Prepare to seize initiative

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
10/29/2007



President Joseph E. Estrada deserves a well earned rest, and with insights from his trials and tribulations, he is older and wiser now – and with an expanded base of sympathizers. He knows his nemesis is not just the puny Gloria, as we all should know: It is the conspiracy of political and foreign and local corporatist interests behind Gloria, using American diplomatic and financial influence, to suppress rising popular democratic will and economic clamor Estrada represented. Erap’s denunciation of this conspiracy is repeated in many of Estrada’s elucidations in pamphlets, VCDs and his biography.

A young, fervent reader and radio listener, and fellow Edsa Tres advocate, Kabansang Lawrence texted: “With Erap’s freedom, the battle lines are again becoming much clearer. It feels like 2001 all over again. This time though, the Edsa Dos coalition is so disjointed that it would be best for the nation to sit back and watch them destroy one another. I just hope that the opposition (at least the nationalistic fronts) will stay united and prevail upon Erap to stay on course in supporting leading lights like Trillanes, instead of playing niceties with this administration.” To stay on course is vital, while Gloria and FVR aggressively tries to distract the nation.

Let’s focus: many leaders are still raising the flag of resistance: Atty. Alan Paguia, unjustly suspended from practicing his legal profession by Gloria’s Court, continues to challenge the legitimacy of that court (to be packed by more sycophantic Sandigabayan justices); Ver Eustaquio of the Erap Five, who were abducted and tortured by an Isafp composite team, continues to lead (while Ruben Dionisio is still in prison); PMAP’s Lumbao continues to organize; thousands of grassroots and middle class leaders continue to move in their own areas of operation; Trillanes and the Magdalo have not let up. The alliances of genuine popular-democratic forces are expanding:

Various movements of the RJ or rejectionist Left and upper-middle class patriotic individuals and groups, the Edsa Tres forces, urban mass based organizations, the Catholic and Protestant lay movements and their respective Church leaders, with the movement supporting the struggle of nationalists Senator Trillanes and the February 2006 Heroes (Gen. Danilo Lim, Col. Querubin, Parcon, and the young officers like Dante Langkit and others), networking and spreading like wildfire. When we put all these developments in perspective, it is clear that the genuine nationalist struggle is getting primed for counter-offensive.

The powers behind Edsa Dos are on an aggressive campaign (Black and White, Luis Sison, Leonard de Vera, Dante Jimenez, Johnny Midnight et al- hullabaloo against the pardon) to distract from: Estrada’s innocence buttressed by the political “pardon”; the latest exposés dragging elite names like Razon and Indika Aboitiz into the ZTE-NBN scandal and FG’s $ 70-M share the economic disaster, i.e. increasing power (Meralco profit four times bigger), water, tax and transport rates, and runaway oil prices due to privatization and deregulation that abet speculative market manipulation; growing hunger and 20th month of manufacturing decline, ad nausea.

Last August the U.S. sent the butcher of the Honduras Ambassador Negroponte to the 40th Asean Ministerial Meeting here. He met the FVR boys. It is no surprise then that the FVR boys are the very active ones now in the media center stage and in the halls of Malacañang – Joe de Venecia exposing the ZTE (and other Chinese funded projects), Lui Sison jawing against Erap’s pardon, FVR public announcing on TV that Gloria’s “days are numbered”, Black and White’s Leah Navarro and gnome Enteng Romano yakking again, Ermita submitting his resignation, Noberto Gonzales and the Glorietta II bombing, etc. – all destabilizing the situation.

Gloria is reeling from all the uncontrolled developments while the noose around her neck is being tugged hard each time she and FG’s greed stray from the approved corruption corridor –U.S. predatory projects and not the Chinese projects. Has Gloria become a potato too hot to handle for each Washington – severely unpopular, disdained by the people, corrupt beyond imagination, overused to the point of liability and of more utility as the next scapegoat after Estrada? Gloria will cover her ass through the Cha-cha to become Prime Minister and immune from suit – but over the dead body of Joe de Venecia? But Noli: “mi Tangere!”

Someone reported to us that a news item came out a few weeks ago reviving of FVR’s Urban Bank mess, but the news quickly disappeared. FVR has frenetically active: is it as many believe, to stage a revolt to aid Noli de Castro and the status quo where FVR’s ass is safe. Is Gloria counter-attacking to keep her Cha-cha train on track against FVR’s plot? Did Gloria move to reduce tensions on one front quiet in order to focus on these other fronts? There are a lot of smoke and mirrors from all sides, but one thing is clear, as Mao said: “There is turmoil under the heavens, the prospects are excellent.”

Opportunity can break out anytime and the popular, nationalist movement with the idealistic military forces should prepare to seize the day by keeping up the offensive – exactly what the Kilusang Makabansang Ekonomiya (KME) with the progressive bishops and the Trillanes Paglingkurin Movement are doing in pushing the Snap Elections movements with the Gloria-Noli Resign initiatives. Sign up for change to save the country, at www.petitiononline.com/snap08

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