice), just like marcos.

Kuya Mike's has diverted some PAGCOR and PCSO money into the Pidal accounts. And if you want access and favors from the admin, you go to Big Mike, and deposit some moolah into the pidal accounts.

Pero between Ate Glue and Jose Pidal, ito ang mga corruption scandals na nag de-drain ng pera ng bayan.

-- The Telecoms scam. Remember the “secret” meeting between Pic Marcelo of Pacific Telecoms and GMA? “Ma'am, huwag naman 51 percent. Sobrang laki niyan. Mayroon pa akong foreign partner na kukuha ng 40 percent, e, ano pang matitira sa akin, 9 percent na lamang? Ang sagot naman ni GMA was, “A basta, take it or leave it.”

-- IMPSA. So saan napunta yung ibang $14 million bribe para sa questionable power contract na ito aside from $2 million from Nani perez? bakit ayaw tulungan ni merceditas gutierrez ang swiss gov't sa pag-obtain ng info kay nani perez.

-- PIATCO. What about the extortion attempts of Arroyo lawyers and cronies on FRAPORT reps?

-- JOSE PIDAL ACCOUNTS. with special appearance by mike defensor for "rescuing" udong mahusay, and joker arroyo for stonewalling and killing the investigation.

-- JUETENGATE 2 -- staring big mike and mikey arroyo.

-- PAGCOR scam as reported by the PROBE team?

-- DIOSDADO MACAPAGAL BLVD. SCAM -- dubbed the "most expensive boulevard in the universe." somebody within the admin made lost of money off it.

-- FERTILIZER FUNDS SCAM starring Joc joc bolante.

-- ROAD USER'S TAX SCAM -- money used for the 2004 elections.

-- PHILHEALTH CARDS SCAM -- used to buy votes.

I hope when another impeachment complaint is brought up, dapat nilang isama ang mga corruption practices ni Jose Pidal.

john marzan said...

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is like Hugo Chavez, but without the support of the masses, and without the oil revenues.

At least nanalo si Hugo Chavez sa presidential election nung una siyang tumakbo.

Leah Navarro said...

Hey, John. No problem with the cross post, the more people read this, the better. As I read your list of Fat Guy and Glo Arroyo sins, I have to shake my head in disbelief. It's such an impressive list it's amazing how people can keep ignoring them. It must be a cultural thing - for as long as it doesn't bother me, I couldn't care less.

Recall the Ping expose on Mike and Vicky? Now that caused a stir. Dovie Beams and Marcos. The papers flew off the shelves. Was it the Daily Express that broke it, oh so long ago? And the people that flocked to Erap's homes to ogle and bang on the gates.