November 2009

GMA is reaping the Ampatuans that she nurtured

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Opinion

AS I WRECK THIS CHAIR
by William M. Esposo
from The Philippine Star 

Call it the Law of Karma or a lesson from the Bible on Divine justice. Madame Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA) is now reaping the fruits for nurturing those Ampatuan seeds in Maguindanao for her own selfish political interests. These Ampatuan seeds include Maguindanao Governor Andal Ampatuan Sr. and his son, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr.

The November 23 Maguindanao massacre, allegedly perpetrated by Andal Ampatuan, Jr., transformed Filipino pride from the triumphs of Manny Pacquiao and Efren Penaflorida into Filipino shame over the barbarity of political intolerance in our country. Philippine local politics have been traditionally dirty and bloody (other than corrupt) but the scale and meanness with which the Maguindanao massacre was done shook the sense of decency not just of Filipinos but of other nationals as well.

No less than United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon expressed the international outrage. Not just political rivals but also women and journalists were brutally murdered. The body count has reached 57 victims and there is no ruling out that there could be more. The worst incidence of political violence in our country – it was clearly premeditated, ruthless, indiscriminate, brazen and fiendish.

It was such an unimaginable crime that one would only expect from a mean, ruthless, bloodthirsty and despotic monarch in some anachronistic kingdom far, far away. But a far, far away kingdom is not where the Maguindanao massacre happened. It happened in a country that is touted to be a democracy which boasts of having staged the inspiring 1986 People Power Revolution.

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) had labeled the Philippines as now the most dangerous country for journalists – effectively overtaking war-torn Iraq. Considering the world fraternity of journalists, this atrocity is not going to be off the press for a long time until a perceived just conclusion has been reached.

Prior to the Maguindanao massacre, GMA appeared to be focused on preparing to exit with a semblance of respectability. She had relinquished the leadership of the Lakas Kampi CMD Party of the administration to her anointed 2010 presidential candidate – Gilbert Teodoro. Her current TV advertising reminds us of the achievements of her administration. Now, all these have been rendered puny and irrelevant to the respectability and recognition she seeks in the light of what the Maguindanao massacre injected into the equation.

GMA cannot escape accountability for what the Ampatuans became in Maguindanao. In fact, the Maguindanao massacre has been juxtaposed with the climate of impunity which characterizes the GMA regime. Every political watcher knows that it is in Ampatuan country where the 2004 and 2007 elections had the worst cheating – where GMA’s political rivals got statistically improbable zero votes in many places.

In his November 26 Camp Crame presscon, Local Government Secretary Ronnie Puno announced that they had already relieved all Ampatuan country police officers and disarmed all militia men too. This came after witnesses testified that the massacre was conducted with the active participation of PNP officers and militia men.

This is a confirmation of the immense control the Ampatuans had over their fiefdom – something which GMA cannot justify. It is because of this power why these warlords can act with such shameless impunity. Sans any semblance of checks and balance to make them think twice, it is easy to see how these warlords manipulate elections and how GMA’s political rivals subsequently register improbable zero votes.

Puno tried to downplay the issue of the slow moving wheels of justice in making the alleged mastermind or masterminds account for the accusations against them. Puno said that, all the time, the authorities were silently, carefully making their moves. It looked more like they were negotiating.

The massacre happened on November 23 and the young Ampatuan was only turned over to Mindanao Adviser Jess Dureza on November 26. In contrast, Ted Failon was arrested right after police saw the body of his late wife – without anyone accusing Failon of murder. Of course, Andal Ampatuan Jr. was an important GMA ally while Failon was a big thorn to the GMA regime.

GMA is now haunted by the “Frankenstein Monster” of her own making. The Ampatuans can threaten her with exposure of the gory details of the 2004 and the 2007 election cheating. If that is not bad enough for her, the Mangudadatus – the offended and aggrieved party – were once in partnership with the Ampatuans and they would also know where the “bodies” of the 2004 and 2007 election cheatings were buried.

Either way, GMA is running the risk of being exposed for those hitherto unproved cases of massive election cheatings in 2004 and 2007. Filipinos and the rest of the world will not accept a whitewash – no way. But if the Ampatuans or the Mangudadatus feel shortchanged by GMA, either of them could sing terribly embarrassing and incriminating songs.

In the 1986 Snap Presidential Election campaign, it was as if some powerful force was determining and guiding events in our country. Cory Aquino, the political neophyte, could do nothing wrong. On the other hand, Dictator Ferdinand Marcos, the wily political veteran, could not do anything right.

How does one deal with Divine and Karmic forces? How does one escape from an unfolding moment of hubris?

Chair Wrecker email and website: macesposo@yahoo.com and www.chairwrecker.com

Arroyo-Ampatuan Unholy Alliance

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Opinion, PerryScope

PerryScope
by Perry Diaz

The gruesome and barbaric massacre of at least 57 unarmed civilians, including 27 journalists, shocked the world and left people wondering if what happened was an ominous sign of things to come. The bloody carnage in Maguindanao could spark violence that could engulf the entire island of Mindanao into the bloodiest political and clan warfare never before seen in the history of the country. The whole situation could only be described as “extremely volatile” which could cause a total breakdown of law and order and throw the region into chaos and anarchy. Indeed, November 23, 2009, will long remain as a day of ignominy in the annals of Philippine politics.

The following day, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo declared a state of emergency in the provinces of Maguindanao and Sultan Kudarat. Arroyo’s presidential assistant for Mindanao Jesus Dureza told the media that the scope of the state of emergency “will allow the government and military the authority to prevent lawlessness and further political violence.” However, he said that it did not include suspension of the “bill of rights” or writ of habeas corpus.

A few hours after the imposition of a state of emergency, Dureza went to the Ampatuan residence in Shariff Aguak to meet and confer with the Ampatuans. It was attended by the clan’s patriarch, Maguindanao Gov. Andal Ampatuan Sr., and his two sons, ARRM Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan and Datu Unsay town mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr. who was accused of leading the 100 armed men who slaughtered the 57 victims.

Criticized for his unusual visit with the Ampatuans, Dureza defensively said that he merely told the Ampatuans about the creation of the Crisis Management Committee and about the investigation. He also said that there was no discussion about the accusation against Andal Jr. But shouldn’t he instead have invited them to meet with him at the police station as normally would have been the case?

What Dureza did was akin to US President Obama sending his assistant to meet and confer with Mafia dons, after they have slaughtered their enemies, to inform them that the government was investigating them for their involvement in the massacre. Why the unusual “special treatment” accorded the Ampatuans?

Two days later, Andal Jr. surrendered to Dureza. He was flown to General Santos City where he was met by no less than Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera. The meeting had the aura of a visiting dignitary with Devanadera shaking Andal Jr’s hand. He was then escorted by Dureza’s men without handcuffs. Criticized for not doing a “standard operating procedure” in handcuffing an arrested suspect of a crime, Dureza explained that the keys of the two handcuffs his men had were lost. If he thinks that anybody would believe that, he’s wrong. But that just shows that “lying” seems to be the government’s “standard operating procedure.”

The following day, two disturbing news articles were reported. The first article, “Palace says Arroyo won’t cut ties with Ampatuans,” was reported by Christian V. Esguerra and TJ Burgonia from the Philippine Daily. The report says: “President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is maintaining her ties with the powerful Ampatuans despite their expulsion from the ruling party and the filing of multiple murder charges against one of them in connection with the Nov. 23 massacre of at least 57 people in Maguindanao province.”

Arroyo’s spokesperson, Lorelei Fajardo, further said, “I don’t think the President’s friendship with the Ampatuans will be severed. Just because they’re in this situation doesn’t mean we will turn our backs on them.” Fajardo went as far to cast doubts that the Ampatuans were involved in the massacre when she told the media that “it doesn’t mean that they are no longer our friends, if ever they indeed committed the crime.”

When reminded by reporters of “how the Ampatuans helped ensure Ms Arroyo’s disputed victory over opposition standard-bearer Fernando Poe Jr. in 2004, and how they delivered an astonishing 12-0 sweep in Maguindanao for the administration’s senatorial ticket in 2007,” Fajardo said that Arroyo’s role as President should be viewed as “separate” from her function as a political ally of the clan. In my opinion, the presidency is a political job and the president’s actions are always influenced by political considerations. They are intertwined like a Gordian Knot.

The second article, “Ampatuans won’t cut ties with Arroyo,” was reported by ABS-CBN. The report says: “In an interview with ABS-CBN, Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Zaldy Ampatuan said he was very hurt by the arrest of his brother, Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan Jr., for allegedly masterminding the massacre last Monday.”

Ampatuan said that he also was offended by the statements of Lakas-Kampi CMD standard bearer Gilbert Teodoro and the decision of the Lakas-Kampi leadership to expel the Ampatuans from the party. “They didn’t even consult us. They just expelled us from the party without asking any questions,” he said.

And in a naked display of power — and arrogance — he said that “despite the expulsion, his family remains a staunch supporter of the Arroyo administration” and that he is set to “meet with President Arroyo to discuss problems faced by several Lakas-Kampi candidates in Sulu.”

Evidently, notwithstanding the magnitude of the horrendous massacre of which members of the Ampatuan clan were suspected of having perpetrated, President Arroyo didn’t distance herself from the Ampatuans. Instead, she further reinforced their strong friendship and alliance. The gory spectacle of 57 brutally slaughtered civilians — many of whom were raped, beheaded, and mutilated — would have caused Arroyo to flinch and immediately sever her personal and political relationships with the Ampatuans. That would have been the right thing to do for a president of a country. Instead, she sent a subtle but clear signal that her alliance with the Ampatuans remains strong… and perhaps, stronger.

But why didn’t she divorce herself from her alliance — or is it “unholy alliance”? — from the powerful Ampatuan clan? Is she scared that if she abandoned them, they would retaliate by unraveling the “secrets” of how they helped her win in Maguindanao in 2004 and deliver a 12-0 sweep of her senatorial candidates in 2007? That would certainly open a can of worms and could cause a political storm that would destroy her politically and further tarnish her checkered image beyond redemption.

And since she is running for a congressional seat — unopposed — representing Pampanga’s second district, Arroyo needs the Ampatuans when she vies for the Speakership of the House of Representatives next year. And if she succeeded in changing the form of government to a parliamentary system, she would be in a position to become the Prime Minister. That would truly be a Machiavellian feat.

At the end of the day, for as long as Arroyo continues to pursue her dream of reigning for years to come, she would not let her political allies down, come hell or high water.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

Puny

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Opinion

Theres The Rub
by Conrado de Quiros
from Philippine Daily Inquirer

I now believe Arroyo hired her spokespersons so she could have deniability. So she could always disown the thoughts and sentiments they ascribe to her.

Look how Lorelei Fajardo answered last week the question of whether her boss would continue to have anything to do with the Ampatuans. “I don’t think the President’s friendship with the Ampatuans will be severed. Just because they’re in this situation doesn’t mean we will turn our backs on them.” Allowing for some nuances lost or added by our reporter’s translation of her remarks from Tagalog to English, they still leave you gaping in disbelief.

Just because they’re in this situation? Well, this is not a situation where they’ve been found stealing ballot boxes from precincts. This is not a situation where—since there’s no need to steal ballot boxes anyway, they can always produce zero votes for GMA’s rivals—they’ve been found terrorizing rival clans. This is not a situation where their rivals’ supporters have been found rotting in grassy knolls, and though suspicion naturally falls on them, they cannot be pinned down to it.

This is a situation where 57 people have been brutally murdered, the teeming number of the dead exceeded only by the wanton savagery of the deed. This is a situation where men and women—and had there been children, children too, the witnesses swearing Andal Jr., not unlike Herod, expressly ordered them to kill every man, woman and child—were variously tortured and raped, the genitalia of some of the women mutilated, before they were shot. This is a situation where, like the vicious lords of crime empires who have become so by showing the world they are prepared to boldly go where no cutthroats have gone before, the Ampatuans have announced their handiwork for all to see and fear.

Just because they’ve severed heads, GMA will sever her ties with them? Good question.

Before that, Cerge Remonde was asking Andal Ampatuan Jr. to voluntarily surrender.

Why on earth would you ask the author of something that easily qualifies in the international courts as a crime against humanity to give himself up? Or indeed, as Ronaldo Puno did, to show he was a tough guy, warn the Ampatuans that if Andal did not surrender by midday last Thursday they risked a military assault?

Do you tell the Abu Sayyaf, when they’ve left their hostages dead and decapitated, to turn themselves over or risk military action? Do you tell the MILF when you believe them to have ambushed a group of soldiers to surrender themselves? No. You send your special forces to storm their lairs and to run them to the ground. If they surrender, fine, if they don’t just as fine, if not better. You do not make it a matter of choice. Paying for a crime is not a matter of volition. Paying for a crime of this magnitude is not a matter of “sige na nga, suko na nga lang ako.”

The only thing in fact that Remonde and Puno contribute by their utterances is to acknowledge what Toto Mangudadatu knows, what the witnesses and survivors know, what the dead know, what all of Maguindanao or indeed Mindanao knows, what the world knows, with absolute certainty:

The Ampatuans did it.

And then there was GMA herself, lamenting “this tragedy” and “sad legacy of our nation,” asking us to “pray today that the events of this week will not deter us from breaking the bonds of violence that plague our political system.”

This wasn’t the first time GMA did this. Caught plotting with Garci to steal the vote, she fulminated against the legacy of patronage that had been plaguing our political system, as though what she had done wasn’t the very apotheosis of patronage politics. Caught masterminding the NBN deal, she fulminated against the legacy of corruption that had been plaguing this country’s social system, as though what she had done wasn’t to push corruption to the max. And now caught coddling the Ampatuans, she fulminates against the legacy of violence that has been plaguing this country, as though what she has done is not to sow the seeds of bloodletting whose bitter harvest we are now reaping.

Sad? Tragic? I don’t know which is the more vicious, the violence the Ampatuans wreaked upon life or the violence GMA wreaks upon thought.

One is tempted to say that GMA’s own sense of impunity does not lie in a lack of appreciation for the enormity of the crime but only in the smug confidence that she will get away with it just as she has gotten away with all sorts of crimes in the past. In part that is true. She has gotten away with lying, she has gotten away with cheating, she has gotten away with stealing. Hell, she has gotten away with murder, the real, literal and physical murder of Jonas Burgos and the other political activists, many of them in the flush of youth, filled with fire, life and idealism. As has her current defense secretary, Norberto Gonzales. She figures she’ll get away with this one too.

But it’s more than that. It is simply that having spent a lifetime dodging retribution for crimes that commend themselves to the Hague, her own sense of enormity, atrocity and monstrosity has been bonsai-ed. Look at her utterances and see if there is anything in them resembling the kind of reaction the ordinary citizens feel, the instinctive recoiling from vileness so unthinkable, so mind-boggling, so past the range of human experience it has had several women friends of mine having nightmares about it. Look at her utterances and see if there is anything in them resembling the unspeakable outrage the ordinary citizens feel, the sense of violation so complete, so thorough, so annihilative of human interiority they soar to hellish heights contemplating punishments worse than death.

But the hour of reckoning is near. Those who feel impunity now will soon find themselves:

Puny.

GMA wants House seat

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Politics & Government

by Paolo Romero
from The Philippine Star

Photo is loading...

President Arroyo waves to the public in this file photo taken last Nov. 25 as she graced the Philippine Tourism Congress at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City. Willy Perez

MANILA, Philippines – Ending speculation about her political plans, President Arroyo declared yesterday that she is running for Congress representing the second district of Pampanga next year.

Speaking over government-run Radyo ng Bayan, Mrs. Arroyo said she realized after “much contemplation” that “I am not ready to step down completely from public service.”

“As you know, the people of my home district in Pampanga want me to remain in public life,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English. “So after much soul-searching, I have decided to respond affirmatively to their call.”

Mrs. Arroyo said she hopes to be a champion for the poor in Congress and work to uplift the economy.

“To that end, I will file my candidacy for Congress in order to serve the hardworking people of my home province,” she said.

She vowed to remain focused on her work as President until her final day in office.

Romulo Macalintal, Mrs. Arroyo’s lawyer, and Press Secretary Cerge Remonde were present during the interview.

Macalintal told reporters “some local mayors” authorized by Mrs. Arroyo will file her certificate of candidacy (COC) today.

Mrs. Arroyo is ready for any lawsuit after she files her COC …

Read the full story >> GMA wants House seat

 

Arroyo to Run for Philippine Congress

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Politics & Government

Arroyo to Run for Philippine Congress

by James Hookway
from Wall Street Journal

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo revealed plans Monday to run for the Philippines’ Congress in 2010 — a move that could shake up the country’s political landscape ahead of a national election next year.

Barred by term limits from returning to the presidency in May’s vote, Mrs. Arroyo decided to seek a seat in the country’s legislature – a decision that is reviving speculation that her influential Lakas Kampi CMD Party wants to transform the Philippines into a parliamentary democracy.

 

Philippines massacre protest

AFP/Getty ImagesJournalists and activists marched toward the presidential palace in Manila Monday to demand justice for 57 people, many of them journalists, murdered in the southern Philippines last week, allegedly by a powerful political clan with links to President Gloria Arroyo.

Mrs. Arroyo, 62 years old, has advocated constitutional change to allow for a parliamentary system for several years. She argues that such a set-up would be more responsive to the needs of voters and the economy than the current presidential-style system, which she says is prone to military coups and popular upheavals. Mrs. Arroyo herself came to power in January 2001 when her predecessor, former President Joseph Estrada, was effectively ousted from power when the armed forces turned against him following the collapse of an impeachment complaint against him in the country’s Senate.

Although there is already strong momentum for constitutional change in the country’s House of Representatives, political analysts say it could take years to redraft the Philippines’ constitution to allow a parliamentary form of government because of opposition in the Senate and strong public suspicion of the proposal.

A sociology professor at the University of the Philippines, Randy David, briefly planned to run against Mrs. Arroyo for the second district in Pampanga province, but dropped out Monday, saying that Mrs. Arroyo was aiming to be installed eventually as prime minister.

Mrs. Arroyo sidestepped the allegation Monday in an interview with local radio station DZRB Monday, saying “that situation is so hypothetical I won’t even bother to speculate about it.”

Instead, Mrs. Arroyo said she had realized she just wasn’t ready to give up political office. “As you know, people from my province of Pampanga have asked me to stay in public service, so, after much soul-searching, I have decided to respond affirmatively to their call,” she said.

Mrs. Arroyo is the first Philippine president to run for the House of Representatives, and initial indications suggest her congressional campaign could be as divisive as her presidency.

After being sworn in after Mr. Estrada’s ouster, Mrs. Arroyo survived four impeachment attempts and a number of attempted coups. In 2004 she was re-elected president amid allegations of electoral fraud — she denies any wrongdoing — only to find herself consistently rated the least popular president since late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, who was thrown from power in 1986.

Still, Mrs. Arroyo has won some admirers for her economic policies — especially for her efforts to push up tax collections in 2005 while the country teetered on the verge of fiscal crisis. Political analysts say she has also emerged as an important supporter of the U.S. in Southeast Asia.

During her presidency, U.S. soldiers traveled to the Philippines to provide surveillance for and train Filipino soldiers who were tasked with hunting down members of the al-Qaeda-backed Abu Sayyaf terrorist group. The success of the joint mission — the Abu Sayyaf group has seen its numbers dwindle from over 2,000 to just a few hundred — in turn encouraged peace talks with other Muslim separatist groups in the southern Philippines and limited the scope for other terrorist organizations such as Jemaah Islamiyah to operate in the region.

In recent days, however, Mrs. Arroyo has come under intense criticism for her government’s policies of arming local clan leaders to contain Muslim insurgents in the southern Philippines after a clan rivalry there allegedly led to the massacre of 57 people there last week. A gathering of roughly 1,000 journalists and activists marched in Manila Monday to protest the massacre, carrying placards calling for an end to media killings and demanding the arrest of all suspects in the case.

The main suspect — a local town mayor named Andal Ampatuan Jr. — has been detained in Manila and is facing potential multiple murder charges, with the investigation continuing. Mr. Ampatuan has denied responsibility for the killings.

Gloria should stop deluding herself

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Opinion

EDITORIAL
from MALAYA

‘She is shark’s food. Only she doesn’t know it yet.’

Gloria Arroyo should not tempt fate. She and her family have a good chance of getting away with the crimes they have committed against the people in the nine years she has been in power. After she steps down on June 30, she and Mike could go to some haven abroad where they could spend the rest of their lives enjoying the copious fruits of their conjugal mis-governance.

But if she and Mike decide to continue inflicting their hated presence on the nation, they may yet end up hanging from a Meralco post.

The word was out yesterday. Gloria is running for congressional seat in her home province. The game plan is apparently for her to get the speakership and use her control of the House to threaten with impeachment anybody, including her successor, who would run after her and her family.

Gloria just doesn’t get it. She is already politically dead meat. Her nominal allies have jumped ship. That’s a logical result of transactional politics. They gave her their support in exchange for the largesse at her command. They are distancing themselves now that she is a lameduck. After she exits, they would not give her the time of day when their paths cross in Congress.

Gloria, wise as she is to the ways of traditional politics, should not delude herself that her sub rosa support for her favored presidential candidate (it’s not Gilbert Teodoro; he is a red herring) would be enough for the latter to win in May. In fact, any hint of her support would doom that candidate.

As it is, with her declaration to run for the House, she drags back to center stage the single issue that her “secret” candidate would prefer to be kept in the background: what to do with Gloria and how that candidate stands on the question.

Gloria is effectively forcing the leading presidential candidates to make a public declaration on that point. Whoever he-haws on that defining issue can kiss his ambitions goodbye.

(Sociologist Randy David said he is junking plans of running after Gloria. Instead, he said, he will mount a nationwide campaign intended to deny Gloria the support of the majority in the House. That means a) targeting for defeat the remaining declared Arroyo loyalists who are running and b) exacting a promise from fence-sitters they will work to deny Gloria the speakership.)

And if just in case the new president would have been entertaining the idea of forgiving and forgetting, then he would certainly not risk eroding precious capital won in a tight multi-cornered fight to save Gloria.

Survival is the first law of politics. Gloria is expendable. She is shark’s food. Only she doesn’t know it yet.

"The Maguindanao Massacre: The Four Critical Days"

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Politics & Government

by Secretary Jesus G. Dureza
Monday, 30 November 2009 

(Note from MindaNews ed: The following is an account by Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza on his recollection of the “four critical days” following the Ampatuan Massacre – referred to by him as “Maguindanao Massacre.” Dureza was a journalist in Davao City before he became a lawyer and politician).

DAY ONE –Nov 23 (Monday)

I was monitoring closely reports about a missing convoy in Maguindanao with media friends. Later in the day, reports of mass murder of the Mangudadatus were confirmed. Allegedly by Datu Unsay Ampatuan Jr. et al. My instincts told me this could very well be a very explosive situation. . When media called, I said I would recommend proclaiming a state of emergency. At 8 p.m. SND Bert Gonzales and I met. He told me the President had directed that I act as “crisis manager.”

DAY TWO – Nov 24 (Tuesday)

Bert and I took the earliest flight to Gen Santos City. At the 601st brigade in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, briefings were held. Initial photos of the carnage were flashed on the screen. Gruesome! Next we met with the Mangudadatus, many of them my personal friends.

They were tense and angry. They wanted to retrieve the bodies immediately. They demanded justice…

Read the full story >>  “The Maguindanao Massacre: The Four Critical Days”

“The Maguindanao Massacre: The Four Critical Days”

By:
Published November 30, 2009, in Politics & Government

by Secretary Jesus G. Dureza
Monday, 30 November 2009 

(Note from MindaNews ed: The following is an account by Presidential Adviser Jesus Dureza on his recollection of the “four critical days” following the Ampatuan Massacre – referred to by him as “Maguindanao Massacre.” Dureza was a journalist in Davao City before he became a lawyer and politician).

DAY ONE –Nov 23 (Monday)

I was monitoring closely reports about a missing convoy in Maguindanao with media friends. Later in the day, reports of mass murder of the Mangudadatus were confirmed. Allegedly by Datu Unsay Ampatuan Jr. et al. My instincts told me this could very well be a very explosive situation. . When media called, I said I would recommend proclaiming a state of emergency. At 8 p.m. SND Bert Gonzales and I met. He told me the President had directed that I act as “crisis manager.”

DAY TWO – Nov 24 (Tuesday)

Bert and I took the earliest flight to Gen Santos City. At the 601st brigade in Tacurong, Sultan Kudarat, briefings were held. Initial photos of the carnage were flashed on the screen. Gruesome! Next we met with the Mangudadatus, many of them my personal friends.

They were tense and angry. They wanted to retrieve the bodies immediately. They demanded justice…

Read the full story >>  “The Maguindanao Massacre: The Four Critical Days”

Who really are the Ampatuans?

By:
Published November 29, 2009, in Opinion

by Julmunir I. Jannaral
from The Manila Times

The name Ampatuan alone connotes holiness. It comes from two words: “Ampa,” which is also Pah in Tausug dialect, is a Malay term for uncle, and “Tuan” means sir. The two words were actually being used to address a religious teacher and over time were combined as “Ampatuan.” The great grandfather of the Ampatuans was Imam Shariff Aguak, a religious leader who helped propagate the Islamic faith in Maguindanao.

Aguak used to pray in one mosque for the Friday congregational prayer and in another the following Friday. He was known to be generous as he would bring dulang or foods for those participating in the congregational prayer.

The present municipality of Shariff Aguak was named after Imam Shariff Aguak. The old name was known as Maganoy, where the mayor during the time of President Ramon Magsaysay was one of the Ampatuans named Datu Salila Ampatuan.

During the time of President Ferdinand Marcos, the mayor of Maganoy was Datu Akilan Ampatuan.

Before the signing of the Final Peace Agreement of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) with the government, Datu Andal Ampatuan Sr., who was then a mass leader of MNLF, was already the mayor of Maganoy until it was renamed.

In 1998, the senior Ampatuan won the election for governor of Maguindanao province against the incumbent Zacaria Candao.

Since then, the province of Maguindanao has belonged to the Ampatuan clan…

Read the full story >> Who really are the Ampatuans?

Impossible Dream

By:
Published November 29, 2009, in Balitang Kutsero

Balitang Kutsero
by Perry Diaz

Illustration by Dave San Pedro

Illustration by Dave San Pedro

Folks, it’s election time and it’s time again to dream the “impossible dream.” Why not? To dream the “impossible dream” is better than not to dream at all. But there are also those who made their “impossible dream” come true. Diosdado Macapagal, the poor boy from Lubao, made it… and then screwed it up! Erap Estrada made it… and then blew it! Gloria Macapagal Arroyo made it… and then messed up everything! And there are still some people who wanna be president? They must be gluttons for punishment!

According to the Commission on Elections (Comelec), there are 21 presidential candidates so far. Among the wannabes, maybes, and nobodies, the first to file his certificate of candidacy for president was 39 years old (he’ll turn 40 on Feb. 14) John Carlos de los Reyes who goes by the moniker of “JC.” He is currently serving as an Olongapo City councilman. I’m not sure if his moniker has something to do with it, but JC has the blessings of a Catholic bishop to run for prez. For his campaign slogan, JC should borrow from the song, “Impossible Dream,” this line: “To fight the unbeatable foe.” Who can beat Noynoy?

By the way, JC is a nephew of Sen. Richard Gordon who launched his presidential bid under the “Bagumbayan Movement” and composed his “Bagumbayan Manifesto” in blood. Well, it seems like he may have abandoned his presidential ambitions and might just campaign for his nephew. However, should he decide to run, his campaign slogan should be: “To try when your arms are too weary.” Getting old and nowhere to go.

Another presidential wannabe is Metro Manila head honcho Bayani Fernando. He truly believes that he will win notwithstanding his 1% approval rating. For his campaign slogan, Bayani (means “hero” in English) should borrow another line from the same song: “To run where the brave dare not go.” Indeed, Bayani is trying hard to live up to his name.

And there’s retired four-star general Hermogenes Ebdane who thinks that he had what it takes to win the presidential race. His campaign slogan should have been: “To reach the unreachable star.” A few days ago, Ebdane abandoned his presidential bid. He must have found out that the stars are much farther than the moon. Nice try.

And there’s Nicanor Jesus III Pineda Perlas. His nickname is “Nick.” But the “III” after his middle name “Jesus” bothers me. I’ve never seen it used that way. Well, he woke up one day with a dream of becoming the president. He then created a website and spelled it all out, that is, his program of government. Very impressive. But his approval rating is a virtual zero. Well, people probably don’t have time to visit his website… or most probably, didn’t have a computer at home. His campaign slogan should be: “To follow that star no matter how hopeless.” Hopeless, indeed.

And there’s evangelist Bro. Eddie Villanueva who is confident that he will become the next president. In a recent press conference, he said: “Tuloy ang laban, wala nang atrasan” (The fight goes on, no retreating). He said it’s about time for the country to have a righteous and genuine leader. Hmm… I think his slogan should be: “To right the unrightable wrong.”

And last but not the least is Ernesto Ramos. Ernie is a Fil-Am dual citizen who resides in Florida (USA, not Pampanga). He organized the Democratic Party of the Philippines (DPP) and had it certified by Comelec which means the party can field candidates in all levels.

A few days ago, I received an email from Ernie which says, “Greetings! Just to keep you updated. I’ll be leaving for Manila Friday (Nov. 27) and we should be ready to file our COC before the Comelec on Monday, Nov. 30 — at high noon.”

Ernie said that he’s running for president of the Philippines! Not only that, he said that “DPP will have a slate of national candidates from the president/VP to our 12 Senators, to the Congressmen, Governors and Mayors.” Holy goat! Not even Gibo Teodoro, Noynoy Aquino, Manny Villar or Erap Estrada could put together a slate of 12 senators without sharing or borrowing “guest” candidates from other parties. I can tell Ernie is not dreaming. This guy is really serious. His campaign slogan should be: “NO GUTS, NO GLORY!” Attaboy, Ernie! Go get ‘em!

A presidential candidate that truly earned my respect is Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero. Chiz bolted from the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) because he didn’t want to be “owned” by any groups or individuals. A few days ago, Chiz announced that he has abandoned his presidential bid. Had he decided to run, his campaign slogan would have been: “To fight for the right without question or pause.” Your time will come, kiddo.

Meanwhile, the Aquino-Roxas, Villar-Legarda, Estrada-Binay, and Teodoro-Manzano tandems are ready to roll. Well, I’m not sure about Gilbert “Gibo” Teodoro with his 2% approval rating. He’s stuck at the bottom of the pit. And some of his party mates are abandoning him for Aquino or Villar. “Mga balimbing!” (Turncoats!) His campaign slogan should be: “To be willing to march into Hell for a heavenly cause.” I’m not sure though if Gibo’s cause is “heavenly” — it looks more like it’s for “Gloria in excelsis Arroyo.”

Indeed, many believe that Gibo’s anemic approval rating is caused by Gloria’s “kiss of death.” He’s been warned but instead he let Gloria kiss him… on both cheeks. That’s what I call, “double whammy.”

A few days ago, at the national convention of Lakas-Kampi-CMD (LKC) Gloria stepped down as the party chairman and handed the job to Gibo who didn’t have a choice cuz nobody else would take the job! Now, I call him, “Tonto.” And as Tonto would tell the Lone Ranger, “That right, Kemo Sabe.”

But it was Gloria’s speech that says it all. She said that LKC is the party of the “future.” Yep, for once Gloria was right cuz she knew that LKC is not the party of the “present” and come June 2010, it will be the party of the “past.”

Hey, it looks like its’ going to be a colorful campaign season. Noynoy selected his mom’s color — yellow — as his campaign color. With the alliance of Manny Villar and Bongbong Marcos, they’d be using a combination of Manny’s orange and Bongbong’s red. Erap Estrada would use all the colors of the rainbow because his senatorial slate consists of politicians that changed colors all the time. If Gibo doesn’t have a color yet, I suggest that he use white so that he doesn’t have to change his color when he surrenders.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)

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