'No one's untouchable,' says Arroyo on corrupt officials

[zero]

malinaw na retirement package niya ang 12% VAT na gusto niya.
remember, last term na niya ito at wala na siyang paki-alam kung mahirapan tayo o hindi.

[1D4LV]

HERE'S THE SCORE By Teodoro C. Benigno
The Philippine Star 05/06/2005

The floodwaters are rising almost up to her knees. And yet we have a president who seemingly sees nothing, hears nothing, says nothing, not even the ticking of a bomb just beside her. Even the International Herald Tribune, which normally gives her long leash, in a three column front-page yesterday, banged the drums. Graft and corruption, it indicated, have reached the very top of power "in a major scandal implicating Arroyo, her family and close friends."

Little Girl Riding Hood, GMA’s image at the outset. Or Little Miss Moppet have vanished and in their place, we have a Barbie handpainted by Emperor Nero himself, a Barbie seemingly up to no good, forgetting that only last May 10 or just after, the Establishment, the power elite, including the redoubtable Church and Big Business proclaimed her victor in the controversial counting.

Since then, GMA has lost a lot of ground.

Widespread poverty has worsened, so has unemployment. The economy has gone into a mudhole, and almost everybody in power is perceived as a direct blood descendant of Limahong who had the fastest thieving hands in the business. If indeed the First Family is enmeshed in graft, it won’t be long before the people’s hue and cry demand that GMA stand down or step down.

Stand down means at the very least, she will have to stage snap presidential elections. Or if she is stark blind, she will have to turn over power to vice president Noli de Castro with her and her generals still calling the shots. Step down means just that – step down, but ways and means will have to be found to transfer power to a Council of Leaders or Council of Wise Men for a transition period of six months to a year.

Step down means GMA and her family will perforce have to leave the country and go into exile. If she remains, her life and her family could be in danger. Anyway, if indeed they have accumulated fortunes, a lavish life awaits her in any country of her choice. Spain maybe? Or the United States where she still enjoys the friendship and support of a retinue in power places.

There’s no way, or I see no way, GMA can reverse the trends in the Philippines. She is up against a historical tsunami which a cluster of previous presidents stirred the tides decades ago. Her major fault was that she belonged to the elite, could not betray the elite, lived the sumptuous life of the elite, and turning her back on them was like Prince Charles turning her back on Camilla Parker Bowles and the royal family and going into monkhood.

She stays in Malacañang and the floodwaters will continue to rise.

They can only be stopped, stalled or slowed down if before midnight tonight, she addresses the nation on nationwide TV and announces that six of the most corrupt generals have been arrested and jailed, six of the most notorious tax-evaders, six drug and jueteng lords, six smugglers, and manacles strapped on Imelda and a couple of her children. And yes, Jose Pidal.

She does that and she is a heroine overnight. She does not do that and her ship of state will begin to list, the ocean waters will pour in, the rats will jump out as they did desert Erap before Joseph Estrada bowed to superior force and fled Malacañang like a common scoundrel.

I don’t think there will be any nationwide uprising. Filipinos are too downswing and downbeat for that. Nor will there be a communist revolution. The Americans will see to it that, as long as they are still around, the Philippines will remain under their tutelage even if a "revolutionary government" is established so long as it remains within the US political orbit.

A revolutionary junta can take a number of forms or disguises.

But it’s too early to discuss these matters. The thing is to keep the Philippines in shaky equilibrium if that is at all possible. The military right must be prevented from taking over power. They will run the Philippines as they have run Mindanao, with the bayonet more than the brain. The communist Left, try as it might, can never take over a Philippines that will stick to a Christian God and not to Karl Marx, to the hammer and sickle. To the tricolor, and not to red screaming flags.


http://philstar.com/philstar/News200505062602.htm

[baurtwellXUV]

baka nananaginip si GMA. untouchables?! panu yung asawa nya and yung mga anak at relatives nya?! talk **** tong si GMA. wala ng gnawa si GMA sa pilipinas kung hindi pahirapan tyong mga mamayan!

[IceColdBeer]

Si LL pa may hawak nung issue sa Jueteng eh samantalang kapatid ni LL eh bataan ni BP. Tawag pa nga kay BP eh "Sir".

[ILuvDetailing]

The floodwaters are rising almost up to her knees. And yet we have a president who seemingly sees nothing, hears nothing, says nothing, not even the ticking of a bomb just beside her. Even the International Herald Tribune, which normally gives her long leash, in a three column front-page yesterday, banged the drums. Graft and corruption, it indicated, have reached the very top of power "in a major scandal implicating Arroyo, her family and close friends."

In short she's a puppet. Somebody's calling the shots, and its not her, it sounds like a conspiracy theory but think about it. When you control the military, no one can touch you. Erap didn't have the full control of the military so he didn't last long in power...

[baurtwellXUV]

ang hilig hilig pang magtravel ni GMA, kaya inapprove na nya yung 12% vat. para pambayad sa mga expenses nya na misc...

[2004lynxghia]

kakatakot ang banat ni teodoro benigno..

imo, itong si GMA akala ko nahubog ng ayos ang katauhan nito ng tatay nyang si dadong..matino naman ang pamamalakad ng tatay nong panahon nya..

iisa lang culprit dito..bad influence ng asawang super plastik..:seeth:

[baurtwellXUV]

syempre masisilaw na din yan sa pera! power hungry din yan c GMA!

[ranod55]

ipalit kaya natin si bro.eddie gil! dami raw cyang atik at nasa abroad,dami rin peluka-hehehe...amen

[IceColdBeer]

Not her father's fault. Talagang kampon ni taning ung mag asawa.