Chavit's Turn

Posted by Luz Rimban 
PCIJ

Things are getting curiouser and curiouser.

First it was the battle of the press statements. Then it was the war of news conferences. Then they launched the battle of the rallies. Today, it was the war of the wiretapped conversations, the latest engagement in the battle of pirated CDs.

Ilocos Sur Gov. Luis "Chavit" Singson, a diehard supporter of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, yesterday released to the media what he said was a wiretapped conversation in which former President Joseph Estrada appears to have approved a plan to assassinate Mrs. Arroyo and do away with former President Fidel Ramos.

Singson said two persons he did not know had given him copies of the CDs containing a wiretapped phone call supposedly made by Estrada in May 2004 to former armed forces chief Joselin Nazareno. He told reporters that this was part of the unreleased segments of the "mother of all tapes" in the possession of former National Bureau of Investigation deputy director Samuel Ong, the same tape from which the "Hello, Garci" conversations came.

Reporters lapped up the handful of CDs Singson brought along for distribution to the press. The CDs were stamped with labels: they were entitled "The X-Tapes" and even had a caricature of President Joseph Estrada, as well as a playlist of the six cuts in the CD, the last of which was the wiretapped Estrada conversation.

The first five cuts of the CD included a call in which Estrada inquired from Nazareno, who seemed to be the one being tapped, about the results of the 2004 count. Another call had an Estrada aide talking to a politician or political operative in Mindanao. Senator Panfilo Lacson said in an interview with DZMM that these calls appeared to have been recorded by the Intelligence Service of the Armed Forces of the Philippines with the cooperation of Smart, the mobile-phone company. (The Smart spokesman subsequently denied they had cooperated with ISAFP.)

The last cut, where Estrada supposedly plots the president's assassination, sounds suspect, as the sound quality is noticeably clearer than those of the other cuts. Lacson insisted this was a manufactured conversation and so did Senator Jinggoy Estrada.

Over GMA Channel 7, the younger Estrada called Chavit's revelations a "diversionary tactic meant to shift public attention to Erap." Jinggoy said that in his father's long years of public service, had not heard of Erap plotting the murder of anyone. The same could not be said of the man who released the tape, Jinggoy said, referring to Singson.

In the alleged conversation, a voice, supposedly Nazareno's, told his caller, supposedly Estrada, that Lacson had approved a plan to remove "pandak" (midget) and replace her with a "tanda" (crone) through a transition government.

The first voice then said "tanda" would get sick, leading the way for Estrada's return to power. Tanda was apparently a reference to Ramos.

Beside Singson at the press conference was Ramon "RJ" Jacinto, former Lakas congressional candidate and owner of radio station DZRJ. In 2001,at the height of EDSA 2, Jacinto was also responsible for coming out with anti-Estrada CDs containing songs lampooning the former action star. He is also a staunch Arroyo supporter.

Early yesterday morning, text messages sent to journalists already announced that DZRJ would be playing wiretapped CDs implicating Estrada.

This latest release appears to be an attempt by the President's supporters to muddy the trail and confuse the public mind. It was apparently released in an attempt to draw public attention away from the "Hello, Garci" tapes and a recent revelation that the president had talked to Garcilliano about padded votes or dagdag.

Meanwhile, in Malacanang earlier today, a feisty Mrs. Arroyo lashed back at her critics and accused them of having no plan of action, merely a "blueprint for obfuscation."

"Even if people don't like me right now, neither will they follow a road to nowhere," she said in an uncharacteristically animated and forceful manner. In a meeting with some 500 Filipino-Americans gathered at Malacanang's Rizal Hall, the president also announced her endorsement of constitutional change and a restructuring of the Cabinet to allow her, she said, to focus on the business of reforms. She named erstwhile NEDA chief Romulo Neri head of the budget department and banker Peter Favila  secretary of trade and industry. She  did not, however, announce a timetable for charter change and made no commitment to calling elections earlier than the end of her term in 2010.

She sidestepped these issues, instead promising more doleouts, in an apparent bid to win more public support.  These included cheap rice to be sold in National Food Authority rolling stores, subsidies to local governments that would allow them to extend Philhealth cards for another year, and a road construction program to give jobs to the unemployed.

 The measures did not include the demands the Cabinet members who resigned last week had made of the president, among them, a revamp of government to rid it of those associated with First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. The president's speech was more like something she usually gave out while on the campaign stump. It was apparently intended to show she was in control and it was business as usual.

Yung Dagdag! Yung Dagdag!

Posted by Sheila Coronel 
PCIJ

THE president's voice sounded urgent. She was muttering under her breath. This morning, using sound enhancement, we listened again to the "Hello, Garci" recording and heard clearly for the first time what Mrs. Arroyo told election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano in a conversation that took place at 11:17 p.m. on May 31, 2004.

That phone call began with the President relaying to Garcillano the information that the opposition was trying to get Namfrel (National Citizens Movement for Free Elections) copies of municipal certificates of canvass. Garcillano reassured her that Namfrel is "now sympathetic to us."

The president's reply is garbled in the recording, as she lowered her voice and muttered. We asked a sound engineer to enhance the sound for us. We listened again and this is what we heard her telling Garcilliano: "… Namfrel does not tally… pero yun nga, yung dagdag, yung dagdag (but you know, the padding, the padding)."

[PCIJ didn't put this in earlier versions of the transcript because we were not sure until now.]

This is the only time in all the 15 phone calls that Mrs. Arroyo made to Garcillano between May 26 and June 10 that she actually used the word, dagdag.

Some of the president's calls dealt with her anxiety about the count and her winning margin ("Will I still get more than 1 M?" she famously asked "Garci" at 9:23 a.m. on May 29).

The May 31 phone call was more direct. She actually referred to votes being padded. While she did not directly say that she had directed the padding or that she knew her votes had been padded, the purpose of the conversation appears to be to assuage her worry that the padding would not discovered if the Namfrel documents did not tally with the certificates of canvass.

Many of the presidential calls in the Hello Garci tapes dealt with Mrs. Arroyo's concern that the count reflected in various election documents — statements of votes and certificates of canvass — did not match. She expressed this worry about the documents from Basilan, Lanao del Sur and Sulu. She was worried because the mismatch in the figures might be seen by the opposition and used by them in alleging fraud by the ruling party.

The particular conversation where she talked about dagdag seems to be along the same lines. She was fretting about the possibility that the opposition would get hold of Namfrel documents (Namfrel gets the sixth copy of the precinct-level election returns) and discover that these do not match with the certificates of canvass, which contain the aggregated counts of all the precincts in a municipality, city or province.

This is why Garcillano had to reassure the president that Namfrel is "now sympathetic to us."

In her reply, she wanted more reassurance. "Pero yun nga, yung dagdag, yung dagdag," she said.

When this call was made on May 31, most of the certificates of canvass had already been submitted to Congress. It would have meant trouble if the count reflected in these certificates were questioned either by Namfrel or the opposition, based on their own copies of the election returns. At this point, the president seemed to be concerned about two things: 1) that the spurious documents would not be discovered; and 2) that the counts in the places where special elections were held and the counting delayed would show her as the winner.

Special elections were conducted in late May in some towns and barangay in Basilan, Lanao del Sur, Lanao del Norte, Maguindanao, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi. Some of the president's phone calls dealt with the counting in these places.

The content of those phone calls was previously reported in this blog. Here are the transcript and enhanced audio of the "dagdag" phone call.

Conversation between Gary (V. Garcillano) and an unidentified female believed to be GMA (Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo) on 31 23:17 hotel May 2004

Garcillano: Hello, ma'am.

GMA: Hello, tsaka ano yung kabila, they're trying to get the Namfrel copies of the Municipal COCs.

Garcillano: Namfrel copies ho?

GMA: Uhm-um.

Garcillano: Ay wala naman, ok naman ang Namfrel sa atin. They are now sympathetic to us.

GMA (mumbling): Oo, oo … (garbled) …Namfrel does not tally. Pero yun nga, yung dagdag, yung dagdag.

Garcillano: Oho, we will get an advance copy ho natin kung anong hong kwan nila.

GMA: Oo, oo.

Garcillano: Sige po.

Gloria Resign Campaign

Posted by Alecks Pabico
PCIJ

REMEMBER eLagda? In 2000, the "dotcom movement" led by IT professional Vicente Romano III tried to gather one million sign-ups in 21 days to be sent electronically to then Pres. Joseph's Estrada to call for his resignation. Unable to gather enough signatures as a consequence of non-cybersavvy protesters and a president who, Romano thought, probably didn't read anyway, the groups' efforts shifted to an email barrage campaign that targeted government officials still supporting Estrada at the time, particularly the senator-judges in his impeachment trial.

Today, the same people behind eLagda have come up with another online petition-signing campaign  to clamor for Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to step down. On its website " Save the Republic, GMA Resign Now!" is a statement that reads:

We listened to the tapes. We read the transcripts. We believe GMA's conversation with Garcillano was more than just a lapse in judgment. And when you consider the fact that GMA appointed Garcillano as Comelec Commissioner in spite of his notoriety as an "operator" (one who engineers wide-scale electoral cheating), we can only conclude that the cheating was pre-meditated.

We can, of course, go through the process prescribed by law — impeachment. Meanwhile, however, we have a politically volatile situation that might encourage some sectors to pursue extra-constitutional means to seize power. And given the extent of damage on GMA's moral ascendancy, we believe she has lost the capacity to govern, much less the ability to transform this nation to a strong Republic.

The only decent thing for GMA to do is to RESIGN NOW, and let the constitutional process of succession take effect. By doing this, she can at least save the Republic.

If you believe, as we do, that GMA should RESIGN NOW, join the MORAL MAJORITY in petitioning GMA to RESIGN NOW.

As of July 8, 2005, the site has attracted 17,881 petitioners representing 17,268 individuals and nine organizations — a curious mix that includes the Judy Ann Santos Fans Club (with 5,000 members) , ERAP Fans Club (6,991), Bangon Pilipinas-Progresibong Kristiano (5,000), and Kapwersa Brotherhood (170).

CNN/Time Poll: Gloria Resign!

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- A majority of people surveyed this month say Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should not complete her presidential term, according to a new CNN/Time poll.

Additionally, the survey found that opposition to the Philippine leader fell and rose along age lines.

Of the 600 people surveyed in the poll, conducted by TNS during the past week, 57.5 percent said Arroyo should quit.

The poll was taken July 2-5, and had a margin of error of 4.1 percent. TNS is a London-based international polling company.

The results come as Arroyo faces mounting pressure to step down, following allegations of cheating in the 2004 presidential election.

She is accused of talking to an election official about ensuring a million-vote victory in the vote. Arroyo won re-election in 2004.

She won a reprieve of sorts on Sunday, when a group of influential Roman Catholic bishops declined to demand her resignation, saying no single option could be deemed "morally correct."

In the CNN/Time poll, people were asked, "Do you think President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo should or should not complete her six-year presidential term?"

Of the poll's respondents, 37.7 percent of those surveyed said they believed she should complete her term. A further 4.7 percent of people did not know.

Calls for her resignation fell along age lines in the CNN/Time. Among the poll's findings:

62 percent of those asked who were between 18-24 said she should not complete her term;

Nearly 63 percent of respondents aged 25-34 said Arroyo should not complete her term;

Approximately 61 percent of respondents aged 35-44 said Arroyo should not complete her term;

Nearly 54 percent of respondents aged 45-54 said she should step down;

And, 41.5 percent of respondents 65 and older said Arroyo should not finish her term.

Gloria's Statement

I GIVE thanks to the bishops for their statement of guidance and wisdom. I appreciate their collective voice of moderation and temperance at this time of national soul-searching. I will read every line and everything between the lines of the bishops' statement in our effort to bring moral enrichment for a nation impoverished both in its material and spiritual foundations.

I shall continue to pray with the Filipino people for true redemption from corruption and evil. I've searched deeply for moral discernment. The second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians rings true for me: I cannot boast about myself except about my weaknesses. But I know in faith that in my own weakness His power can be made perfect in me to help me become the servant-president for you in the way He wants me to be.

We must also focus on getting our economy moving. I will work with the church, members of civil society, and all others to help build a better quality of life for the people of the Philippines, and to put an end to the political bickering that is causing such harm to our nation.

Once more, I pledge you everything within my power to earn your enduring trust and support.

Once again, beloved bishops, thank you.

CBCP Statement

1. As a people we seem to have passed from crisis to crisis in one form or another. For many analysts, reinforcing these crises are ambivalent cultural values such as palakasan, pakikisama, utang na loob, and family-centeredness. As Bishops we have long contended that the crises that we have suffered are basically moral--the lack of moral values in ourselves, in our relationships, in our social structures.

2. Today we are beset with yet another political crisis of such magnitude as to polarize our people and attract them to various options ranging from the extreme right to the extreme left. In this grave situation, various groups take advantage of one another, manipulate situations for their own agenda and create confusion among our people sometimes by projecting speculation or suspicion as proven fact, with the aim of grabbing power.

3. At the center of the crisis is the issue of moral value, particularly the issue of trust. The people mistrust our economic institutions which place them under the tyranny of market forces whose lack of moral compass produces for our people a life of grinding dehumanizing poverty. They also mistrust yet another key institution – our political system. This mistrust is not recent. For a long time now, while reveling in political exercises, our people have shown a lack of trust in political personalities, practices, and processes. Elections are often presumed tainted rather than honest. Congressional and senate hearings are sometimes narrowly confined to procedural matters and often run along party lines. Politics has not effectively responded to the needs of the poor and marginalized.

4. This question of trust in national institutions has taken a critical urgency with the resignation of some key Cabinet members, the realignment of political parties and the creation of new alliances. Amid this realignment of forces we commend the clear official stand of our military and police authorities who reiterated their loyalty to our Constitution that forbid them from engaging in partisan politics.

5. Moreover with academe, business, professional and civil society varied positions have been taken with regard to President Macapagal Arroyo. Some want her to resign; others want her to go through due process. Some want a Truth Commission. Others impeachment. Some want a constitutional process and others an extra-constitutional process. On the other hand there is also a wide manifestation of support for the chief executive by a cross section of society.

6. Today, we ask ourselves, "As bishops what can we offer to our people? Can we provide some clarity and guidance in the present confusing situation?" We can only answer these questions from who we are. We are not politicians who are to provide a political blueprint to solve political problems. Rather we are Bishops called by the Lord to shepherds the people in the light of faith. With Pope Benedict XVI we do not believe in the "intrusion into politics on the part of the hierarchy." But we are to interpret human activities such as economics and politics from the moral and religious point of view, from the point of view of the Gospel of Jesus end of the Kingdom of God. We are to provide moral and religious guidance to our people. This is what we offer in the present crisis. Not to do this would be an abdication of our duty.

Our Pastoral Role and Our Stand

7. In the welter of conflicting opinions and positions our role is not to point out a specific political option or a package of options as the Gospel choice, especially so when an option might be grounded merely on a speculative and highly controvertible basis. In the present situation we believe that no single concrete option regarding President Macapagal Arroyo can claim to be the only one demanded by the Gospel. Therefore, in a spirit of humility and truth, we declare our prayerfully discerned collective decision that we do not demand her resignation. Yet neither do we encourage her simply to dismiss such a call from others. For we recognize that non-violent appeals for her resignation, the demand for a Truth Commission and the filing of an impeachment case are not against the Gospel.

8. In all these we remind ourselves that a just political and moral order is best promoted under the present circumstances by a clear and courageous preference for constitutional processes that flow from moral values and the natural law. Hence, we also appeal to the people, especially their representatives and leaders, to discern their decisions not in terms of political loyalties but in the light of the Gospel values of truth, justice and the common good. We urge our people in our parish and religious communities, our religious organizations and movements, our Basic Ecclesial Communities to come and pray together, reason, decide and act together always to the end that the will of God prevail in the political order. People of good will and credibility who hold different political convictions should come together and dialogue in order to help move the country out of its present impasse. We believe with Pope Benedict XVI that through prayer the Filipino people and their political representatives and leaders guided by moral principles are capable of arriving at decisions for the common good that are based not only on political realities but above all on moral precepts.

9. Yet having said this we wish to subject specific situations to moral inquiry to guide our people in deepening their moral discernment.

Restoring Moral Values

10. On Moral Accountability: "Political authority is accountable to the people. Those who govern have the obligation to answer to the governed " (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, 408) President Macapagal Arroyo has admitted and apologized for a "lapse [in] judgment" for calling a COMELEC official. The admission further eroded the people's trust on the already suspected electoral system and raised serious questions on the integrity of the elections. Beyond apology is accountability, Indeed, with forgiveness is justice. To restore trust would require a thorough, credible and independent process to examine the authenticity of the so-called Garcillano tapes, verify any possible betrayal of public trust and mete out due punishment on all those found guilty. Punishment should also imposed on those duly found guilty of corruption and illegal acts, such as jueteng and wire tapping. Moral accountability calls for radical reforms in various agencies of the government to make them more responsive to the requirements of integrity as well as to the needs of the poor.

11. On Constitutionality: In the present crisis some calls are being made of measures that are counter-constitutional. The Constitution enshrines cherished values such as human dignity and the common good, freedom, the rule of law and due process. On this basis, we reject quick fixes that cater to selfish political agenda and advantage rather than to the common good. We deplore the attempts of those groups who seek to exploit our vulnerable national situation in order to create confusion and social chaos, in order to seize power by unconstitutional means. We reject calls for juntas or revolutionary councils. Our political leaders have to be the first to observe and faithfully implement the Constitution. Revolving the crisis has to be within the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the land so as to avoid social chaos, the further weakening of political systems, and greater harm in the future,

12. On Non-Violence: Violent solutions, as Pope Paul VI taught us, "produce new injustices, throw more elements out of balance, and bring on new disasters" (Populorum Progressio 31) There are today, on different sides of the social and political spectrum, those who would instigate violence in order to promote their own agenda or causes. We reject the use of force and violence as a solution to our problems. Such cannot be an option of the Gospel, for we know that Jesus the Lord taught a Gospel of Love and non-violence.

13. On Effective Governance: "Public authority in order to promote the common good… requires also the authority to be effective in attaining that end" (Pacem in Terris, ch. IV) Together with competence, personal integrity is one of the most necessary requirements of a leader. Ineffective governance may be due to a lack of personal integrity or lack of competence. It could also be the result of a confluence of factors that have eroded trust and credibility and hence effectiveness. In our present situation we recognize that blame could be attributed to many, even all of us. Yet we would ask the President to discern deeply to what extent she might have contributed to the erosion of effective governance and whether the erosion is so severe as to be irreversible. In her heart she has to make the necessary decision for the sake of the country. We all need to do the same, Indeed moral discernment is very difficult since it is not based on political allegiance and alignments but on moral considerations.

Conclusion

14. Dear People of God, sadness and anxiety were our feelings when we as Bishops first met to study on various aspects of the crisis. To confront the fears and hopelessness that are the daily companions of our poor is to realize that we of the Church likewise contributed to them by our neglect, our bias, our selfishness.

15. To respond to the pastoral situation we commit ourselves to a more effective evangelization in word and deed so that moral values might become dynamic forces of human life in economics, politics and culture. We especially commit ourselves to the formation of men and women endowed with competence and integrity and empowered to effective leadership in the economic and political spheres. With the Gospel of truth, justice, peace and love in their hearts they might, indeed, be a leaven of social transformation for our country.

16. This year of the Eucharist reminds us to the abiding, loving, and healing presence of the Lord Jesus in our midst. By the grace and mercy of God and the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we pray that a deep sense of hope will prevail in these dark moments of our history. Our loving God will not abandon us no matter what pit of evil we have fallen into. We shall emerge stronger from this crisis. We shall rise endowed with greater integrity. We shall be witnesses to the power of God's grace to transform us into a noble nation, a holier Church, a united people.

FOR THE CATHOLIC BISHOPS' CONFERENCE OF THE PHILIPPINES

Fernando R. Capalla, D.D. President Archbishop of Davao

Crowd Out Glo

Posted by Luz Rimban 
PCIJ

IT wasn't a quiet weekend at the Palace, as Malacañang went into overdrive bashing the Cabinet secretaries who tendered their resignations yesterday.

Lakas Congressman Prospero Pichay, interviewed on radio, flung accusations of conflict of interest against Customs Commissioner Alberto Lina who Pichay says formed a company called LGC logistics involved in the importation of electronic products for the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas-Rizal (Calabarzon) Area.  

Pichay claims to have confronted Lina a month ago with the matter but according to Pichay, Lina wouldn't let go of a P100-million business.

Pichay also says former Customs Commissioner Guillermo Parayno, until yesterday the chief of the Bureau of Internal Revenue, was also an incorporator in the company.

Presidential Chief of Staff Rigoberto Tiglao, interviewed over GMA-7, also had some things to say about his former colleagues, who he said "chose to grandstand."

Just four days ago, Tiglao said, President Arroyo gave resigned Secretary of Trade Juan Santos the go-signal to pursue an anti-poverty program.  There was also Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima whose proposal for the privatization of PAGCOR was considered by the administration but found impossible to implement without legislation from Congress. Tiglao also chastised resigned National Anti Poverty Commission Chair Imelda Nicolas for leaving the commission high and dry amid all the work that needed to be done.

"Para akong sundalo sa kainitan nang labanan, pagtalikod ko umalis na ang mga kasama ko (I felt like a soldier in the middle of a war who suddenly turned to find myself abandoned by my comrades)," Tiglao said of his resigned former colleagues who were themselves busy giving press conferences and interviews today.

What has happened is that for now, the Palace has shifted the focus of contention and debate from the President to her former Cabinet and sub-Cabinet appointees, which just might give the news media more than enough space to crowd out the President.

Gloria's Fighting Words

(Text of Pres. Arroyo's Nationwide TV/Radio Address on July 7, 2005)

 

Mga Minamahal kong kababayan.

When I was young and my late father Diosdado Macapagal was president of our country, I thought of him as the "good guy" and his political opponents on the other side were the "bad guys".

Because of my father's influence, I had always thought of myself as on the side of the good. Thus, it is very painful for me to know that among many of our countrymen today, I have been demonized as the "bad guy." This is unfair, but it is a cross that God in His wisdom has given me to bear, so I will bear it. I have never questioned God's ways before, and I will not do so now.

When I first entered politics in 1992, little did I know that within a decade, I would become president of our country. And little did I expect that within another five years, there would be calls from civil society for my resignation from office or for the formation of a "Truth Commission" regarding some of my political actuations.

When I spoke before the nation some two weeks ago, I did so against the advice of my legal counsel. But I thought that speaking before you, the Filipino people, was the right thing to do. Shameless people have peddled the lie that I confessed to cheating. What I disclosed was that I talked to an election official. But that this had taken place after the certificates of canvas had already been used to proclaim the winning senators, and it was those same certificates of canvass that showed that I won by around a million votes. That is the truth.

Indeed, it is right for our country to confront the truth, but if we do so, let's confront the biggest, most painful political truth. The big truth that we are aware of deep in our hearts, but that we collectively sweep under the rug. The big truth whose debilitating effects on our country, year after year, decade after decade, have developed into feelings of disgust, hopelessness and even despair among large segments of our society.

The truth that I discovered from my beginnings as a neophyte politician in 1992, rising to become a veteran politician through the years, is this: over the years, our political system has degenerated to such an extent that it is very difficult to live within the system with hands totally untainted. That is the truth. In addition, our system has degenerated to such an extent that more often than not, it is political agenda first, and national interest last. For example, we have endless investigations and scandals in aid of political and media projection, rather than in aid of legislation or executive action. That is the truth. Because of this system of politics, our country has been left behind by other countries in the region, and our best and brightest, the cream of our youth, are voting with their feet to leave the country. That is the truth.

I do not blame any individual or political block for this sad state of affairs. It is simply the truth that the political system that I am part of has degenerated to the point that it needs fundamental change. We are collectively to blame, so we must collectively be the solution. Let he who is without sin, cast the stone. To those who feel that they cannot cast the first stone, I invite you to help in the solution.

My proposed approach to reform our system of politics and governance is something that I had wanted to bring forth during the upcoming state of the nation address. However, because our country is hungry for a resolution to the political uncertainties that have plagued us these past few weeks, I will bring it up now.

First of all, I am not resigning my office. To do so under circumstances that connote an EDSA 3 would condemn any successor to the possibility of an EDSA 4, then an EDSA 5, and so on, unless our political system were first reformed to make it more responsive to the people's will, such that changes in leadership come about in an orderly and stable manner.

The world embraced EDSA 1 in 1986. The world tolerated EDSA 2 in 2001. The world will not forgive an EDSA 3 in 2005, but would instead condemn the Philippines as a country whose political system is hopelessly unstable. And the Filipinos as among the finest people in the world, but who always shoot themselves in the foot. Under those circumstances, who would invest money in the Philippines? How would we weather the difficulties arising from the price of crude oil being at its highest in history?

What I intend to do is to work with legislators and civil groups who believe that changes in the fundamental law of the land are necessary in order to confront such basic issues as federalism, the character of our legislative process, reducing red tape in government processes, running for public office under a true party system and with less need to raise campaign funds, modernizing the economic provisions of our constitution, and so forth.

At the same time, I will restructure and strengthen the cabinet, giving it a free hand to meanwhile reform and manage our day to day governance with as little political interference as possible, even from me.

This is how we will proceed.

First, I'm asking my entire cabinet to tender their resignation in order to give the executive a free hand to reorganize itself. I'll ask our sectors to give me the names of candidates that we can invite to replace those who will not return to the cabinet, or even to help out at other levels of the executive.

Second, the cabinet will be given a free hand on governance, while I focus on the fundamental changes that we need to put in place.

Third, I will begin to reach out to the political and civil sectors that have an interest in the various advocacies that are relevant to our constitution. Federalism, for example, is an advocacy that I had espoused long ago.

This is neither political ploy nor gimmick. I believe that this process will quickly lay the foundation for deep reforms in our society, including reforms in our political way of life. This would be a legacy that our generation of politicians and citizens could collectively be proud of. I now have grand children to play with and to help bring up. Like all of you, I want our children to grow up in a better Philippines. I have prayed on this, and I hope that I have discerned God's will properly.

Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat.

Tatad Is Tape's Source

Tale of The Tape
He Said, She Said
BY ANTHONY SPAETH AND NELLY SINDAYEN/MANILA

At the center of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's woes is a widely circulated tape of purported telephone conversations between a woman and an election officer identified by ex-colleagues as Virgilio Garcillano. Here's why the recording is proving so troublesome for Arroyo:

What does the tape say?
It contains more than a dozen conversations between a man referred to as "Garci" and several callers, including a voice that sounds like Arroyo's. The most damaging excerpt is this:

Female voice: "So will I still lead by 1M [sic]?"
Garci: "More or less it's that advantage, ma'am."
Female voice: "It cannot be less than 1M?"
Garci: "I will force it."

What is the implication?
The "1M" may refer to 1 million votes—which is about the margin by which Arroyo won the May 2004 presidential election. In her apology to the nation last week, she admitted to a "lapse in judgment" for phoning an official of the Commission on Elections. She said she did so to ensure her lead would not be eroded by her opponents cheating. Arroyo's critics say that by contacting an election official during the counting, she abused her power. Arroyo neither mentioned the tape nor said the female voice was hers, and did not name the election official she talked to.

Why not?
That might have hoisted Arroyo on her own petard. On June 6, the presidential palace released two tapes: the Garci tape that is circulating, and another tape recording of the President speaking to someone called Gary, with similar dialogue. The palace said the Garci tape was doctored to make Arroyo look bad, and that the Gary tape is the genuine recording. A few days later, an Arroyo loyalist in the central Philippines, Edgar Ruado, chief of staff of Mrs. Arroyo's Congressman brother-in-law Ignacio Arroyo, came forward to say he was Gary. If Arroyo's voice was indeed the one on the Garci tape, and she had acknowledged so, she would have tacitly admitted that the Gary tape was a lie—implying a presidential palace cover-up.

How did the Garci tape become public?
Francisco Tatad, a former Senator in the opposition camp, says he received two audiotapes from an anonymous source in the mail in May. He gave them to a lawyer, Alan Paguia, asking for legal advice on the conversations. Paguia, who worked in 2003 as an attorney for Arroyo's predecessor Joseph Estrada, made a 32-minute condensed version. When the palace released its copy of the conversations (the Gary tape), Paguia started distributing the other version on CD. The lawyer says he wasn't working on behalf of Estrada, but had his own reasons for spreading the CDs: in November 2003 the Supreme Court had suspended Paguia's right to practice law for his repeated criticism of its approval of Arroyo's taking over the presidency from Estrada.

Who recorded the phone conversations in the first place?
Technical Sergeant Vidal Doble has admitted to taping the phone calls as part of his duties at the Intelligence Services of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Doble says he gave the original tapes to the driver and bodyguard of Samuel Ong, a former deputy chief of the National Bureau of Investigation. Why he did so—whether he was paid by the opposition, as has been alleged by Arroyo's aides—is unclear. Ong is in hiding; the original tapes, according to his attorney, are with a trusted friend. Election officer Garcillano has also disappeared and is rumored to have left the country.

Time on Gloriagate

Under Siege
As a vote-rigging scandal deepens and calls for her resignation grow louder, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is fighting for political survival
BY ANTHONY SPAETH | MANILA

Gloria Macapagal Arroyo spent last week in desperate spin mode. First, the Philippine President went on national television to admit that she had spoken on the phone with an unnamed election official during the counting of votes in the presidential election in May last year—an issue that has galvanized the political opposition for weeks. Arroyo maintained it was an innocent call, not an attempt to rig the ballot, but acknowledged a "lapse in judgment" and asked the citizenry to "close this chapter." So important was the speech that she gave it twice, in English and then in Tagalog, which is more comprehensible to most Filipinos. In the second version, she asked for "forgiveness." On Wednesday, Arroyo addressed a lunch meeting of business executives and announced, with tears in her eyes, that her husband, Jose Miguel, who is being investigated for allegedly receiving kickbacks from an illegal gambling racket, would live outside the Philippines indefinitely to avoid being a target for her critics. "Today, my family is once again called to sacrifice our personal happiness," she said. The next day, Arroyo accepted the resignation of Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap, who has been charged with tax evasion (which he denies).

Even as Arroyo was trying to rescue her presidency from a vertiginous tailspin, a potential rallying figure for the opposition made a dramatic debut. At a press conference carried live on TV and radio, Susan Roces, the widow of the challenger in last year's election, Fernando Poe Jr., said Arroyo's apology to the nation proved that her late husband was cheated out of the presidency. Poe, who died of a stroke last December, was a popular film actor. Roces is one too, as beloved among regular people as her husband was, and she chewed up the scenery in the role of the Furious Widow. "[Arroyo] can lie through her teeth with a straight face," she seethed. "She's arrogant!" Roces said she'd gladly join street protests to get Arroyo to resign—heightening the prospect, remote until now, of People Power demonstrations. Then, on Friday, the Supreme Court, acting on a petition by opposition legislators and oil dealers, suspended an unpopular value-added tax that had gone into effect only hours earlier. The tax was a key part of Arroyo's plan to raise government revenues to plug the Philippines' chronic budget deficit, and its suspension was a major blow to the President's hopes of revitalizing the economy.

It was, in short, a week from hell for Arroyo, a 58-year-old former economics professor who once seemed exactly the kind of leader the Philippines needed. A policy wonk with a Ph.D. from Georgetown University, Arroyo came to power in 2001 in a People Power revolt that toppled another movie star, President Joseph Estrada, who had been weakened by a flood of corruption allegations and a failed impeachment trial. Last year's election was meant to legitimize Arroyo's rule; and the middle class and the business sector, at least, were relieved when she beat Poe—the country badly needed economic reform, which Arroyo seemed far more capable of delivering. Better governance finally appeared to be at hand. Now that's all threatened because of scandals of the common sort in the Philippines—election cheating, graft—and Arroyo's handling of them. The nation, yet again, is living up to its reputation as unstable and perpetually in crisis. "Mrs. Arroyo has become the symbol of everything that is wrong in Philippine governance," says Randolf S. David, professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines. "Many believe that the longer she remains in office, the more the crisis engulfs the whole system."

Arroyo has chosen to break an old rule of politics—"never apologize, never explain"—in a gamble that she can rise above Manila's deafening political noise and appeal directly to the people. Her message: "My administration may have lost its way, but give me a second chance." And she may be orchestrating more damage control. Congressman Joey Salceda, part of the President's economic team, told the press last week that Arroyo was planning major changes in the way the government operates. "The political misfortunes of the President are reversible," he said. Nicandro Arcena, 57, a security guard in Manila, agrees—up to a point. "Arroyo, for the time being, should be retained," he says, "because she hasn't been proved guilty yet. If she is found guilty, she has to go. But who will replace her? It's possible we'd get someone even worse."

The risk of spring cleaning one year into a presidential term is that skeletons get exposed. News photos of Arroyo's husband arriving in Hong Kong—besides him, his brother and the Arroyos' eldest son have also been accused of accepting money from illegal gambling, which they have all denied—gained the President sympathy in some quarters. But the reverse reaction was also widespread, with some arguing that Arroyo was tacitly admitting to her husband's guilt and letting him escape judgment by Philippine law. "Going into exile? He's just going to have fun in California," says Homobono Adaza, a former immigration commissioner. "He should come back and face the music."

Arroyo's admission that she had talked on the phone with an election officer was potentially more damaging. A taped recording of a purported conversation between a woman who sounds like Arroyo and an election official has been circulating around the country for weeks on CDs, and even as a cell-phone ring tone. Arroyo did not mention the tape in her address last week, and her aides have claimed that the recording was doctored. In the conversations the female voice appears to be trying to influence the vote counting.

Arroyo's televised apology has alienated some of her close supporters. Roilo Golez, a former National Security Adviser to Arroyo and one of her chief congressional allies, says it proved to him that she had manipulated the election and had been covering it up for the past month. "She no longer occupies the moral high ground," Golez told Time. "How can she discipline the military? How can she talk about people paying taxes with that cloud of doubt over her? She's left with no other honorable alternative but resignation." A crack in Arroyo's ruling coalition could have serious repercussions: the bloc has solid control of both houses of the Philippine Congress, which has insulated the President from impeachment. The opposition senses her vulnerability. On Friday, Salvador Enriquez, a former Budget Secretary, told the press: "She has to decide whether to resign or to make it a game of chess."

On the ground in Manila, the political jousting looks less like chess than a Roller Derby with chain saws. At meetings in coffee shops across the capital last week, retired generals volunteered to serve in juntas or "transitional governments," and political organizations of all stripes called for Arroyo to resign. Adding to the sense of crisis, TV news is now dominated by a congressional investigation of the wiretapped election phone calls and a Senate probe into alleged payoffs to her husband. Low-key Vice President Noli de Castro, a former TV anchorman with no previous experience in public office, told his old TV station last week that while he stands by his "courageous" President, he is capable of taking over from her if circumstances require it. Malacañang Palace defended De Castro's remarks and said the President continued to have confidence in him, but his comments prompted the press to accuse him of being overambitious. "This is [getting] emotional," sighs Amando Doronila, a veteran political columnist. "Very few people are using their heads."

The turmoil is beginning to demoralize even Arroyo's staunchest backers. She had persuaded Congress to pass a handful of revenue-boosting laws—including tax hikes on liquor and cigarettes, and the now suspended VAT—which she'd hoped would raise the cash to start rejuvenating the country. Those measures were welcomed in particular by members of the business community. Now, however, they too are starting to question their allegiance to Arroyo. "She's in trouble," says Edward L. Fereira, a businessman and former president of the Management Association of the Philippines. "The peso has depreciated, the stock market has gone down, she's expanded taxes: this hurts the people, and she has lost her credibility."

Washington, which has provided the Philippines with financial and military aid under Arroyo, is likewise watching the unfolding crisis with concern. The Bush Administration counts the Philippines as one of its partners in the global war on terror. But it has been frustrated by Arroyo's inability to enact antiterrorism legislation, which has been stymied by Congress. The Philippines needs such laws: it's wracked by a host of Islamic insurgencies that the local authorities assert are linked with Jemaah Islamiah, the regional network of extremists. With Arroyo under siege, such legislation could prove even harder to pass. So far the only comment Washington has made about Arroyo's troubles is that any move against her should follow due process. "The search for truth should be done within legal avenues," said the U.S. chargé d'affaires in Manila, Joseph Mussomeli, in a statement last week, "and in a way that best serves the welfare of the Filipino people."

Everything depends on whether Arroyo's contrition clicks with the public and enables her to hold on to power—or whether it backfires. "I have a lot of stories of her courage and coolness under fire," says former adviser Roilo Golez. "She's going to be tough. But when she made the decision to speak, the mea culpa thing, she was going into the unknown." So is the Philippines.

With reporting by Nelly Sindayen/Manila

Garci Speaks Out

Garcillano: Yes, I talked with Arroyo
By Michael Lim Ubac
Inquirer News Service

AFTER more than two weeks in hiding, Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano broke his silence on the wiretapping controversy last night and denied in an exclusive telephone interview with the Inquirer that he conspired with President Macapagal-Arroyo to rig last year's balloting. Garcillano also said he talked to a number of candidates in the last election. They include vice presidential candidate Loren Legarda, then senatorial candidate Mar Roxas, Minority Leader Francis Escudero on behalf of his father Salvador, an opposition senatorial candidate who lost in the election. Before the election, Garcillano said, he also talked to then senatorial candidate Jamby Madrigal. No favors Garcillano said they did not ask favors from him and simply voiced their concern about possible fraud. "Tell the people that the conversations that have publicly come out of the tapes are untrue," said Garcillano, speaking from an undisclosed place in Mindanao. "Many of those conversations were doctored," he said. Garcillano specifically referred to a portion in the conversations in tapes released by the opposition purportedly showing that he was assuring Ms Arroyo of a one-million vote margin. "I did not say that, I categorically deny that," Garcillano said in his telephone call made as a House investigative panel was playing one version of the tape submitted by Alan Paguia, former counsel of deposed president Joseph Estrada. He said he had been reluctant to come out, pointing out that with the flood of speculation sweeping the country he had lost credibility before the public. "The people are biased. I never did anything to destroy the electoral process. I am not that stupid," he said. He said at the proper time he was willing to come out and confront his accusers.

KUYA JT’S STIR-FRIED MANGO IN SHERRY

KUYA JT’S STIR-FRIED MANGO IN SHERRY

WITH ALMOND AND CHICKEN STRIPS

Serves: 4

Preparation: 30 minutes marinating

Instead, of Sherry, you may use red wine, white wine, or any wine as substitute

Instead of Almonds, you may use cashew or roasted peanuts

Feel free to experiment

Note: There are two major steps. First cooking the chicken. Second, cooking the mango.

lowercase t = teaspoon

uppercase T = tablespoon

Ingredients

3 chicken breasts, skinned, boned and cut into thin strips

1 ½ T (20 ml) cornstarch mixed with 1 ½ T (20 ml) light soy sauce and 3 T (45 ml)

sherry

½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil

1 ½ t (7.5ml) chopped fresh ginger

1 clove garlic, crushed

Green onions, white part chopped and green part cut into 1 inch (2.3cm) pieces

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 mangoes peeled and cut into long strips

3 T (45ml) sherry

1 T (15ml) light soy sauce

1 t (5ml) brown sugar

1 t (5ml) cornstarch

½ cup (125ml) slivered almonds, toasted

Steps

1. Place chicken in a bowl. Spoon cornstarch mixture over chicken strips. Marinate in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Drain.

2. Heat ½ cup (60ml) oil in a wok over high heat. Stir fry chicken for 30 seconds (yes, 30 seconds!!).

Remove. Drain in paper towels.

3. Heat 3 T (45 ml) oil and stir fry ginger, garlic, white part of the green onions and seasonings for 30 seconds.

4. Reheat chicken in the wok for 1 minute. Place chicken in a serving dish.

5. Heat 1 T (15ml) of oil in the wok. Add mangoes. Stir fry for 30 seconds. Stir in

sherry, soy sauce, sugar and cornstarch. Cook 30 seconds or until the sauce

thickens.

6. Add the green parts of onions and almonds. Pour over chicken. Garnished with sliced green onions.

---- end -----

Disappointed Biz Leaders

by Ellen Tordesillas, Malaya

BUSINESSMAN Tomas Alcantara has been appointed Malacañang chief of staff, in what is seen as an attempt by GMA to consolidate her forces in this critical time of her presidency.

The appointment of Alcantara is also seen as undermining Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, who is known in the Malacañang inner circle to be locked in a quiet but intense power struggle with Defense Secretary Avelino Cruz.

In many issues that divided Arroyo's cabinet, especially in the last two months, Malacañang sources said Cruz and Alcantara were on one side with what is dubbed as the "Doves" as against Ermita, who has taken the hardline position with the "Hawks."

Arroyo first made the announcement of Alcantara's appointment last Wednesday before a group of 15 businessmen she met at her family's home on Cambridge street in Forbes Park immediately after her speech at the Manila Polo Club.

The source said it was funny because while waiting for GMA, they were listening on the radio to Susan Roces' emotional speech at the Club Filipino rejecting Arroyo's apology and accusing her of stealing the election not once, but twice. The source said many of them were impressed with Roces' speech. When they saw GMA coming in, they turned off the radio.

Aside from Alcantara, those in the meeting included Trade Secretary Johnny Santos; Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima; Jaime Augusto Zobel of the Ayala business empire; former Finance Secretary Ramon del Rosario who also chairs the Philippine-US Business Council; Roberto Romulo, presidential adviser on international competitiveness; Bill Luz of the Makati Business Club; Sergio Ortiz Luis, president of the Philippine Exporters Federation; Donald Dee of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry; and Jose Aboitiz.

The source said after the usual congratulatory remarks about her speech before the Philippine Business Forum where she announced that her husband Mike Arroyo had volunteered to leave the country, it was Luz who started telling her what they think is the real score.

Luz said: "The public's expectations are high. You can't let these expectations outpace your reforms."

The source said the businessmen were disappointed that GMA did not announce at the Manila Polo Club the removal of cabinet members and officials identified with Mike Arroyo and the resignation of son Mikey and brother-in-law Iggy Arroyo from Congress which were included in the recommendation they submitted June 26.

Other sources said Mike is still resisting some of the drastic reforms recommended that adversely affects his protégés in the Cabinet and government corporations.

Among cabinet officials identified with Mike Arroyo are Legal Counsel Merceditas Gutierrez, Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane and Transportation Secretary Leandro Mendoza.

Other Mike Arroyo boys who are in "cash cow "agencies are Efraim Genuino, chairman of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation; Alfonso Cusi, general manager of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport; Edgar Manda, general manager of Laguna Lake Development Authority, and Jocelyn Bolante, GSIS director who was involved in the alleged use of agricultural funds for GMA's election campaign.

The businessmen stressed to Arroyo the need for transparency in government transactions and sanctity of contracts. Arroyo just listened and promised to carry out the necessary reforms.

They welcomed the appointment in the cabinet of Tom Alcantara, who is known as the most trusted of Arroyo's advisers. "If the Palace official said.

As chief of- staff, Alcantara will also serve as "gatekeeper" in the office of the President, which will give him a degree of influence in Malacañang.

The position of chief of staff was first held by former journalist Rigoberto Tiglao, who is now head of the Presidential Management Staff. Norberto Gonzales, now back as national security adviser, held that position briefly.

The friendship of Alcantara, who, until last Wednesday, held the position of ambassador-at-large, and Arroyo dates back to their days as trade undersecretaries during the Aquino administration. His family business, Alcantara and Sons, is in timber, energy and agriculture. He was involved in fundraising for Arroyo's 2004 presidential campaign.

Alcantara was with a group of advisers and select cabinet members who met with Arroyo on the evening of June 26, the day before her televised apology, also at the Macapagal house in Forbes Park, urging her to speak on her wiretapped conversations with Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano now called the "Gloriagate" tapes. They made a presentation on the issues that have to be confronted. They also submitted a draft for the Monday statement that included the reforms recommended by 12 cabinet members who met with her the day before. "She only used the apology," the source said.

Defense Secretary Cruz and Executive Secretary Ermita were present in that Sunday meeting. "Ermita didn't say anything," the source said.

The day before, Saturday morning, Cruz was part of the 12 "Doves", cabinet members who met with Arroyo and urged her to apologize and three other recommendations which are for Arroyo to "disappear", removal from government service of Mike Arroyo's "boys," and for Mikey and Iggy Arroyo to take a leave of absence from Congress until the end of the year.

Aside from Cruz, the "Doves" were Santos, Purisima, Budget Secretary Emilia Boncodin, Social Welfare Secretary Dinky Soliman, Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas, Science Secretary Estrella Alabastro, Presidential Peace Adviser Teresita Deles, Secretary for Government Mass Media Cerge Remonde, Education Secretary Florencio Abad, Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla, and Communications Director Silvestre Afable.

Some of the "Doves" hinted that they would quit if GMA continued to be silent on the Gloriagate tape. With GMA's apology, one of the "Doves" said they are committed to support her.

The source said Arroyo is obviously affected by the controversy. "She's very sad. She can't sleep." At this point, the source said, Arroyo has not yet confronted the idea that she could fall.

Despite official assurance that the whole cabinet is behind her, another source said, Arroyo is conducting a loyalty check. Ermita, reportedly is under suspicion, being identified with former President Ramos, whose other men like former Budget Secretary Salvador Enriquez and former adviser on peace process, Fortunato Abat, are calling for Arroyo's resignation.

With Alcantara's appointment, a source said, "Pay close attention to Ermita's actions."

Email address: ellen@i-manila.com.ph

C4T Statement

Posted by Alecks Pabico 
PCIJ

THE Citizens' Assembly for Truth issued this statement on June 30, 2005. The assembly was convened by the 'civil society' alliance Citizens for Truth (C4T), the Bishop-Businessmen's Conference for Human Development (BBC-HD), Association of Major Religious Superiors of the Philippines (AMRSP), Pagbabago@Pilipinas, and other organizations which signed the June 17 'civil society' statement.

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has finally admitted to being the voice on the so-called Garci Tapes. These tapes have engendered so much frustration and uncertainty among the people in as much they have become political capital of an opposition bereft of credibility and whose motives are therefore suspect. The admission came only after increasingly strident calls for disclosure, even from some of her closest supporters. While most of us commend her for apologizing for her "lapse of judgment", belated though it may be, it leaves so much more questions unanswered. Foremost among these questions are: Did the President engage in electoral fraud in 2004? If there was fraud, who else were involved? What do these say about the moral authority of the President to continue to govern and about the competence and integrity of the COMELEC and our electoral system? Where did the tapes come from?

We believe that such questions can only be addressed by an independent fact-finding body tasked with ferreting the truth. This can only succeed if such were made up of persons of known probity and capability. We strongly urge the President to bring about the creation of the independent fact-finding commission by July 25, 2005. At the same time, we from civil society and business shall initiate and sustain our own efforts to seek the truth and safeguard the proceedings of the fact finding commission, as well as to involve the broad citizenry in its process. The investigation of the commission should be public and transparent. The country needs to move forward but only if we can close this sordid affair satisfied that the ends of justice have been met. Let the chips fall where they may. No one, least of all, a president, is above the law. In all these, we stand for the rule of law and for the constitutional processes to be followed.

Sorry is not enough. While the president's admission may give some people cause to forgive, it should be said that she has to give us reason to hope — hope that our political institutions can be reformed to perform their mandated task. Long-promised radical social justice reforms should now be implemented so as to inspire hope among our people.

 In particular, the COMELEC should be immediately revamped and key electoral reforms put in place. We urge COMELEC Chairman Benjamin Abalos and all COMELEC Commissioners to step down. Credible appointments should then be made through a transparent and accountable search process.

Bishops' Dare

Posted by Avigail Olarte
PCIJ

IN a press conference yesterday, Bishops Julio Xavier Labayen, Antonio Tobias, and Deogracias Iñiguez called for the resignation of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. Together with the Kilusang Makabansang  Ekonomiya and  five other NGOs, they offered a framework that will serve as a guide until a "new and truly representative" government is in place.

Here is the full text of their statement:

The GMA government has lost moral and legal authority to lead…It is time to go!

This government has turned itself away from the people. It has lost moral and legal authority. It has cheated its way to power and violated the most basic of people's rights.  It must step down to avert the imminent bloody confrontation growing out of the people's sufferings caused and exacerbated by years of destructive policies and government exactions.

This government, like previous government, continuously adheres to a colonial economic-political model that has reduced our country to a laggard in Asia, whose natural resource base has been mostly devastated and has beggared most of our people. The growing hunger, widespread joblessness, degradation of most of our natural resource base due to plunder and extraction has put the country on a nonsustainable course that will threaten the very survival of the people. Exporting human resources for indentured servitude for the dollar has become the only program the government is left with. This government must thus step down to pave the way for meaningful change.

We dare to come forward, to mediate in the spreading unrest, in the interest of the nation and people, to avoid unnecessary and senseless bloodshed and anarchy. We call on the people to unite and struggle to put an end to this yoke that by the day is getting heavier on our backs.

Let us do away with this immoral governance at the soonest possible time and work for the establishment of new governance that would lead with the consent of the governed.

We are putting forward the succeeding policy framework to unite the people and for all of us to work for in the present decisive period until the installation of the new, transparent, effective, and truly representative of the government. With the people, we would seek the new government's commitment to this framework as we all keep watch that it acts on the following:

1. That the present armed and police forces and all security and defense elements to strictly adhere to civilian supremacy and the interest of the people and national integrity and that their actions be guided by the universal ideas of freedom and democracy. That they would actively work against any plans and actions that would violate these principles and defy and desist from all orders and actions that would inflict harm on the people.

We intend that the new government, new armed and police forces and the courts of law—that is, the state, shall guarantee and protect the people's rights of suffrage and all democratic and civil rights and observe all conventions on basic human rights. That by guaranteeing so, the people's inherent energies, long repressed by tyranny and manipulations of vested interest, shall be unleashed for nation building and progress.

2. The new government should stop debt payments and repudiate all onerous and unjust debts and lower interest payments on legitimate debts. This shall free the people from the burden of debt-payment and would cause the immediate repeal of the debt-payment related E-Vat Law and the government shall be free to redirect revenues generated from this for national development the generated upliftment of the people. Correspondingly all destructive economic policies and impositions consistent with the debilitating liberalization, deregulation and privatization policies should be repealed or reversed.

Among others, the policies that need most urgent action are:

• Oil industry regulation to ensure prices conform to actual cost of production and refining and that the government should re-nationalize Petron to mitigate high prices due to the speculative character of the world oil industry, which is distorting the actual transaction cost of oil.  Other foreign oil companies operating in the Philippines must be required to be transparent with the actual transaction cost of their importations.

• Electric and water utilities should be nationalized because deregulation and sham privatization has allowed private ownership of these, using as capital the sovereign guarantees of the republic.

• The December 2004 Supreme Court ruling that allows 100% foreign participation in the mining industry and implies that the Mining Act of 1995 is constitutional must be reversed.  Thus reversed, the mining industry should revert back to Philippine control.

From this the government and the people can proceed along the principles of economic sovereignty. The new government shall pursue a long-term economic program that has, at its core, nationalist industrialization concentrating an capital goods industry and the development of a strong domestic market base through increased agricultural production and genuine agrarian reform.  Such program shall ensure jobs and livelihood opportunities for all people to enjoy the fruits of their labor and contribute to nation building.

3.  That the new government shall immediately move to arrest the growing hunger among the people towards its eradication while achieving genuine food security for the nation.

Data show that poverty and hunger incidence is more serious and prevalent in the countryside where most of the people make their living.  It is the greatest irony that where food is produced the people are hungry.  The problem of growing hunger lies on social and economic inequality.  Political will and decisive action are central in solving this problem.

The new government, upon assumption, should scrap the expanded VAT law thereby effecting automatic reduction on prices of rice and other food items and products of vital necessity to production such as fuel and electricity.  Furthermore, lowering interest rates and directing credit to the farming sector would lower cost of inputs and would dismantle the stranglehold of usurer-traders thereby increasing the income and productivity, especially of farmer-owners.  They would have therefore the means to increase the share accorded to farm laborers.

For all farmers, especially the small ones and those with least opportunity for production expenses, to be accorded government support and subsidy in the form of reduced prices of farm inputs, low-cost post-harvest facilities, lower transportation cost, and support that would allow them to regain production cost and to gain income.

All food manufacturers and processors who rely on locally grown food crops, livestock and aquatic resources should receive government support in the form of low-interest credit, reduced taxes and support in the importation of necessary materials for production in order for them to be able to increase wages of workers and encourage increased production.

All uncultivated and under-cultivated lands must be used for food crop production.  Poor people who opt to farm these must receive support from government.  Owners who volunteer their lands for this purpose shall be rewarded commensurately in the form of investment opportunities that would create jobs for the unemployed.

All rice importations must be reviewed against the real and concrete inventory of rice stocks in the country. The government shall exercise authority to prevent hoarding and rice manipulation. All unnecessary rice and other food imports should be cancelled.

That the new government, in due time, would act on a genuine agrarian reform program that is premised on social justice and genuine food security, equitable distribution of lands and land-use policy and increased production and income for the greatest majority of the people. And for all landowners whose lands become subject of reform be justly compensated and be encouraged to contribute to national construction and progress.

The richness of our territorial waters is a vast natural food base. It shall be reserved principally for the Filipino people. The government should take lead in the development of national fishing and maritime industry. Accordingly contracts and agreements concluded by present and past governments with other countries with regards our territorial waters should be reviewed. Those that have been detrimental such as the RP-Japan Treaty of Amity, Commerce and Navigation and the RP-Taiwan Sea Lane Passage Agreement should be terminated.

4. In the interest of national and territorial integrity and in pursuit of genuine national sovereignty all bilateral and multi-lateral agreements and contracts entered into by the GMA government and all past governments, especially those that have been detrimental to the nation, and laws bequeathed by direct US colonial rule should be abrogated and scrapped.

The new government should pursue independent foreign policy. In behalf of the nation's independence and sovereignty, the new government should pursue relations with all countries already having diplomatic and trade relations with the Philippines. Country to country relations should be pursued along the principles of independence and mutuality.

We enjoin the people to unite and pursue along this above-mentioned policy framework as we do away with the immoral GMA government. As we move on for the establishment of new governance, this framework having been enriched and tested in struggle shall serve as our guide.

Mabuhay ang Sambayanang Pilipino!

Palayain and bansa at sambayanan sa hirap, gutom at pang-aaping local at dayuhan!

God bless the Philippines!

Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME)

Electoral Fraud

Posted by Vinia Datinguinoo
PCIJ

THE Congressional canvass that declared Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to have won the presidency in 2004 showed her to have beaten Fernando Poe Jr. by 1,123,576 votes. A study published in Kasarinlan, a journal of UP's Third World Studies Center, says this could not be so. The paper, written by new media pioneer Roberto Verzola, asserts that Arroyo did not win the May elections by 1.1 million votes. It was a very close contest, Verzola says, with "the most probable results" ranging from a GMA win of around 156,000 votes or less, to an FPJ win of around 84,000 votes or less.

Verzola analyzed both the Namfrel tally—that used election returns (ERs)—and the parallel official count by Congress of provincial Certificates of Canvass (COCs). He dissected not only the numbers but how the tally itself progressed.

Verzola first made his findings public just over a month after the elections, in a shorter piece published June 20 last year in the Inquirer.

View Verzola's full report here.

 

Posted by Yvonne Chua
PCIJ

FIFTY-NINE percent of the respondents of a Social Weather Stations' telephone survey in Metro Manila believe President Arroyo told then Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano to cheat in the May 10, 2004 elections and that she was not just trying "to protect her votes."

The June 28-30 survey, which the SWS said was "conducted on its own initiative as a public service" after Arroyo's June 27 admission that she had called a Comelec official, showed that only 29 percent believe she called to protect her votes.

Other highlights of the survey:

• 68 percent heard Arroyo's June 27 address over TV or radio, or read it in newspapers.
• 94 percent were aware of the Garci tapes.
• 32 percent had listened to the tapes, and 40 percent had either listened to or at least read a transcript of the tapes.
• 84 percent support the full airing of the tapes to the public.
• Only 20 percent agreed with Arroyo's statement that the chapter on the Garci tapes should be closed; 77 percent wanted some things done, including an investigation (26 percent) and Arroyo's resignation (18 percent).
• 48 percent said Vice President Noli de Castro was capable of running the government in case Arroyo resigned or were removed.
• Arroyo has a -31 net trust rating and the Comelec, -27.

PCIJ's Gloria Ringtones

OUR blog readers have been sending us their own versions of the "Hello Garci" ringtone which started circulating online days after tapes of the supposed conversations between Comelec Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo surfaced in the media. Here are a few in MP3 and wav formats:

• Ringtone 1 (Buking)
• Ringtone 2 (Model/Joke)
• Ringtone 3 (Carry that Weight)
• Ringtone 4 (Huling-huli Ka)
• Ringtone 5 (Wag Mong Sasabihin)
• Ringtone 6 (Do You Want to Know a Secret?)
• Ringtone 7 (Get Back)

Susan Roces' Message

Excerpts of Susan Roces's press conference at Club Filipino, noon of June 29, 2005

…Nalungkot po ako noon sapagkat kailan po natin malalaman ang katotohanan? Lumipas po ang panahon, nanahimik ako, katulad ng sabi ng mga nakakaalam sa batas, it was legal but not moral. Life must go on. Sinikap ko na gawin ang pang-araw-araw na dapat kong gawin tulad ng isang mabuting mamamayan. Sinunod ko lahat ang mga batas. Sinunod ko kahit laban sa loob ko, kahit nakikita ko na na in spite of our state, our economic state, our financial crisis, personal and business crises, pinilit tayo whether we like it or not na dagdagan ang ating VAT. Ganun pa man, ang sabi ko, kung lahat kayo ay nakakatiis, bakit hindi siya bigyan ng pagkakataon? Ngunit ano ang isinukli niya? Arogante siya. Arogante! Hindi niya isinaalang-alang ang damdamin ng nakararami. Manhid.

June 6. Tulad ninyong lahat nagulat na lamang ako. Doon pa man din sa Malacañang inilabas ang dalawang discs. Hindi ko hinanap yun. Hindi oposisyon ang nakahanap nun. Kung hindi marahil ay naibigay sa akin nung kasalukuysang ipinaglalaban ko ang protesta ni FPJ. Dininig ng langit ang aking mga dalangin, kasama ng lahat ng sumusuporta kay FPJ. Ang langit ang humusga na may karapatan tayong malaman ang katotohanan.

Para sa ating mga Pilipino, mahalaga ang karapatan nating piliin ang ibig nating mamuno sa atin. Sagrado ang ating mga boto. Sapagkat yan ay karapatang ipinamana sa atin ng ating mga ninuno. Pinagbuwisan nila ng buhay, pinakipaglaban nila ang ating mga karapatan at nanindigan sila para makamit natin ang ating kalayaan. Tuwing araw lamang ng halalan na tunay na lahat tayo ay pantay-pantay, mayaman man o mahirap, tigitig-isa lamang tayo ng boto kaya yun ay sagrado. Nakalulungkot at nakagagalit ang kasalukuyang pangyayari. Noon ang sumusupil sa ating karapatan at nanglalamang sa atin ay ang mga dayuhan na sumakop sa ating bayan. Ngunit sa kasalukuyan, ang nanlalamang at kumikitil sa ating mga karapatan ay sarili nating kalahi at kadugo.

Nagpahayag si Mrs Arroyo noong lunes ng gabi. Labis akong nalungkot sa aking nakita at narinig. Napaisip ako, nadagdagan ang mga katanungan sa aking diwa. Sorry daw at kinausap niya ang isang comelec commissioner. Kasalukuyan pang nagbibilangan noon. Alam niya yun. Alam niyang bawal yun. Alam ng lahat ng kandidato na bawal yun. Pero ginawa niya. Nilabag niya ang batas. At yon ay inilihim niya. At kung hindi pa lumabas ang tape, kailanman ay hindi natin malalaman. Kaytagal din niyang nanahimik,. Kaytagal din niyang pinag-isipan, aaminin ba niya o hindi, na boses niya o hindi ang boses ng babaeng nasa tape? Bakit? Bakit napakatagal niyang naghintay? Dahil may higit siyang mabigat na pagkakasala na ibig niyang ilihim at ibig pa tayong muling isahan. Yon ang pinag-uusapan nila at ayaw, at bawal ito na ating marinig, ang pandaraya. Mrs Arroyo …

…Kitang-kita ko sa iyong mga mata, na ibig mo na naman kaming isahan. Pinaiikot mo na naman muli ang batas para sa iyong personal na interes, para ilihim ang katotohanan. May kasabihan tayong mga Pilipino: Ang sinungaling ay kapatid ng magnanakaw. Hindi ko matatanggap ang iyong sorry. Sinira mo ang pagtitiwala ng mga kababayan mo sa 'yo. Wala kang karapatan na mamuno. Remember, Mrs Arroyo, before foreigners, before foreign investors can trust you, you must first have the trust of your countrymen. Which unfortunately you have lost. You have embarrassed the Filipinos enough. There is nothing we can find that we can be proud of that you have done for us from the day 1 to the present. You are full of empty

promises. Obviously you have no love for your country. The gravest thing that you have done is you have stolen the presidency. Not once, but twice!

Open Forum (Excerpts)

Q: Whether President Arroyo should resign

A: That's the most honorable thing you can do.

Q: If she will lead the campaign to force Mrs. Arroyo to resign

A: …Ayokong haluan ito ng pulitika. Ayokong haluan ito ng partisan politics.

Q: On the need for retribution after President Arroyo's June 27 admission.

A: We have to consult people in the legal field. Other than that it is our countrymen who can decide.

Q: Who she will endorse if Arroyo resigns

A. I am just, like you, an ordinary citizen. Again I will say, it's for the majority to decide.

Q: On First Gentleman Mike Arroyo's offer to leave the country

A: Well, on that, that's a personal decision of the couple. As for me, in my marriage, I don't agree to it.

Q: When she will lead a big anti-Arroyo rally

A: Wag nyo pong lalagyan ng hindi tamang pananalita ang aking bibig. Alalahanin po ninyo, iisa lang ako. Ordinaryong mamamayan katulad ninyo. Wala akong maipagmamalaki na pwersa. Ngunit kung may mangunguna, at depende kung kailan, handa ako.

Q: Whether Mike Arroyo's flight is tantamount to guilt

A: I don't meddle with the problems of the couple.

Q: Whether she is calling for Arroyo's immediate resignation

A: Yes. She has done enough damage to our country, she has put our country and our countrymen to shame.

Q: On Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye's statement that Arroyo has no intention to resign

A: Iparinig nyo yan sa nakararami. Tingnan natin kung anong sagot nila.

Q: Whether Vice President Noli de Castro should succeed Arroyo if she resigns

A: Sa mga nakikita ko, na kahit na mali ay kinakampihan? Ano ang maisasagot mo?

Q: What her role will be if and when Arroyo steps down

A: Kagaya ng role ko ngayon. Isang simpleng mamamayan, kasama nyo.

Q: Whether she is open to a military junta to take over from Arroyo

A: Hindi ako ang makapagsasabi niyan. Hindi ko ginusto na magkaganito ang ating sitwasyon. Wag nilang isipin sa mga taong katulad ko na ibig lamang ipahayag ang tunay niyang niloloob at ang kanyang damdamin….

Q: What scenario she expects to follow

A: Ang mga bagay-bagay na ganyan ay hindi ipinagsasapalaran. Yan ay pinag-aaralan. Sa ngayon, marami ng pag-aaral, ibat ibang grup na ang nag-aaral kung naong makabubuti sa ating bayan.

Q: What advice she would give to Arroyo

A: I don't give unsolicited advice

Q: Whether snap elections should be held

A: Hindi. Dahil sa dumi ng nakaraang halalan, sino ang mamamahala ng snap election?

Q: On a post-Arroyo government

A: Again I'm sorry. There are plans, different plans. But I cannot reveal as of now.

Q: What she would do if the majority wants her to lead

A: Depende sa mga pagkakataon at mga pangyayari…Malalaman nyo na lang. Ang importante ay magkakasama ang lahat ng taong bayan.

Q: If People Power is part of the anti-Arroyo plans

A: Hindi ko alam.

Q: Whether she would call on people to go to the streets

A: Ikaw ang nagsabi niyan, hindi ako. (Crowd cheers). Umpisahan ninyo, tatapusin ko.

Q: When she first heard the recorded conversations of Arroyo and Elections Commission Virgilio Garcillano

A: Katulad ng sinabi ko kanina, sabag-sabay nating narinig mula sa malacanang.

Q: Where the country is headed

A: Yun din ang matagal ko nang itinatanong, saan ba tayo patungo?…I'm wondering each day.

Q: On Arroyo's statement that her husband is sacrificing by leaving the country

A: Hindi ko alam ang kasaysayan ng kanilang pagmamahalan.

Q: Her message to FPJ loyalists

A: Ayaw ko silang tawagin na loyalista ni FPJ. Sila ang ipinaglaban at sila ang naging dahilan na si fpj ay lumaban sa nakaraang halalan. Para sa inyo po, tuloy po ang laban.

Q: Whether she is ready to lead a civil disobedience campaign

A: Makakarating po tayo dyan, depende kung gaano katigas ang ulo ng ating pangulo.

Q: Whether she is ready to meet with Garcillano

A: Alam mo ba kung nasaan siya?

Q: What options there are after EDSA 1 and 2

A: Nasa taongbayan ang pagpapasiya. Naranasan na nila ang EDSA 1, 2, 3. May nabago ba? Kailangan suriin natin sa ating mga isip kung nao ba ang gusto nating klaseng pamumuno.

Gloria Arroyo's Makati Speech

PGMA's Speech during the Economist Round Table Meeting "Business meets Government Roundtable One Year Counting" sponsored by the Philippine Business Leader's Forum

Manila Polo Club, McKinley Road, Forbes Park, Makati City

(29 June 2005)

Members of the diplomatic corps, officials of the Asian Development Bank, Congressman Salceda, my economic team, leaders and members of the Philippine and foreign business community, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for joining me today. As the business leaders of our nation, you are my most important partners. I recognize that your support for government is based on a shared vision of bringing this country forward, growing and making ourselves competitive on the global stage. For this reason, we regularly need to take a frank assessment of where we are and where we are going. From day one of my presidency, I have responded and tackled head-on our fiscal and structural challenges. Now for the first time in a long time, we have the necessary legislation -- thank you, Joey and your colleagues -- we have the necessary legislation to raise revenues, balance the budget and ensure better tax collection through better accountability. I'm proud to say that April tax collections were the highest ever -- thank you, Cesar. Preliminary collections in May are 18 percent higher than the same month last year, and exports are up -- thank you, Johnny. Most importantly, my administration is clawing back the deficit as I had promised. This is the most significant economic achievement for the past few months. Even Fitch Credit Ratings Agency said that by 2006 the Philippines should have the lowest overall deficit in many, many years. But we don't take these developments for granted, we know we must work hard everyday to keep this positive momentum and to drive our economic agenda. The fact that we are making this progress in spite of the noise of Philippine politics is clear evidence that our macroeconomic fundamentals are sound and our foundation for our recovery is solid. It's clear that Phase One of my economic reform agenda was tough. Nobody likes to raise taxes but together with the legislators and the business community, we rose to the challenge of putting the Philippines on the path to economic stability and growth. The next phase of that economic reform agenda must ensure that our new revenues are used not only for continued deficit reduction but also for investments in much-needed infrastructure, social services and job creation. At the same time, we're taking corruption head-on because we cannot build a better Philippines and generate additional revenues if we ignore this disease that affects our nation. We continue to file high-profile tax, corruption and smuggling cases. This is an unprecedented approach to enforcing the rule of law and improving governance

both outside and within the ranks of government. It's our way of saying that we're serious in giving rise to a level playing field for everyone operating in this country. Let there be no mistake. I'm committed to a day when we can truly be proud to be one nation. That's why the divisions within our country must end. I want a nation that raises up the unfortunate without dragging down the fortunate. I aim to do this by breaking the status quo with investments, the rule of law and fiscal responsibility. This commitment goes beyond words, beyond convenience, beyond personal interests. Over the past few weeks, I've also listened to advice from friends throughout the nation, but particularly from the business community. I know that there's concern that the good work we've been carrying out has been overshadowed by the political noise, including the political noise, rumor and innuendo associated with members of my family. This has been a subject of considerable pain for me and for the members of my family who've been subjected to these charges. To say that this goes with the territory in politics is easy, but it doesn't stop people from being distracted from the real work required if we are to build a better nation. In a recent time magazine interview, I quoted my father who used to advise me: "when you're a public servant, the priority is God first, then country, and family is last." this is something that has guided me throughout my life in public service. My responsibility to the people is my highest priority. My family knows that they must be self-effacing because the presidency is a position of greatest responsibility necessitating personal sacrifice, and not a fount of privilege or special favors. That's why my first administrative order, as with my father's term as president, was to prohibit government agencies from dealing with my family on matters of appointments, contracts and supplies. This was as much to do away with the palakasan system, and to encourage transparency and accountability in government. I want to remind government officials of this administrative order. The members of my family have supported me throughout my career in government, sometimes sacrificing their own advancement just to ensure that I carry out my duties to serve our countrymen without any question on my integrity. When I was executive director of GTEB, my husband stopped his law practice so that there would be no temptation to take in clients who might want to buy influence to get garments quotas. When I became president, my daughter Luli who have topped the foreign service exams on the eve of my sudden assumption readily accepted my decision not to appoint her to the service. Today, my family is once again called to sacrifice our personal happiness to allow me to serve best as President of our country. My husband has volunteered to go abroad. He and even his contributions to health care and sports development have been the object of pillory especially by my political enemies who've been trying to distract me from fulfilling my reform agenda as President. And so he will leave to remove these distractions and doubts from our people's minds. As with Caesar's wife, my husband has volunteered to remove himself from any situation which will cast doubt on my presidency. For my children and my granddaughters, missing their doting father and grandfather is their small contribution to rebuilding our society. As a wife, I'm grateful to my husband for his sacrifice. My family will miss him terribly, and I ask you to help pray

that we remain strong as a family. I mention this here today because I want to signal to everyone that nothing can stop my administration from implementing Phase Two of our reform agenda. The future of our country rests on our working together to meet these objectives. As I begin the second phase of my reform, we are faced with a looming oil crisis; that is, if the surge in the prices of crude oil in the world market remains unabated. As it is, at above 60 dollars per barrel, I'm aware of the heavy burden borne by everyone in this country, including the business community. I'm asking Secretary Santos to convene a tripartite national conference to address the oil shock. In Phase Two, an enormous reform task stands before us. For instance, we should rationalize fiscal incentives and support a vibrant, well-governed banking system, ensure shareholder protection and generate savings for continued deficit reduction. We also see the need to strengthen our financial system, to strengthen the Philippines as a place for business. And I know the key to this is choosing the right independent team in the Central Bank, and I'm proud of my choice of Central Bank incoming Governor Tetangco. Finally, we need to promote investments in agri-business infrastructure, in energy conservation and independence, in the opening up of the mining sector and in the promotion of the Philippines as a global center for outsourcing. And as I've mentioned, with more revenue from Phase One, we can invest in vital social services for the poorest of our citizens. In closing, I would ask that you work with us as we seek to reform our economy so that we can achieve true independence as a nation. Our country remains rich with natural resources. More importantly, it's blessed with intelligent, sensitive and caring individuals. Let's continue to harness these natural endowments so that we can reach greater heights, heights we have never experienced before. Thank you.

Mike's "Amigo"

Posted by Luz Rimban 
PCIJ

 

AGRICULTURE Secretary Arthur Yap today announced that he was leaving government so that he could clear his name in the P4-million tax evasion case filed against him by the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Yap said in a news conference today that the tax case would make him more a liability than an asset to President Gloria Arroyo, at a time when she was facing a crisis of her own.

"Last night, I had a heart-to-heart talk with the President and I explained that under the current circumstances, I will be ineffective as a secretary….This is a personal decision between the President and myself, " Yap said.

Could there be more to Yap's resignation than just the tax evasion charges?

Yap happens to be very close to Gloria and Mike Arroyo. He was her student in economics at the Ateneo, and is said to be one of Mike's close friends. Yap is reportedly part of the First Gentleman's circle of amigos that include:

• former DA Undersecretary and now Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) director Jocelyn Bolante
• Pagcor chair Ephraim Genuino
• former NAIA General Manager and now Laguna Lake Development Authority Administrator (LLDA) Edgar Manda