TOPIC: Pete Ilagan of NASECORE explains the reason for high electricity rates
Guests: Pete Ilagan, President of NASECORE and Dianne of Freedom from Debt Coalition
Friday, March 11, 2011
Local Gaddafi bashing parrots
CRITIC'S CRITIC
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/7-13/2011
Members of Philippine mainstream media are into Gaddafi bashing galore. Noli de Castro, Korina Sanchez and Ted Failon mock him as a bloodthirsty “delusional dictator;” Randy David described Gaddafi’s statements in a recent interview with the Western press where he said, “My people, they love me all; they would die to protect me” as “pathetic;” while Marlen Ronquillo in The Manila Times wrote, “Qaddafi? You recall much about this supposed great Pan-Arabic leader who proclaimed himself as the heir to Nasser . You can compare him to a cheap Pinoy politician--one who looks better in the photos.”
Listening to or reading these Gaddafi bashers, you’d think the guy is the pits; but when you examine the reality from the other side, realization comes that these local pundits really know very little about Libya and Gaddafi, echoing only what emanate from Western propaganda, which is a real disservice to their audience. Here we bring to OpinYon readers views of international observers from the other side of CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera et al.
From Libya’s Mustafa Fetouri, a top prize awardee of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press 2010 and a regular contributor to The National, The Tripoli Post, the Qurya and the London-based Middle East Online news website, as well as a frequent resource person on the BBC, France 24 and Al Jazeera, and director at the Academy of Graduate Studies in Tripoli, Libya, and international lecturer, comes this recent article in The National, entitled, “Libya’s toxic tribal divisions are greater than Qaddafi:”
“Col. Qaddafi’s main support comes from three major sources: the Warfalla, based 180 km southwest of Tripoli , the largest tribe in the country… (comprising) a majority of well-educated Libyans. Qaddafi’s own tribe, centered in Sirte, 500 km east of Tripoli , is another pillar… The allegiance between Qaddafi’s tribe, Gaddafa, and the Warfalla has been described as a ‘blood link’… Prejudice against other tribes in Libya , particularly against the Misrata, (makes) many Warfalla more hard line than Col. Qaddafi himself. Sizeable support for Col. Qaddafi still exists within these two tribes, which form a triangle with the Mediterranean as its base that points deep into Libya ’s south, where Col. Qaddafi also draws sizable support. Sebha, the capital of Libya ’s southern region, has not seen any demonstrations so far. This tribal landscape must be understood… the country has not had political parties for more than four decades. Civil society does not exist, nor does the idea of loyalty to the ‘state.’ There is not a constitution… no practical mechanisms to guide the country in the event of a power vacuum at the top.”
When Gaddafi says “his people love him and would die to protect him,” there indeed are such “blood ties” that he can count on. Maybe Randy David reacted too soon. One can see in recent days that support for Gaddafi has consolidated after the tribes recovered from the initial disarray. The tribal milieu Gaddafi and Libyan society find themselves in explains why, despite these intractable fault lines, Gaddafi in his 41 years has managed startling achievements. We highlight some of these from David Rothscum’s “The World Cheers as the CIA Plunges Libya into Chaos” on the Centre for Research on Globalization’s website:
“How was Libya doing under the rule of Gadaffi? …Before the chaos erupted, Libya had a lower incarceration rate than the Czech republic … the lowest infant mortality rate (and)… the highest life expectancy (in) all of Africa ... Less than 5 percent of the population was undernourished. In response to the rising food prices around the world, the government of Libya abolished ALL taxes on food… (Libyans had) the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita… the highest Human Development Index of any country on the continent... (where) a lower percentage of people lived below the poverty line than in the Netherlands . How does Libya get so rich? The answer is oil… (It) does not allow foreign corporations to steal the resources while the population starves, unlike… Nigeria … that is basically run by Shell. Like any country, Libya suffers from… corrupt bureaucrats… (Still) Gadaffi called for the oil revenue(s) to be distributed directly to the people...
“Gadaffi is not the president of Libya . In fact he holds no official position in the government. This is the big mistake that people make. They claim that Gadaffi rules over Libya when in fact… his position is more or less ceremonial… The current prime-minister is Baghdadi Mahmudi. Calling Gadaffi the leader of Libya is comparable to calling Akihito the leader of Japan . Are the protesters in Libya comparable to the protesters in Egypt and Tunisia ? Not at all. The building of the parliament of Libya was put on fire by angry protestors. This is comparable to protesters putting the United States Capitol on fire. Do you think that for even a moment the US government would sit idly by as protesters (do so)? The riots erupting now are not secular youth desiring change… A group calling itself ‘Islamic Emirate of Barka,’ the former name of the North-Western part of Libya , has taken numerous hostages, and killed two policemen… On Friday, the 18th of February, the group stole 70 military vehicles after attacking a port and killing four soldiers…
“A group recently arrested in Libya consisted of dozens of foreign nationals that were involved in numerous acts of looting and sabotage. The Libyan government could not rule out links to Israel . Great Britain funded an Al Qaeda cell in Libya , in an attempt to assassinate Gadaffi. The main opposition group in Libya now is the National Front for the Salvation of Libya … (Funded) by Saudi Arabia , the CIA, and French Intelligence… (this) group unified… with other opposition groups to become the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition. It was this organization that called for the ‘Day of Rage’ that plunged Libya into chaos on February 17 of this year… The tribal system that is still strong in Libya is useful (for exploiting) such a war since Libya has historically been divided into various tribal groups. This is also why the Libyan government responds by importing mercenaries…”
Furthermore, we have to take note that Russia Today has already reported on various stories that are being suppressed by Western media, such as the presence of US Special Forces very early on in the turmoil in Libya . Likewise, people should know that Russian satellites monitoring Libyan air space are finding no such attacks by Gaddafi’s jets on protesters, as claimed by the West. In fact, the disinformation has been so blatant right from the get-go that Al Jazeera, the UK ’s Telegraph, and many Western media previously claimed that Gaddafi had flown to Venezuela , even when this was nothing but a lie.
Philippine mainstream media should not just parrot their Western counterparts’ demonization of Gaddafi and justify imperial invasion for oil. They should gather and report the whole picture to liberate the Filipino mind and culture.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, with the Cuban and Venezuelan Ambassadors as guests on the Libyan situation; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/7-13/2011
Members of Philippine mainstream media are into Gaddafi bashing galore. Noli de Castro, Korina Sanchez and Ted Failon mock him as a bloodthirsty “delusional dictator;” Randy David described Gaddafi’s statements in a recent interview with the Western press where he said, “My people, they love me all; they would die to protect me” as “pathetic;” while Marlen Ronquillo in The Manila Times wrote, “Qaddafi? You recall much about this supposed great Pan-Arabic leader who proclaimed himself as the heir to Nasser . You can compare him to a cheap Pinoy politician--one who looks better in the photos.”
Listening to or reading these Gaddafi bashers, you’d think the guy is the pits; but when you examine the reality from the other side, realization comes that these local pundits really know very little about Libya and Gaddafi, echoing only what emanate from Western propaganda, which is a real disservice to their audience. Here we bring to OpinYon readers views of international observers from the other side of CNN, BBC, Al Jazeera et al.
From Libya’s Mustafa Fetouri, a top prize awardee of the Samir Kassir Award for Freedom of the Press 2010 and a regular contributor to The National, The Tripoli Post, the Qurya and the London-based Middle East Online news website, as well as a frequent resource person on the BBC, France 24 and Al Jazeera, and director at the Academy of Graduate Studies in Tripoli, Libya, and international lecturer, comes this recent article in The National, entitled, “Libya’s toxic tribal divisions are greater than Qaddafi:”
“Col. Qaddafi’s main support comes from three major sources: the Warfalla, based 180 km southwest of Tripoli , the largest tribe in the country… (comprising) a majority of well-educated Libyans. Qaddafi’s own tribe, centered in Sirte, 500 km east of Tripoli , is another pillar… The allegiance between Qaddafi’s tribe, Gaddafa, and the Warfalla has been described as a ‘blood link’… Prejudice against other tribes in Libya , particularly against the Misrata, (makes) many Warfalla more hard line than Col. Qaddafi himself. Sizeable support for Col. Qaddafi still exists within these two tribes, which form a triangle with the Mediterranean as its base that points deep into Libya ’s south, where Col. Qaddafi also draws sizable support. Sebha, the capital of Libya ’s southern region, has not seen any demonstrations so far. This tribal landscape must be understood… the country has not had political parties for more than four decades. Civil society does not exist, nor does the idea of loyalty to the ‘state.’ There is not a constitution… no practical mechanisms to guide the country in the event of a power vacuum at the top.”
When Gaddafi says “his people love him and would die to protect him,” there indeed are such “blood ties” that he can count on. Maybe Randy David reacted too soon. One can see in recent days that support for Gaddafi has consolidated after the tribes recovered from the initial disarray. The tribal milieu Gaddafi and Libyan society find themselves in explains why, despite these intractable fault lines, Gaddafi in his 41 years has managed startling achievements. We highlight some of these from David Rothscum’s “The World Cheers as the CIA Plunges Libya into Chaos” on the Centre for Research on Globalization’s website:
“How was Libya doing under the rule of Gadaffi? …Before the chaos erupted, Libya had a lower incarceration rate than the Czech republic … the lowest infant mortality rate (and)… the highest life expectancy (in) all of Africa ... Less than 5 percent of the population was undernourished. In response to the rising food prices around the world, the government of Libya abolished ALL taxes on food… (Libyans had) the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at purchasing power parity (PPP) per capita… the highest Human Development Index of any country on the continent... (where) a lower percentage of people lived below the poverty line than in the Netherlands . How does Libya get so rich? The answer is oil… (It) does not allow foreign corporations to steal the resources while the population starves, unlike… Nigeria … that is basically run by Shell. Like any country, Libya suffers from… corrupt bureaucrats… (Still) Gadaffi called for the oil revenue(s) to be distributed directly to the people...
“Gadaffi is not the president of Libya . In fact he holds no official position in the government. This is the big mistake that people make. They claim that Gadaffi rules over Libya when in fact… his position is more or less ceremonial… The current prime-minister is Baghdadi Mahmudi. Calling Gadaffi the leader of Libya is comparable to calling Akihito the leader of Japan . Are the protesters in Libya comparable to the protesters in Egypt and Tunisia ? Not at all. The building of the parliament of Libya was put on fire by angry protestors. This is comparable to protesters putting the United States Capitol on fire. Do you think that for even a moment the US government would sit idly by as protesters (do so)? The riots erupting now are not secular youth desiring change… A group calling itself ‘Islamic Emirate of Barka,’ the former name of the North-Western part of Libya , has taken numerous hostages, and killed two policemen… On Friday, the 18th of February, the group stole 70 military vehicles after attacking a port and killing four soldiers…
“A group recently arrested in Libya consisted of dozens of foreign nationals that were involved in numerous acts of looting and sabotage. The Libyan government could not rule out links to Israel . Great Britain funded an Al Qaeda cell in Libya , in an attempt to assassinate Gadaffi. The main opposition group in Libya now is the National Front for the Salvation of Libya … (Funded) by Saudi Arabia , the CIA, and French Intelligence… (this) group unified… with other opposition groups to become the National Conference for the Libyan Opposition. It was this organization that called for the ‘Day of Rage’ that plunged Libya into chaos on February 17 of this year… The tribal system that is still strong in Libya is useful (for exploiting) such a war since Libya has historically been divided into various tribal groups. This is also why the Libyan government responds by importing mercenaries…”
Furthermore, we have to take note that Russia Today has already reported on various stories that are being suppressed by Western media, such as the presence of US Special Forces very early on in the turmoil in Libya . Likewise, people should know that Russian satellites monitoring Libyan air space are finding no such attacks by Gaddafi’s jets on protesters, as claimed by the West. In fact, the disinformation has been so blatant right from the get-go that Al Jazeera, the UK ’s Telegraph, and many Western media previously claimed that Gaddafi had flown to Venezuela , even when this was nothing but a lie.
Philippine mainstream media should not just parrot their Western counterparts’ demonization of Gaddafi and justify imperial invasion for oil. They should gather and report the whole picture to liberate the Filipino mind and culture.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, with the Cuban and Venezuelan Ambassadors as guests on the Libyan situation; visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com and watch or listen to our select radio and GNN shows)
AFP-NPA unity vs imperialism
DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/11/2011
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF) combined should declare a unilateral end to its war against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and instead focus on enlightening the soldiers of our Republic on their true role of “protecting the people.” This longstanding war is but a distraction from the real one that must be waged by all — the war against imperialism.
This war, directed at Western powers eager to regain their dominance either through an expanded Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) role or by other means, will be a boon to all Third World countries that have successfully struggled to break free from the stranglehold of neo-colonialism.
Thus, “peace talks” between the NDF and the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) not only distract but also perpetuate the lie of Western governments’ “peace mediation,” making them appear to have better intentions to obfuscate from the real tyranny of their imperialistic oppression.
This article is a fruit of my discussion with an underground cadre who admitted his dilemma over the AFP-NPA war. When an NPA fighter is killed, his immediate and extended families ache for revenge; likewise, when an AFP soldier dies at the hands of the NPA, his entire clan also seeks to avenge his death. It turns out that both sides of similarly impoverished families only become much poorer after their heads of families are killed.
The recurrent peace talks between the government and the communist rebels simply stretch out this futile and self-defeating struggle that deepens the devastation of this country. Instead of harnessing precious resources and human energy, and instead of strengthening our national resolve to break the shackles of those lecherous international bankers and their local oligarchic partners, what has really been accomplished to date?
The NDF Web site itself exposes the farce of the peace talks as murders of members or supporters of the Left continue to be perpetrated, such as that of Rody Dejos and his son Rody Rick in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur; or that of Bayan Muna activist Rodel Estrallado in Bicol, among many others; vice-versa the ambush of the Eastern Samar Regional Mobile Group, killing its police team leader and wounding three others. And even as peace talks with government resume, NDF consultant Alan Jazmines is arrested. The list just goes on and on.
Meanwhile, some of the best and brightest of our young countrymen are sacrificed to the altar pyre of this war, such as the much publicized Mindanao State University scholar-turned-NPA guerilla Kemberly Jul Luna, aged 21, who died in an AFP-NPA clash in Bukidnon last year. How many more of such valuable lives must be wasted before the NDF’s leaders can rise above their war obsession and farcical peace talks?
In the meantime, lots of time — years, decades, nearly half-a-century — is lost. If only the intelligence and articulation of such valuable talents such as Kemberly were utilized in educating the masses and the AFP rank-and-file to deny the imperialists, neo-colonialists, and oligarchs the coercive arm to impose their exploitative and oppressive socio-economic system, the AFP could have become the weapon of the people. This, even before Latin American countries found their Hugo Chavez, who became Venezuelan president and started the wave of progressive victories in that continent, from Bolivia’s Evo Morales, to Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner, Brazil’s Lula da Silva, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, and Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo.
A unilateral declaration by the CPP-NPA-NDF of the end of its war against the AFP and a call for unity with the Armed Forces to fight the common enemy of imperialism will be a dramatic elevation of its stature in the eyes of the Filipino people. It will also be a shock to the AFP that has the real potential of triggering a paradigm shift among the rank-and-file and idealistic young officers. They will definitely be liberated from their paranoia against the NPA and be free to reflect on their ironic situation of being defenders of a system that does not serve their families’ interests while dedicating their efforts toward building the nationalist corps.
The best and the brightest of the NDF youth, in turn, may start joining the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) and be part of rebuilding the officers’ training institution into a nationalist school instead of a careerist breeding ground. With a united People’s Armed Forces, imperialism would not stand a chance.
Further, with a united People’s Armed Forces, the nation can finally resolve one last insurgency that has continued to bar the country’s road toward peace and prosperity — that of foreign interference in Mindanao. Should that fateful day come, the shameless alliance between the US, Great Britain and Malaysia, and their patsy Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) can be ended with finality, along with those demeaning “peace talks” held in a foreign land, under the watchful eyes of those who yearn lasciviously to swallow the riches of this nation’s southern islands and seas.
The NDF should thus learn from its debacle in 2008 when it was seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US and British ambassadors (like godparents), ready to sanctify the unholy pact between Gloria Arroyo’s government and the MILF to establish the BangsaMoro Juridical Entity.
Everyone should know that the MILF, an organization that was given its second birth after sending that wimpish, subservient letter to former US President George “Dubya” Bush, is nothing but an insult to the movement against global imperialism.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “ARMM Hocus PCOS;” visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our select radio and GNN shows)
Herman Tiu Laurel
3/11/2011
The Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP)-New People’s Army (NPA)-National Democratic Front (NDF) combined should declare a unilateral end to its war against the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and instead focus on enlightening the soldiers of our Republic on their true role of “protecting the people.” This longstanding war is but a distraction from the real one that must be waged by all — the war against imperialism.
This war, directed at Western powers eager to regain their dominance either through an expanded Nato (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) role or by other means, will be a boon to all Third World countries that have successfully struggled to break free from the stranglehold of neo-colonialism.
Thus, “peace talks” between the NDF and the GRP (Government of the Republic of the Philippines) not only distract but also perpetuate the lie of Western governments’ “peace mediation,” making them appear to have better intentions to obfuscate from the real tyranny of their imperialistic oppression.
This article is a fruit of my discussion with an underground cadre who admitted his dilemma over the AFP-NPA war. When an NPA fighter is killed, his immediate and extended families ache for revenge; likewise, when an AFP soldier dies at the hands of the NPA, his entire clan also seeks to avenge his death. It turns out that both sides of similarly impoverished families only become much poorer after their heads of families are killed.
The recurrent peace talks between the government and the communist rebels simply stretch out this futile and self-defeating struggle that deepens the devastation of this country. Instead of harnessing precious resources and human energy, and instead of strengthening our national resolve to break the shackles of those lecherous international bankers and their local oligarchic partners, what has really been accomplished to date?
The NDF Web site itself exposes the farce of the peace talks as murders of members or supporters of the Left continue to be perpetrated, such as that of Rody Dejos and his son Rody Rick in Santa Cruz, Davao del Sur; or that of Bayan Muna activist Rodel Estrallado in Bicol, among many others; vice-versa the ambush of the Eastern Samar Regional Mobile Group, killing its police team leader and wounding three others. And even as peace talks with government resume, NDF consultant Alan Jazmines is arrested. The list just goes on and on.
Meanwhile, some of the best and brightest of our young countrymen are sacrificed to the altar pyre of this war, such as the much publicized Mindanao State University scholar-turned-NPA guerilla Kemberly Jul Luna, aged 21, who died in an AFP-NPA clash in Bukidnon last year. How many more of such valuable lives must be wasted before the NDF’s leaders can rise above their war obsession and farcical peace talks?
In the meantime, lots of time — years, decades, nearly half-a-century — is lost. If only the intelligence and articulation of such valuable talents such as Kemberly were utilized in educating the masses and the AFP rank-and-file to deny the imperialists, neo-colonialists, and oligarchs the coercive arm to impose their exploitative and oppressive socio-economic system, the AFP could have become the weapon of the people. This, even before Latin American countries found their Hugo Chavez, who became Venezuelan president and started the wave of progressive victories in that continent, from Bolivia’s Evo Morales, to Argentina’s Nestor Kirchner, Brazil’s Lula da Silva, Ecuador’s Rafael Correa, and Paraguay’s Fernando Lugo.
A unilateral declaration by the CPP-NPA-NDF of the end of its war against the AFP and a call for unity with the Armed Forces to fight the common enemy of imperialism will be a dramatic elevation of its stature in the eyes of the Filipino people. It will also be a shock to the AFP that has the real potential of triggering a paradigm shift among the rank-and-file and idealistic young officers. They will definitely be liberated from their paranoia against the NPA and be free to reflect on their ironic situation of being defenders of a system that does not serve their families’ interests while dedicating their efforts toward building the nationalist corps.
The best and the brightest of the NDF youth, in turn, may start joining the PMA (Philippine Military Academy) and be part of rebuilding the officers’ training institution into a nationalist school instead of a careerist breeding ground. With a united People’s Armed Forces, imperialism would not stand a chance.
Further, with a united People’s Armed Forces, the nation can finally resolve one last insurgency that has continued to bar the country’s road toward peace and prosperity — that of foreign interference in Mindanao. Should that fateful day come, the shameless alliance between the US, Great Britain and Malaysia, and their patsy Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) can be ended with finality, along with those demeaning “peace talks” held in a foreign land, under the watchful eyes of those who yearn lasciviously to swallow the riches of this nation’s southern islands and seas.
The NDF should thus learn from its debacle in 2008 when it was seen standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the US and British ambassadors (like godparents), ready to sanctify the unholy pact between Gloria Arroyo’s government and the MILF to establish the BangsaMoro Juridical Entity.
Everyone should know that the MILF, an organization that was given its second birth after sending that wimpish, subservient letter to former US President George “Dubya” Bush, is nothing but an insult to the movement against global imperialism.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 6 to 7 p.m. on 1098AM; TNT with HTL, Tuesday, 8 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8, on the “ARMM Hocus PCOS;” visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our select radio and GNN shows)
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