A hero as Ninoy is

It is with shock that we all greet the day with news that Cory has colon cancer. It was just recently that we saw her so actively supporting Jun Lozada and the action to oust Arroyo that we are just happy to see the beloved former president move about, even if some do not agree with her. But as Gump said, life is like a box of chocolates, you wouldn’t know what you are going to get. This time, it was a bitter chocolate Tita Cory got, and it is bitter for all of us.

Nobody can deny that Cory is a symbol of democracy for the country. She rose at the time when nobody thought that we will ever be able to remove ourselves from the shackles of Marcos’ dictatorship. She was an icon of strength, perhaps strengthened by Ninoy’s death. She challenged the dictatorship at the time when Marcos is still in total control. She might have been used, pushed by others with hidden agenda, but we saw that she proceeded even surely knowingly so.

If we consider Ninoy as a Hero for offering his life when he has other choices, we can only confer the same if not more respect for Cory. She has a comfortable life, she doesn’t need to come and lead us. But God must have called upon her to save the country from what could possibly be more of Marcos’ destruction or violence.

Cory, with Cardinal Sin’s support, was swept to office by People Power in 1986. But during her presidency, we all realize the rigors of running a country after a dictator. We know of several coup and destabilizing attempts against her. But most may not realize that even within her government, many with different agendas are pushing and pulling the country to varied directions. It was Cory at the middle of these hidden contradicting forces. Even the media was not so kind to her. She was often portrayed a wimp or lacking in intelligence, which many believed. Even up to now, Cory is portrayed by many as to have bungled the opportunity to reform the country. For me though. it was a miracle enough her government even survived.

Many are disgusted when Cory endorsed Ramos for the presidency after her, in 1992. He was too much involved in working with the former dictatorship and that although he led a revolt against it, we cannot help but be fearful of what he might do. Ramos won nevertheless, although not without controversy (I believe Santiago won in that election). To this day, I wonder what would have happened if Cory endorsed either the statesman Salonga or even the feisty Santiago. But at that time, we can only surmise that Cory is dependent on Ramos for her survival. In retrospect, her choice might have been right. Without Ramos, the country might have indeed fallen back to disarray and the former dictator’s men could have held us all hostage.

And although Cory endorsed Ramos, I recall her leading the people again with Cardinal Sin by her side for another people power protest against him when the he started calling for a Constitutional amendment, seemingly meant to extend his term. At best, Ramos must have been trying to avoid Erap’s sure rise to the presidency. At worse, he could have been plotting to establish his own dictatorship. Cory obviously preferred a country with a leader like Erap over a country back to a dictatorship. Ramos buckled to Cory’s and Sin’s pressure, which could have sealed Erap’s rise.

In the Presidential election of 1998, Cory was shown to be politically minimized. Her choice for President, Lim under the Liberal Party, ran a distant 5^th. It showed though for the first time the importance of the Liberal Party to her, probably because she is still feeling the passion of Ninoy as a Liberal, against the Nacionalistas. It could be argued also that Cory’s decision to go against PGMA now is a result of a mere decision to support the LP, with his son Noynoy now running under its wings.

1998 also showed how people whom we could possibly trust (at that time) to lead us could all get it so wrong. Raul Roco, Alfredo Lim, Renato DeVilla, Emilio Osmena, all ran under different banners and lost bad. Cory, Orbos, De Villa and all the other leaders didn’t notice that Erap is silently being built. And with the Philippine mass media largely tolerating the gambler and playboy Erap while seemingly endorsing his mass appeal, the country was now disappointed by its leaders. Given this background, People Power 2 was an event waiting to happen. It was only a matter of time that Erap will be ousted by another People Power – the first move of its kind noticeably without Cory at the forefront (although Cardinal Sin and even Ramos openly supported the move).

As to why Cory did not figure well against Erap in People Power 2 is unclear to me. In fact, my memory might have been mistaken and Cory might have been there. What is clear to me though is that without Sin, Cory’s choices of moves are doubtful. In the Garci scandal, Cory would be seen misplaced near the company of Imelda Marcos. In the present ZTE situation, she will be seen in close company with Erap.

This is not to say that Cory is now a lost symbol. Indeed, we will all be watching her as she tackles this one big recent challenge on her life. I am sure, she will rise again as an icon of strength. With prayers from everyone, she might even survive. But I hope it will not be too late for everyone to agree and say that, indeed, Cory is a hero – as she chose to unite us in 1986 and lift the country from one of the darkest days of our history.

All Politics as Usual

As early as now, we can all see that many politicians are already posturing and advertising themselves for the Presidential elections in 2010. Those who use EDSA wouldn’t fail to notice Bayani Fernando’s towering ads on MRT posts (where he supposedly wants advertisements removed). Everyone saw Loren’s and Villar’s emotional ads on TV. Of course we all know that Lacson, Escudero, and Roxas are all posturing well also on TV and radio during the ZTE (and subsequent) hearings. Even Erap is doing provincial trips obviously trying to promote himself as possible candidate in 2010. Also, we hear about the readiness of Noli de Castro and his possible team-up with Ate Vi.

I am sure, these days, negotiations are ongoing for team-ups and alliances. I am sure many in the mass media are now haggling or have already haggled with many politicians as to how each candidate is to be treated. Obviously Fernando does not have anything going on with the mass media, he is now beginning to be lambasted left and right. On the other hand, Villar is now always interviewed about any topic that comes up in the news, which means he has already done his haggling. Lacson and Escudero are both given good images on TV and radio for there are no negative comments about them even how stupid their questions are on those senate hearings. Also, there are no negative comments on Erap’s campaign, except for that one little question from someone from that French News Agency (AFP). There are some negative comments on Noli although they seem to be controlled, still at this point.

In fact, political re-alignments have started even since the first Hello Garci controversy. I remember I was on the verge of being touched on that day when the Hyatt-11 has resigned and when Cory came up in the open to denounce the cheating in elections. I am almost convinced that that was a turning point for PGMA, only to find out later that those moves are not individual spontaneous reactions, but are a pre-planned concerted action by members of the liberal party (LP-Drillon wing), as a whole to advance their groups chances.

It is clear to me now, that while all of well-meaning people are arguing why PGMA should or should not resign, our leaders are all politics as usual. Meanwhile, we all forget what we need to do. To this very day, while we question PGMA’s legitimacy and call her a cheat, and while we tend to abhor all kinds of cheating and corruption, all of the presidential wannabes are already cheating their way to 2010. They are now advertising themselves in violation of election laws. Of course, they have ways and means to avoid prosecution, but even a child would say that they are now all cheating.

While rallying at Makati and Liwasan, well-meaning people forgot that elections are coming and we are still vulnerable to cheating. While we follow every word of Jun Lozada’s sweet pied piping stories of how corrupt our government is, we forgot to see that our mass media is awash with spins and already prepared for 2010. While we are all deeply and emotionally involved in search for some truth, we fail to see that we still have not a set-up for a fair nor meaningful elections. Even the Ang Kapatiran party, with all its romantic vision of a better country forgot to market themselves and still remain surely a boring group come 2010.

Short of naming all our leaders, both in the opposition and administration, the CBCP and recently the Bishops in Manila asked our leaders to lead the fight against corruption within ourselves. Nobody seems to be heeding that call. Every politician while clamoring for truth is actually politics as usual. Worse, we naively buy their stories.

We are indeed doomed beyond 2010.

Highly Placed Sources

The Inquirer recently has resorted to quoting highly-placed sources to add credence to their news reports. Last Sunday, again, highly-placed sources were quoted saying that a former PNOC head (named as Eduardo Manalac) will testify to the alleged multi-million dollar bribery on the ZTE deal. The news was the biggest headline of the day for the Inquirer.

The following are some passages from the Inquirer headline last Sunday referring to information coming from “highly-placed sources” (italics are mine):

….A former president of the state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. (PNOC) is the “surprise” witness who will testify on the purported million-dollar kickbacks in the $329-million National Broadband Network deal with Chinese firm ZTE Corp., according to highly placed sources.

Eduardo Mañalac, who is said to have deep connections in China, is to testify at the Senate on Tuesday on how at least $41 million in alleged under-the-table commissions were funneled from the Chinese firm to the so-called “Greedy Group plus plus” that was packaging the NBN-ZTE deal, said the sources who asked not to be named for security reasons…..

….But his value as a witness in the now scuttled NBN-ZTE deal, according to the sources, is based on his knowledge of how ZTE officials purportedly paid off the “Greedy Group” to allow China’s second-biggest telecommunications firm to bag the NBN project….

…The sources said Mañalac had an extensive network and deep connections in the Chinese government and was a trusted go-between for Chinese projects in the Philippines.

He is “a familiar face in China,” the sources said….

….The sources said Mañalac was tapped to head the PNOC because of his deep connections in the Chinese bureaucracy that were to prove highly valuable in the signing of the original RP-China agreement on a seismic study in the Spratlys that was later amended to include Vietnam.

According to the sources, Mañalac also developed close ties with the family of then Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. when his own family joined De Venecia’s wife Gina in Inang Nawalan ng Anak (INA), a group that helps women cope with the loss of their children to tragedy or violent crime….

Right from the beginning, the story doesn’t hold water, as how could any source know what has not yet happened. Reading the report, one can have a sense of exasperation and might be tempted to subscribe to that source's newspaper if ever he/she would have one, for it seems that source is the only source of information available in the world (of the Inquirer). And as for the Inquirer, what kind of journalistic standards do they adhere to, to believe a highly placed source saying someone will do something without first verifying with that someone if he indeed is doing what he is supposed to do?

This is unfair to the highest degree for Mr. Manalac (the supposed witness). It puts Manalac in a very awkward position where if he denied that he knows anything he will be deemed to have backed down (and hence a coward or was pressured or what have you).

Yesterday, the Inquirer fell right flat on their faces when their news headline turn-out to be not only true but totally out of the blue. Today, they issue the following apology:

MANILA, Philippines—The Philippine Daily Inquirer apologizes for its banner story on March 9, which erroneously reported that Eduardo Mañalac, former president of Philippine National Oil Co., would testify on the alleged kickbacks in the $329-million National Broadband Network (NBN) deal with ZTE Corp.

In his press conference on Monday, Mañalac said he would testify at the Senate, if invited, on the agreement signed by the Philippines with China and Vietnam to search for oil in the Spratlys—not on the alleged kickbacks in the NBN-ZTE deal.

The Inquirer newspaper also erred in reporting, among other things, that Mañalac would testify in Tuesday’s Senate hearing. Leo San Miguel, ZTE consultant, was Sen. Panfilo Lacson’s “surprise witness” at the Senate hearing Tuesday.

Well, at least, the Inquirer apologized. But what about their “highly-placed source/s” whose “identity/ies are not revealed for security reasons”?

Headline News

There should be People Power because Arroyo sold out the Philippines to China on Spratlys in order to get money from deals such as the NBN, North Railways and the Cyber Education projects.

In a nutshell, this is what the Inquirer headline news today is all about. The plot thickens. The reasons behind all the corruption are now unraveling. The President is doomed!

Arroyo hit on Spratlys deal (Drilon: Her lawyer worried pact basis to impeach)

Of course, the Inquirer wouldn’t say it as such. They had the angle coming from Drillon, who says he was told by Gutierrez that he was being “pressured” by De Venecia to give her imprimatur on a Chinese contract that in her opinion could get the President impeached. Well, er, don’t lose me… let’s have it again…. Drillon, Gutierrez, DeVenecia, Chinese Contract, President, Impeach. Got it?

And believe it of not, on this funny premise, Drillon said he is willing to testify (presumably, testify that Gutierrez told her that). And with all the high journalistic standard the Inquirer supposedly have, they forgot to ask Drillon why, of all people, Gutierrez asked for “his help”. Could it be that Drillon is good friends with De Venecia and he could ask the latter to stop pressuring Gutierrez?

“I’m willing to state this under oath wherever they will call me,” Drilon told the Philippine Daily Inquirer (parent company of INQUIRER.net).

And as if funny is not enough, Drillon said that he is not sure if the contract signed was the same contract that Gutierrez is concerned about. Per the Inquirer: He (Drillon) said he did not know whether the agreement that was eventually signed contained the same provisions over which Gutierrez had expressed reservations. Hello, Inquirer? If Drillon is not sure, then why is he in the news?

Not content yet on downgrading its frontpage with the ultimate in trash based on a funny premise, the Inquirer also quoted a “highly-placed source privy to the deal” to say that “the Philippines gave up its natural resources when it signed the agreement…”. And, the highly placed source cannot be named because of “security reasons”.

Hilarious! Why do you need a “highly-placed source” give an opinion? You need only a “highly-placed source” when you get facts! That “highly-placed source” can even be Drillon himself or DeVenecia and it doesn’t matter because that is the natural although unfounded conclusion from the news. We know of course that the reason the Inquirer used a “highly-placed source” is to add credibility. In short, the Inquirer is plainly saying: This news is true (even if it is unfounded). It came from a “highly-placed” source.

Last week, a highly placed source privy to the deal told the Inquirer that the Philippines gave up its natural resources when it signed the agreement allowing China to gather seismic data off Palawan province in an area mostly within Philippine territorial waters. The source, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said the agreement might have been forged to provide a “political solution” to the long-standing struggle among six nations for ownership of the Spratly group of islands, which is said to be rich in gas and oil deposits, and which the Philippines is claiming in part.

If I go on word for word on the news that come out today from the Inquirer, I could give endless examples of what the paper is actually trying to say which runs something like these: You do not believe our headline news? Well, look up the article of Barry Wain from the Far East Economic Review. You do not have access? Well, there it is comfortably seating on someone’s blog. Yes, we are a very embarrassing news organization that we need to read it first from Wain, but hey, forget that…, we have a highly-placed source and Drillon is willing to testify. Isn’t that juicy enough to start the ball-rolling for another scandal?

But whatever the news is, by the end of the day, we will all conclude that PGMA is corrupt: Yes, that same conclusion which we all have already the first day she sat in office. And wherever all this is going, some things remain sure: The Philippines remains poor, the government remains corrupt, our media remains to be a joke, and that poor fellow under the bridge remains poor and dying (if not already dead).