BY REY O. ARCILLA
MALAYA
‘That may sound oxymoronic, but so does Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.’
THE feeling of disgust and dismay, with a tinge of hopelessness and outrage, among the average man-on-the street not only is so palpable. It has also become very vocal.
I am referring to the obscene and detestable “dynastism” that has been plaguing this country and which appears certain to be worsened by the elections next year for local and national positions. There are the clans of Aquino/Cojuangco, Binay, Estrada, Enrile, Angara, Cayetano, Villar, Marcos, Arroyo, Belmonte, Revilla, Remulla, Singson, Villafuerte, etc., ad nauseam.
And more dynasties are in the making. The one that takes the cake is Jinkee Pacquiao running for vice governor of Sarangani which her husband, the boxing icon Manny, represents in the Batasan. Pacquiao’s youngest brother, Rogelio, is also reportedly running for a congressional seat in South Cotabato. Except for their money, what other qualifications do they possess that make them confident they are qualified for the posts?
With money generally winning elections in this benighted country, we might as well rename it the “Feudal (or Oligarchic) Republic of the Philippines”. That may sound oxymoronic, but so does Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
***
I asked my students who among the 24 candidates fielded by the two major political groups they would vote for. They came up with only eight names, none of whom included those who have been consistently topping the surveys. None of the “dynastic” candidates made it to their list either. So I asked if anyone of them, or their families and friends, has ever been asked by a pollster. Not one… which somehow boosted my suspicion that these survey outfits poll mostly the marginalized majority of our population who simply have no basis for their choices except name recall.
And when election time comes, these are the same voters who would think nothing of “selling” their votes for a measly sum which to them is a small fortune.
That is where and when money politics come in. Once elected, how do these politicians recover their “investment”? By treading the crooked path of graft and corruption… which leads us to nowhere except back to minus square one. With these dynasties, the same thing will happen again every three years, ad infinitum.
How do we escape from this wicked and vicious cycle? By educating our masses, thus giving them a chance to improve their living standard. But how do we do that? The politicians, once in position, have to recover their investment. That means shortage of funds to improve the lives, which they are not wont to do in the first place, of the downtrodden. They will need their votes again after three years.
***
The Commission on Audit just came out with a report that P101.82 billion was lost due to anomalies. That was during Gloria Arroyo’s last two years in Malacañang alone. What about her first seven years? What about the last two and a half years of Noynoy’s watch?
And, what about the billions in pork barrel of senators, congressmen, provincial board members and city and municipal councilors? How much of those went to projects and programs that benefited the poor?
And so the vicious cycle whirls on and on and on and on…
***
I received the following letter dated 6 October from the Chief of Staff of Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on the latter’s Noynoy-mandated back-channeling with the Chinese on the Panatag Shoal row. I am publishing it as fairness demands that the senator’s side should also be heard.
Incidentally, a DFA insider alleges that the Brady notes read by Senate President Juan Ponce are different from the original.
For the record, I have never met or spoken to Trillanes or, for that matter, to Enrile or Foreign Secretary Albert “Amboy” del Rosario. If one or both of the last two want their side published in this space, I will do that too.
The letter follows:
“I am writing this letter to address the different issues that have come out in relation to the backchannelling efforts of Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV. The issue on the backchannel negotiation has generated opinions from various quarters which, unfortunately, rather than clarifying matters has spawned confusion, complicated by ulterior motives and vested interests.
“In the interest of objectivity and fairness, I would like to clarify the following points:
“First, the backchannelling negotiations were done to further the government’s foreign policy and to promote and protect our national interest. It must be emphasized that during the said negotiations, EVERY DECISION ARRIVED AT WERE MADE BY PRESIDENT AQUINO HIMSELF (all caps mine). Senator Trillanes’ role during the negotiations was only limited to being a messenger – all proposals and counter proposals were presented to the president for his approval and it was his decisions which were relayed to the other party.
“Moreover, the scope of the mission given to Senator Trillanes was limited to the de-escalation of the tension in the West Philippine Sea. It did not cover the definitive resolution of the on-going dispute.
“Second, it was the Philippine Government (through Malacañang) which shouldered the cost for the backchannelling efforts contrary to malicious insinuations made by different camps not privy to the matter. A total of about 15 meetings were conducted covering the period of May to August 2012. Of these meetings, less than half were held in China and the rest were done here in the country.
“Third, Philippine Ambassador to China Sonia Brady was never part and was never present in any of the meetings of Senator Trillanes with the Chinese officials. In fact, the first and only official meeting he had with Ambassador Brady in Beijing was held on August 17, 2012, at the Philippine Embassy. Senator Trillanes arranged for that meeting, specifically, to brief her about the status of the backchannel talks since she just reported at the embassy sometime in early August.
“During their private meeting, they were only accompanied by Philippine Consul Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq and a member of the Senator’s staff and definitely, THERE WERE NO CHINESE OFFICIALS PRESENT. The media could easily ask Consul Jimenez-Ducrocq to confirm this. So, if those Brady Notes indeed exist, this is where she or Consul Jimenez-Ducrocq probably wrote it. There was nothing treasonous about this briefing.
“If our reporters and opinion columnists are only basing their analyses on the few phrases lifted and interpreted by Senator Enrile during his monologue, that is very dangerous as the same have been taken out of context and given malicious twists. Sadly, this is exactly what happened.
“Fourth, Senator Trillanes avoided publicly discussing his role as the country’s backchannel negotiator but this was revealed on national media by Senator Enrile during his interpellation at the Senate Floor. At that time, Senator Trillanes had just delivered a privilege speech expressing his loss of confidence on Senator Enrile’s capability to lead the Senate as a result of the railroading of the bill dividing the province of Camarines Sur upon instructions of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. It is sad that the entire nation saw how Senator Enrile exposed state secrets on national TV because of his apparent desire to divert the public’s attention from the issues raised by Senator Trillanes instead of just confronting the said issues.”
(Here, the letter-writer dwelt on Trillanes’ supposed qualifications as a backchannel negotiator and accomplishments as a senator. As I said in an earlier column, it is totally irrelevant whether or not Trillanes volunteered for the job, or whether or not he was handpicked by the Chinese, to which, I now add, whether or not he is qualified for it… ROA)
To continue the letter: “Regardless, the fact that President Aquino has expressly acknowledged the successes of the negotiations and continues to consider Sen. Trillanes as the negotiator exemplifies the trust that President Aquino has reposed upon his capability and effectiveness. It further vindicates our claim that he did not betray the Filipino people. Even the Chinese Government acknowledged the strides made through the negotiation, saying that the tension has already eased because of effective communication between the two parties.
“Lastly, the pronouncement of Secretary Mar Roxas that there are still gaps or points for negotiation on the issue of Scarborough during his talks with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping proves that Senator Trillanes did not sell out any of our islands to the Chinese. Again, the mission of Sen. Trillanes was only to help de-escalate the tension and not to resolve all of the issues relating to this centuries’ old dispute and I believe that Senator Trillanes was able to accomplish this without compromising our country’s interest.”
***
Reminders (for Noynoy’s action):
1) Filing of charges against officials of the National Food Administration (NFA) during Arroyo’s illegitimate regime. Noynoy himself said on several occasions that there is documentary evidence to prove the venalities in the past in that agency; 2) Investigation of reported anomalies in the GSIS during the watch of Winston Garcia; 3) Facilitating the investigation of rampant corruption in the military and police establishments; and 4) Expeditious action by the AFP on the case of Jonas Burgos.
***
Today is the 156th day of the sixth year of Jonas Burgos’ disappearance.
***
From an internet friend:
Subject: DID JEWS SINK THE TITANIC?
The plane leaves Heathrow Airport under the control of a Jewish Captain; his Co-pilot is Chinese. It’s the first time they’ve flown together and an awkward silence between the two seems to indicate a mutual dislike.
Once they reached cruising altitude, the Jewish Captain activates the auto-pilot, leans back in his seat, and mutters… “I don’t like Chinese…”
“No rike Chinese?” asks the Co-pilot. “Why not?”
“You people bombed Pearl Harbor, that’s why.”
“No, no”, the Co-pilot protests. “Chinese not bomb Peahl Hahbah! That Japanese, not Chinese.”
“Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese….doesn’t matter. You’re all alike!”
There’s a few minutes of silence.
“I no rike Jews!”, the Co-pilot suddenly announces.
“Oh yeah, why not?” asks the Captain.
“Jews sink Titanic!” says the Co-pilot.
“What? You’re insane! Jews didn’t sink the Titanic!” exclaims the Captain. “It was an iceberg!”
“Iceberg, Goldberg, Greenberg, Rosenberg… no mattah… all same.
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