Saturday, October 22, 2005

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN/10/20/05
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio
www.junpolicarpio.com

MIKE ARROYO'S BUYING SPREE

About to give in to mounting calls to resign coming from former Pres. Corazon Aquino, Senate President Franklin Drilon, ten of her closest Cabinet members, the Makati Business Club, and 73% of the Filipino people back in July, de facto Philippine president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo grabbed the bait offered by former President Fidel Ramos where she would make a graceful exit as president by 2006 under a supposed change of government from presidential to parliamentary in exhange for his support. Like any unpredictable woman, she recently changed her mind and decided to pursue her economic reforms until the end of her term in 2010.

Somewhat expressing a feeling of being double-crossed, Ramos recently told Arroyo in a recent speech before a Makati business group to “reform herself” first before planning any economic reforms. Now he knows that he “shook the hand” of a devil-woman. And he would continue to suffer from his foolhardiness if not stupidity because Gloria’s allies in Congress are now moving to oust his political sidekick, Speaker Jose de Venecia from power.

Ramos, a former General and Secretary of National Defense under the Cory Aquino administration, again remarked that a “people power” move to oust Arroyo cannot succeed without the support of the Philippine Military. He must be delivering a message to the anti-Arroyo forces probably about a better plan to oust Arroyo given his strong connection to the military establishment. Indeed, this could be an interesting development.

Breaking his silence, the former president started to criticize Arroyo’s policy of “calibrated pre-emptive response” in suppressing street demonstrations and Executive Order 457 designed to stop congressional investigations of her involvement in several anomalies, particularly the Garci tapes and receipt of millions of jueteng money from gambling lords.

Without Ramos’ support, Gloria is now left with political supporters from Congress, Supreme Court, the military, the police, certain church officials as well as media personalities mostly paid off reportedly by her financier-husband, Mike who just arrived from California after several weeks of rest and relaxation. However, the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism just came out with another expose of Mike’s buying spree with the Filipino people’s money of election officials during the last presidential elections. Solid testimonies came from two of Mike’s campaign operators and members of the Lanao del Sur Unity Movement for President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Lomala Macadaub and Abdul Wahab Batugan, who claimed that they were given a stash of P500 million to pay election officers instructed to increase the number of votes for Gloria and deduct votes for her opponents especially the late Fernando Poe, Jr in the Certificates of Canvass submitted to the Commission on Elections. These testimonies substantiated that of Ret. General Francisco Gudani and Lt. Col. Alexander Balutan as well as the report of vote-rigging and vote-padding conspired by Gloria and Election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano whose whereabouts is currently unknown. Several other witnesses also testified to these criminal acts reportedly committed by de facto President Gloria and her husband, Mike.

If the rule of law still stands in the Philippines, government prosecutors should immediately file a criminal case against Gloria’s husband, Mike while he’s in the Philippines, and let the appropriate court of law issue an arrest warrant to prevent his escape. If not, then the only alternative is a quick change of government by the people to start a general accounting and audit of the people’s money. And let a reign of true justice begin: reward the good, punish the bad, and reform the ugly.

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Friday, October 14, 2005

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN/10/14/05
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio
www.junpolicarpio.com

TYRANTS OF TOMORROW

According to the latest press reports, upon instructions from de facto President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to Manila Mayor Lito Atienza to stop the religious procession of human rights activists from proceeding to Mendiola Bridge, this “reborn tuta ni Gloria” obeyed his master without flinching. His policemen who were programmed to obey orders without question started to shoot with giant water cannons elderly marchers led by 77-year old former vice-president Teofisto Guingona and some elderly priests and nuns.

The sight on television yesterday that shows helpless Filipinos carrying rosaries and singing church hymns as they were being bombarded with piercing jet-like burst of water into their faces would make former dictator Ferdinand Marcos grin annoyingly in his grave. Because the new dictator Gloria is getting to be worse than him. Remember, Marcos also stole the presidency from the late Sen. Sergio Ozmena, Jr. but he stopped Gen. Fabian Ver from slaughtering the unarmed demonstrators carrying flowers and rosaries.

Look what happened when the Filipino people tolerated a cheating and lying President like Marcos to continue in power: a Martial Law regime that abridged the people’s human rights and robbed them of their national wealth. Is the Filipino worth dying for? Yes, I believe that’s the reason for Ninoy Aquino’s assassination. He died for democracy and freedom for his countrymen. Yet I think there’s a better way now to avoid years of sufferings, hardships, and merciless killing of Filipinos. Because the Filipino is worth living for: A pre-emptive strike against the new tyrants of tomorrow is in order ASAP.

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Thursday, October 13, 2005

By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio

FILIPINOS WANT JUSTICE

Like a true terrorist, de facto Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez as dictated by his lady and master Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, succeeded in sowing fear and panicamong the Filipino people with a threat to declare a state of emergency granting Gloria with dictatorial powers to take over private entities that deal withthe public such as transportation companies,communication facilities particularly the media,energy corporations particularly gas and electriccompanies, and others so classified as such by this defacto administration. Ferdinand E. Marcos, the deposed dictator who died of a malignant disease while in exile in Hawaii, was the first to usesuch emergency rule and was the first to suffer adisgraceful fall from power. So I believe this threat of Gloria and her paid followers will just remain a threat designed to terrorize their political enemies.It may not really materialize unless this modern-day pretender to the Philippine presidency would have turned into a mad ruler.

If Gloria finally succumbs to unreasonable passion to hold on to power at all costs by declaring Martial law, it could ignite a bloody response by theFilipino people who cry “NEVER AGAIN” to tyrants.Retired Gen. Ramon Montano, former Philippine National Police Chief,already warned of “bloodshed” if Gloria remains inMalacanang. He is just one among millions.

Gloria knows in her heart that she stole the presidency and cannot rule without the consent of theFilipino people. What’s the sense of wasting the precious blood of Filipinos for the sake of vanity.She may even lose her precious life during the struggle.America is always a refuge for fallen leaders and thedowntrodden. And truly God has blessed America for it.This option to “cut cleanly” is the best option for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to avert this dangerously developing upheaval to happen. Look at the Marcos family now who escaped the deadly charge of the Filipino masses into Malacanang during Edsa I and was brought safely to Hawaii: they are still rich,powerful, and happy. Filipinos are really a forgiving people but they also demand justice.

www.junpolicarpio.com

Wednesday, October 05, 2005

FROM THE BARREL OF MY PEN/10/05/05
By Gonzalo “Jun” Policarpio
www.junpolicarpio.com

HONOR PREVAILS OVER CHAIN OF COMMAND

The chain of command as a principle of management, both in a military and non-military organization, aims to maintain a smooth flow of communication from top to bottom in the organizational hierarchy and to avoid confusion. or conflict in communications. But when an employee or soldier reports a violation of law, regulations and procedures, waste, and gross misconduct, the chain of command principle does not apply. Failure to report such violations is a ground for disciplinary action.

Former U.S. President John F. Kennedy signed the Federal Whistleblower Act and former President George Herbert Walker Bush signed a similar but stronger Act to enshrine the policy of protecting whistleblowers against reprisal in a legal document.

The Honor Code of the Philippine Military Academy instructs every cadet not to lie, cheat, and steal and not to tolerate violation of the Code.

Speaking from my experience as a member of the Officers Corp of the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, I reported my superiors for violations of law and regulations to the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector-General in 1999. My superiors retaliated by downgrading my work performance and demoted me from my supervisory position. I sued then Attorney-General Janet Reno as the defendant under the Federal Whistleblower Protection Act. Before it went into trial by jury, the U.S. Attorney in New York offered to settle my case in 2003 by paying me compensatory and moral damages.

If there’s still a government of law in the Philippines, then former Gen. Francisco Gudani and Lt.Col. Alexander Balutan who both exposed the role of certain military officials in vote-rigging for Gloria Macapagal Arroyo during the presidential elections of 2004, have nothing to worry about. Arroyo’s illegal executive order 464 barring high government officials from appearing in a Congressional hearing without her consent is definitely contrary to the Constitutional principle of checks and balances. .If not, then the sovereign Filipino people need to move fast and change the current government of men into a government of law by using their protector, the Armed Forces of the Philippines whose officers are bound by the Honor Code that forbids lying, cheating, stealing and tolerating violators.

End