Jun Lozada Arrested

Jun Lozada was arrested today. Tonight, he sleeps in the Manila Police Distict, his family is not with him. He was processed, finger printed, a mug shot was taken. This is what this government does to whistle blowers, truth crusaders.

Those of us that were with him begged that he not be placed in general population, at least for tonight. Jun didn't ask us to do this, we just couldn't help ourselves. We got to stay with him till 10:30.

As if to add insult to injury, Jun's wife, Violet, will be arraigned on a case filed by the cops against her, also for perjury. This is surreal.

Tonight, Mike Defensor flies to San Francisco with his family for a vacation. Tomorrow, Mike Arroyo will go to St. Luke's for therapy, Romy Neri will ride his BMW7 series to work, Ben Abalos will play golf in Wack Wack, Joc Joc Bolante will meet his supporters regarding his run for public office, Garci will probably be doing the same.

Where is the justice in all this?

JUN LOZADA ARREST - EXPRESS JUSTICE

It is amazing how the wheels of justice can move swiftly, and with impunity, when applied to GMA critics and oppositionists.

Two years ago today, 21 April, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo left her critically ill husband and flew (according to the Philippine Information Agency, “like a thief in the night”) to Boao, China. Her main purpose was to sign what we all know now as the ZTE-NBN contract. The ensuing scandal made whistle blowers Joey de Venecia, Jarius Bondoc, Romy Neri, and Dante Madriaga, household names. However, the most famous whistle blower of all connected to this drama is the man we fondly call JLo, Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada.

On 14 April, an arrest warrant was issued against Jun in connection to a perjury case filed by another household name, GMA “nino bonito” Mike Defensor. Defensor claims that he did not ask Jun to say no such kidnapping took place, and to swear that he, Jun, knew nothing about the ZTE-NBN deal. Although dismissed for lack of probable cause, another judge, Cicero D. Jurado Jr., upheld Defensor’s appeal and gave the go signal for an arrest on 19 March 2009. Any day now, we fear that Jun will be hauled off to jail for telling it “like it is”.

“We will not be surprised if the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee Report on the NBN/ZTE investigation will be released soon after Jun Lozada is convicted of the crime of perjury (which may take only a few weeks, given the administration's determination to pin down Lozada). We expect the report to clear GMA, the First Gentleman, and Benjamin Abalos. After all, they will argue, Jun Lozada lied. This seems to be the Palace script”, according to BnW Lead Convenor Enteng Romano.

To date, there are 16 civil and criminal cases filed against Jun Lozada and members of his family. These are in various stages of resolution. All of these charges were filed soon after he testified at senate hearings in February 2008. In contrast, the Ombudsman has yet to file cases against Benjamin Abalos and Jocjoc Bolante despite a preponderance of evidence.

“Crusaders of truth are hunted down, made to suffer while those that play the Gloria game enjoy high paying government positions, perks, and most of all, freedom”, says BnW Executive Director Leah Navarro, “Jun Lozada has been persecuted more than enough. He hasn’t been able to return home in over a year, work a decent job, or visit a mall with his family. Sure, he travels around the country doing speaking engagements, but he does this to stay alive. Jun hides in plain sight and is always in the company of the religious and armed bodyguards. That is not living.”

The Black and White Movement condemns this latest cheap shot by administration henchmen. We find it ironic that the very person who dared to stand for the truth is accused of lying by the very people who patently and routinely lie. Those who followed closely the Senate hearings can readily discern who is lying and who is telling the truth.

We denounce the continuing use of the agencies of justice by the GMA administration in persecuting its critics, particularly Jun Lozada, while at the same time delaying, if not perverting justice to protect its loyal allies.

We staunchly express our unequivocal support for Jun Lozada in his determined struggle to stand for the truth. We call on every Filipino who still values truth and decency to denounce in the strongest possible terms this travesty of justice.

In the end, our silence makes lies permissible. - END

Cha Cha as Zarzuela

We are in the midst of another zarzuela. The resolution of Rep. Louis Villafuerte seeks to waylay us and hide its true intent through the provision prohibiting term extensions. There will be no need for term extension because we will indeed have elections in 2010. The Constituent Assembly he so ardently wants will ensure the transformation to a parliamentary form of government, and so the elections we will have in 2010 will be held to elect members of parliament.

Imagine this nightmare – the new parliament opens its first session on 30 June 2010, and sitting happily inside the Batasan is the newly elected Representative from Lubao, Pamapanga, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

The Black and White Movement reiterates its position clearly – we will not stand for any further desecration of our democratic rights. This blatant move by the House of Representatives to give GMA immunity from accountability adds insult to injury. Let us not forget that she, of all presidents, is the least trusted and loved. We demand our right to have 2010 presidential elections so that we can rid our country of this most unloved of leaders and finally make a move toward positive, meaningful change. Remember, GMA has lied before, and who is to say that she will not invoke divine providence again to justify her pernicious hold on power?

How much more evidence do we need to prove that GMA’s political allies in the House just don’t get the real meaning of politics - the combination of active citizenship and accountable leadership. They have instead initiated moves to save themselves the hassle of good governance.

We have said it before and we say it again – STOP Cha Cha! Ibasura ang Cha Cha! Now na!

Can Alternative Reform Candidates for President win in 2010?

An Open Letter to Harvey S. Keh and other friends of reform
Joel Rocamora, Institute for Popular Democracy, March 21, 2009

I understand why you and other friends of reform want "a God-fearing, morally-upright, effective and ethical leader for our country in 2010". The sins of the ruling Arroyo clique are so all-encompassing, so pervasive that our only possible response is moral outrage. But the distance between taking a stance for morality and electing a president cannot be shortened by choosing moral leaders as candidates.

If we float candidates we must make sure they want to run and not feel like people are running after them. If we then launch a candidacy, we must make sure we have the capability to run a serious campaign, not coast on wings of hope and moral fervor. US$5 contributions from overseas Filipinos sounds nice, but to get your US$30 million target you have to get 6 million people to contribute! If you set unrealistic targets, you set yourself up for failure, and the people you inspire, for a hard fall.

We all want a reform president in 2010. Repairing the damage from nine years of corrupt misgovernment by GMA will require leadership from a president who can use the powers of the presidency for reform. To elect such a president, all reformers have to work hard. To begin with, we have to come to an understanding about the nature of the electoral terrain in 2010. Even if the Comelec succeeds in modernizing ballot counting, election contests will remain substantially the same. The Philippine electoral terrain has been shaped by trapos for over a century.

Results of national contests are determined by what some call "trench warfare", the struggle for support among local politicians, and the "air war" of competing TV and radio advertizing. Because we do not have political parties with real programs, there are no issues in national elections. Our task as reformers will be to assert the importance of issues of reform in the 2010 elections. This can best be done by supporting a candidate who is competitive in both "trench warfare" and the "air war", who gets an edge over his rivals by building a new source of votes, people who want reform.

The 2010 election will not be anything like February 1986 when the one-on-one fight between Marcos and Cory Aquino was as close to a fight between "good and evil" as we will ever get. In 2010, there will be at least three and possibly four serious candidates and a bunch of also runs. There will be temptation to take the politically debilitating "lesser evil" stance. As reformers, we should instead look for the candidate who is more likely than the others to organize reform if he wins. We should come in now and help to shape his campaign.

Picking a reform candidate is not enough. We need to build a reform constituency which can do the following interrelated things: (1) Shape our candidate's campaign around the importance of reform, (2) Transform our reform constituency into a factor in the election by forcing other candidates to compete on the issue of reform, and by mobilizing serious numbers of voters. Ten million might be unrealistic, but five million added votes can win the election. (3) Sustain our reform constituency to support struggles for reform after the election. Even if our candidate wins, he will continue to need our support in pushing reform.

I have several problems with your position, Harvey. (1) I agree with Gov. Panlilio “that we should have one reform candidate; otherwise, we will get a president that we do not like.” If you are serious about supporting Among Ed, you should not float other possible candidates. (2) You should make sure the people you float are interested. Governor Padaca and Mayor Robredo are both Liberal Party members who support Mar Roxas for president. Chief Justice Puno has said he is not interested; he is needed where he is.

Among Ed's position is the wisest. “I will go for whoever will represent a genuine reform constituency,” he said. “It does not necessarily have to be me. If there is a more appropriate candidate, why will I present myself? I look at my role now as more of one of the convenors of a genuine reform coalition.” The candidate is less important than the reform constituency. But to get our reforms close to reality, we need to elect a president. The sooner we decide on that candidate, the better. Floating many candidates will not get us closer to that decision.#

Desperately Seeking an Obama But Missing the Essence of the Message of Obama

By Dinky Juliano-Soliman

Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the USA…it signaled hope and change in America…..January 20, 2001 Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was sworn in as President of the Philippines riding the on the hopes of a people for a leadership that would practice good governance.

Today, January 20, 2009, Filipinos are searching for an Obama of the Philippines. We are sick and tired of the corruption that confronts us every day, and the cover-ups that this administration pulls off. We complain about the abuse of power that GMA and her cohorts exercise as they slowly slaughter the institutions of democracy in the country. We are frustrated with the opposition because most of them have not demonstrated that they are different from the current administration in their practice of politics.

We are looking for an Obama, a person who will be nothing like the current leadership in Malacanang. We are searching for someone who stands for truth, does not buckle to bribery to become a candidate for the highest authority of the land. We are yearning for a leader who will perform well in his or her mandated function and conduct himself or herself with integrity. There were even suggestions that a certain sports champion can be a legislator or a local chief executive because he unites the country every time he wins.

In our desperation, we are missing the essence of the message of Obama.

It is not one leader; as Obama says ” it is not about me, it is about us”. My interpretation of his message is that we should wring out from the depths of our collective consciousness values that have withstood the test of time – the ability to respond to crisis with calm and the capacity for celebration. In his inaugural speech he called for the return of ” hope and virtue”, these which their founding father, George Washington, called on all citizens to hold on to in order to move forward during a desperate time.

Obama is mindful of the American people’s wishes and aspirations. He acted on the willingness and desire of the people to effect change; he touched on that social energy and the people responded, got involved and made the change. Thus, the repeated message of Obama is - the people made the change and they will remake America.

Therefore, in our case, the people of the Philippines have to demonstrate that we are ready and willing to make change happen; that we know what is right and wrong; we know truth from lies and that we want the return of freedom and democracy. We have to tell each other, show each other, that we are willing to invest to make the change; take risks to correct wrongs and stand up against corrupt politicians. We have to take back politics from the hands of people who betray the public trust and make politics respectable again- a sacred covenant between leaders and constituencies. We the people, cede part of our power to people we elect. Thus, if they do not act on our behalf, we should take back the power we entrusted to them.

When we act in great numbers and insist on truth and justice, transparent and honest governance at the local and national level from those we elect, the Obamas of the Philippines will emerge. There will be leaders who will demonstrate servant leadership; there will be leaders who will facilitate processes that will forge unity; there will be leaders who will be bold and daring to innovate with the people in creating solutions to systemic problems; there will be leaders who will account to the people their governance practice.

This is what Obama was referring to as “the promise of citizenship…” We, the people, must have a frank talk with each other to collectively act and organize a force that will transform our politics and set our democracy right again.

A DYSFUNCTIONAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

BnW PR
12 January 2009

As the “Alabang Boys” telenovela continues to unravel, we begin to see the flaws within our justice system. This ongoing fracas between two government agencies seems to confirm what most of us fear about the Department of Justice. For as long as you are rich, connected and power drunk, you can shop for the kind of justice you want.

This tip in the scales of justice and the disjoint between PDEA and the DOJ would have escaped finer scrutiny were it not for media attention on the impending release of the so-called “Alabang Boys” and subsequent House hearings. We would never have heard of an appalling act - the counsel for the accused composing a release order on official DOJ letterhead and delivering to the DOJ Secretary for approval.

Worse, the lawyer, who we believe deserves disbarment for his “overzealousness”, had the audacity to say that he just “borrowed the stationary and returned it to the DOJ” (he saw the stationary lying around, he typed up the letter on it, then “returned” it via Sec. Gonzalez) as seen and heard on ANC’s “IMO” last night. Amazing. Even more appalling was Sec. Gonzalez’s tepid reaction to this act of thievery. This only validates our suspicion that this is common practice.

How can we not esteem the men and women of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency when compared to the members of the DOJ? Major Ferdinand Marcelino is fiercely dedicated to his mission – to free this country from the consuming and destructive stranglehold of illegal drugs. Through the House hearings, we learned that he spearheaded the weeding out of bribed members of their task forces. We admire that kind of “tough love”.

The Black and White Movement expresses its unequivocal support for incorruptible people like Major Marcelino and enjoins every decent Filipino to do the same. That is the least we can do for him, General Dionisio Santiago and their associates within PDEA.

We are not surprised that the public has taken the side of PDEA in this issue. In their eyes, and ours, too many of our people have received unequal justice from the DOJ, too many associated with the present and past dispensations have gone on to escape the courts, and no one believes that justice cannot be bought in the Philippines.

Finally, a comment on the ongoing “silent protest” at the DOJ and its prosecutors going on leave - the wearing of red armbands to disprove unequal dispensation of justice doesn’t mean it never happens. A stunt like this is about as believable as GMA linking arms and strolling with her cabinet members to prove her administration is above reproach.

DOJ prosecutors going on leave won’t change the low opinion of many. That’s about as productive as shuffling Romy Neri around different government agencies. As a major part of government, the DOJ should be falling all over itself, investigating alleged bribe takers, expelling and charging them, healing the pathology that thrives within.

But, wait! Can the DOJ investigate itself? Its current silent protest means that the DOJ believes it is infallible. What else can you expect from this administration? -- END

STOP Cha Cha!