There’s a gathering storm – but not the kind typhoon Reming is made of. It’s one induced by the airheads at the Batasan.
They finally passed House Resolution 1450 which authorizes Congress to transform itself into a constituent assembly (CON-ASS). That it took them up to dawn of Thursday is a vain attempt to project that it passed the requisite process of debate and due deliberation. Nothing can be further from the truth.
I was at the Batasan last night to catch a segment of the moro-moro. I watched with amusement as Teddy Boy Locsin interpellated Villafuerte – the resolution’s sponsor. Locsin asked, “Does this mean we’re doing this alone?” He was, of course, referring to the fact that Congress will push through with changing the charter even without Senate’s concurrence – totally ignoring traditional practice in a bicameral legislature.
Locsin may not even realize that he hit the nail on the head – they are doing this alone. Outside the halls of the Batasan, formerly reticent folks are coming out with indignant voices.
Bro. Mike Velarde, spiritual leader of El Shaddai, proclaims “We have to warn our people of the dangers of this parliament by the House alone. The public has to be warned about [their] hidden agenda.”
Even the CBCP, usually reserved in their statements, came out headstrong. Lagdameo, CBCP president urged the faithful “to be vigilant, [and] to express their opposition to Con-ass.” He describes the current Cha-cha steps of Congress as “fraudulently illegal and scandalously immoral.”
But there’s something even more interesting going on. I have been to many forums, both online and offline, over the past year and I have never seen any conversion. Anti-GMA proponents, no matter how logical and passionate their presentations are, could not convince even a single pro-GMA person to switch side, and vice-versa. But now there seems to be a breakthrough. It is not uncommon to hear some people say, “they have crossed the line”, or “sobra na, bastusan na, garapal na!”
A posting by Bart at the elagda-forum best expresses this change of heart: “I totally agree. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!! It is becoming more obvious what GMA has been trying to do and we can no longer doubt her intentions.” He continues, “I thought that we should let GMA finish her term in 2010 and focus on economic recovery by avoiding protests and demonstrations that could further compromise the economy of the country. But I was wrong because GMA is apparently working tooth and nail to continue in power beyond 2010.”
Thank God we have a brief respite. Congress requires a 3-day notice before they can convene Con-Ass. It’s the proverbial calm before the storm.
As the administration lackeys prepare for a blitzkrieg revision of the charter, civil society is gearing up for the biggest show of force since the Garci scandal broke out. This time, it’s the CBCP, Bro. Mike, and other conservative leaders at the forefront.
We better all brace up for the coming storm. It has all the markings of storm signal number 3. It may even be codenamed “EDSA 3”.
God bless and God save our country.
enteng
9 comments:
Enteng, Helga, as always thanks to you and your group for keeping vigil on our dying democracy. I also watched the proceedings from the gallery and just like you, saw up close and personal the arrogance of Cagas, the smugness of JDV, Lagman and Villafuerte and the unease of Locsin. What they did may not be considered an Act of Congress, but it was definitely and Act of Hubris.
I blogged about this a few months back. Only when it becomes personal would we see people rising from their slumber. Now the apathetic ones are speaking up. The erstwhile passive CBCP is even joining the fray. The silent majority only moves when it becomes too personal. It could be the tipping point. The arrogance of the whorehouse has gone too far, they may have misjudged the people's silence.
I hope this is for real. There's been enough posturing.
What we witnessed, cvj, was an act of brazen disregard for our people and for a Senate elected by millions by a bunch of guys elected by a couple of hundred thousand votes. Hubris indeed.
We must thank the Majority for helping us along with their grand show of arrogance.
I truly pray you are right, schumey!
Watching the admin lawmakers, i can't help but imagine how thick their faces are! If these are the kind of people who will be members of parliament, God help us all. I hope the silent majority wakes up and act accordingly. This is way too much!
i second cvj's comment.
It's funny the way you phrased it - the reason why people are starting to react.
Let me paraphrase: People only react when things affect them directly.
Far as I can recall, the only time the CBCP and other religious organizations have ever reacted was when their interests were threatened.
Population Control - bad, Gambling - bad, Electoral Cheating - what cheating? Impeachements - zzzzzz.
It's very hard to differentiate altruism and self-preservation in cases like these, isn't it?
Any of these phrases ring a bell? Annointed one? Block voting? Blessing of the candidates?
So you'll forgive me for thinking that our moral leaders are doing this is because of something other than the welfare of their flock.
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There is a time and place for everything and we still have yet to see what the Supreme Court will do about this impasse. They still have a yet to bow down to pressure from the other two branches. The Representatives might have made a mockery of the whole Democratic process, but they still have to get past the brightest legal minds in the country.
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Come election day, and there will be an election this May, make sure those people never get re-elected. And make sure the 'masa' remember what happened the last time they voted for their representative. The next time I hear someone say, "Iboboto ko siya kasi mukha naman siyang disente, may itsura." I'm gonna rap his knucles with a wooden ruler.
My very best wishes for the coming prayer rally to you all!
On the last Birthday of the Philippine Marines last November 2006, a marine officer wrote to Ellen Tordesillas of the newspaper Malaya exposing the uncomendable record of another marine officer LCol Martir. Martir is one of the officers who collaborated with the puppet government of GMA and prevented the marines from discharging it’s sacred duty- defend the country from foreign invaders.
Let us check documents such as that of e. san juan and his bulatlat website, luzviminda francisco and her writings on the filipino-american war, the book “in our image” by stanley karnow, writings of renato constantino, writings about gen artemio ricarte from the book “a question of heroes” by nick joaquin, websites on the filipino american war by mark twain and others who have documented or researched on what the americans have been doing overtly and covertly to our country.
Those documents show that around 250,000 to 900,000 Filipinos died in the American invasion of the Philippines in the 1900s. They show that after the very big reduction of Filipino Resistance against these alien invasion, the Americans transmitted to us a rare infectious disease which spread only in the Philippines. They injected to us the Perpetuation of American Colonization Virus. The instruments they used were the education, economic, political, defense and legal system.
They also provided protection to the Chinese whom we have been trying to resist their control of our economy.
That is why until now our local supply of food is decreasing but the imported supply is increasing because the distribution system is controlled by the Chinese. That is why our countrymen do not have access to our vast resources because it is these chinese and Americans who are in control of them. That is why there is an exodus of Filipinos to foreign lands and use their skills to serve foreigners.
They have created a set-up where our government up to now is their puppet government. That is why our government from the commonwealth period up to Erap then followed by Gloria has been protecting these foreigners, many of whom have already acquired documents of being filipino citizens. That is why on paper Philippine Economy have been filipinized but in reality, the same people still control our economic resources and the same original Filipinos still do not have access to the economic resources of our forefathers. That is the reason why even if it is bad for our security to allow foreigners to set foot in our jungles in Zamboanga, Basilan and Jolo since those are our tactical assets, American soldiers continue to conduct terrain familiarization there. That is the reason why our soldiers are so dependent and subservient operationally, logistically and doctrinally to the americans.
That is why many Filipinos have the vision to be like the americans because we have lost our national identity. Our national identity was born when we became independent from Spain. It was corrupted by the Americans when they invaded us.
Today, we are independent but, BUT ONLY ON PAPER! Evidence cited shows America still controls us. GMA government is a puppet government of the Americans and the Chinese.
What is the Filipino soldier doing about this? What has the constitution the government is invoking got to do with our being controlled by the Americans and the Chinese. The Chinese here refers to Chinese in the Philippines with manipulated Filipino citizenship to facilitate their control of our economy. This does not refer to Gen Danilo Lim, Atty Tiu, Alejandro Lichauco and many of their kind who are more Filipinos than Gloria, Erap, Atienza- all collaborators of Alien Rule.
What has the Filipino soldier done with the vision started by Bonifacio, Mabini, Malvar, Ricarte, Claro M. Recto, the late Renato Constantino? The Filipino Soldiers, have a duty to defend the Filipino People. The National Identity has been under attack by foreigners. It is being corrupted. If our identity will be totally damaged, how else can we live or even exist as a nation?
What should be the answer of the Filipino Soldier?
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