What must be done

INFOWARS
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/31/2008



Every weekend, I summarize the vital news and discussions I treat on the air in my Monday to Friday morning program over DWAD, 1098AM. I also try to record significant texts I receive from listeners along the way. All of them put together are too many for my short regular column that comes out on Mondays and Fridays, but highlighting the key issues gives a gist of where this country is and what must be done to move forward. But after looking at the same issues through the years, one doesn't only conclude unambiguously that the country is running around in circles; worse, it is in a downward spiral. Thankfully, though, one still gets to identify ways to end this vicious cycle of precipitous decline.

Yesterday morning I received this text: "It was former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban and Davide who conspired and brought down Erap. Now he is complaining about.Gloria controlling the Supreme Court. Read Inquirer today March 30. It was they who changed the destiny of our country. Karma sa Pinoy ang ginawa nila," which was then followed by a lengthy call for Juan de la Cruz to rise up now for the sake of the nation's children. Over seven years, I and many other Filipinos have raged over the crappy "constructive resignation" decision penned by Panganiban and passed by the Davide Supreme Court. It was arbitrary and without constitutional basis no doubt, yet they did it to satisfy Edsa II. Today, there's no difference in what they did and what the majority in the Puno court has done on the "executive privilege" issue.

As for the rice crisis, IRRI president Robert Zeigler weighed in with his better-informed view that the Filipino farmer is already producing one of the higher yields per hectare in the region, but he says there's just not enough arable, fertile land as in the Indo-Chinese peninsula that is blessed by the Mekong River. True, but he seems to have omitted a very important fact-that water impounding with mini-hydros would irrigate uplands and give way to more arable land. Former Agriculture secretary, Arsenio Balicasan, correctly said that increasing productivity through irrigation infrastructure, research and development, and solving the problem of high energy cost are what should be prioritized. Marcos had tackled these problems and programmed the solutions, but Edsa I and Edsa II "civil society" kept throwing the baby out with the bath water.

When I point my finger at Edsa II, I include most particular print communicators like Billy Esposo of the Philippine Star (owned by Gloria hatchetman Belmonte) and Antonio Abaya of Standard (owned by Enrique Razon who, according to Neri, is the ZTE funds handler). These representatives of "civil society" views are at the forefront of the unrelenting campaign to confuse the nation and the youth about historical truths, especially in the cases of Marcos and Erap Estrada, who both had timely, appropriate and necessary programs to serve the welfare of the people. In the latter's case, they should now concede the Kangaroo nature of the Teresita de Castro Sandigan court by the circumstances of her Supreme Court promotion and her current pro-Gloria voting record.

Let me digress a bit on the "conviction" of Estrada, which the Edsa II media uses spitefully despite the blatantly malicious intent of the Sandiganbayan. When I read international press reports mentioning Anwar Ibrahim's conviction, they qualified it by adding "politically motivated" before the word "conviction." The Inquirer and anti-Erap writers, in contrast, do not give this fair play to Estrada, which is a very grave injustice and exposes them as black propagandists. The ploy is obvious: keep repeating the "conviction" and the pejorative description, "convicted criminal," to make them stick despite the clearly political nature of the seven-year-process led by three Gloria-appointed Sandiganbayan judges, of which two, de Castro and now, Diosdado (named after Gloria's father) Peralta, have gotten their payback with promotions.

Surely, the best way to overcome black propaganda is to stick to historical facts; and the rice crisis and forthcoming milk supply crisis will prove that Marcos and Estrada were leaders on the right track. A continuing reiteration of the cause of the deteriorating food crisis traceable to the embrace of globalization, privatization and deregulation by the "people power trio" Cory Aquino, FVR and Gloria Arroyo (add the massive corruption of the last two), and their dismantling of programs to ensure irrigation infrastructure and fairly priced fuel and electricity, is the best way to put these icons of Edsa I and II in their proper, unflattering light. In fact, the latest news adds more evidence to this: March 28, "ADB: Power, infra costs cripple RP," citing higher than neighboring countries' electricity, toll and other transport charges.

On the same day, the Japan External Trade Organization was reported to have said that of all Asean countries where its country's firms operate, expansion plans in the Philippines was lowest at 1.2% compared to 11.3% in Thailand, 8.4% in Vietnam, 3.5% in Indonesia and 2.7% in Malaysia. The reason cited for the "bearish" expansion plans is similar to what the ADB cited: power and other high costs, but it added the appreciation of the peso as another problem. As in decades past, the Philippines continues to slide down in the priorities for investment from other countries while the economy continues its deterioration, and the impact on the people can be seen in developments like in this week's news: "RP 8th TB producer in the world, say doctors"--not television but tuberculosis, the disease of poverty.

Another very important news item that received scant attention, compared to front page grabs of Pacquiao's latest bout, is retired Supreme Court Justice Jose Melo's oath-taking as the new Comelec Commissioner. Chairman Melo is better known for his cover up of Gloria Arroyo's role in the so-called, "extra-judicial killings" of hundreds of anti-Gloria and Leftist dissenters. Melo was credibly accused by Senator Lacson as a "counsel" for Abalos during the ZTE Senate hearings because he sat behind Abalos, a seat which is normally reserved for the witness' counsel. Melo denied it but I don't know if anyone believed him. I don't. Like all of Gloria's appointments, Melo will be at the Comelec to do Gloria's bidding--cover up and manipulate. His appointment to the Comelec demolishes any hope for clean elections in 2010.

Every week, when I sum up the news and developments, it becomes clearer and clearer that there is no hope for the country to break free from the vicious downward cycle of institutional decay, economic collapse, press perversion and increasing poverty--unless there is radical clean up and restructuring. Unfortunately, the leaders that have shown the vision, daring and courage to spark the radical change have temporarily been immobilized in detention. General Danilo Lim, Senator Trillanes IV and the Magdalo group are still in Camp Crame, while Colonel Querubin and the February 26 group are at the Isafp languishing in "bartolinas." In balance, though, the electoral opposition leader, President Estrada, is making more progress, continuing his political education sorties all over the country.

The advocates for the progressive idea of a "transformational transition" council, including the Laban ng Masa, the November 29 Movement and other mass-based groups are consolidating for the next major mass action with the opposition coalition on April 5, to coincide with Gloria's birthday bash and are calling for an early end to her malevolent regime. But, as the text from "Kabansang Ferdie" suggests, the rally should address issues vital to the people: "Korapsyon at Kahirapan" (Corruption and Poverty), as well as, against the 12% RVAT and high power and other public utilities costs. Meanwhile, the consciences of our AFP reformists outside prison bars should continue to be stoked.

(Tune in to "Kape't Kamulatan, Kabansa" on 1098AM, Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 9:00am)