A lie, repeated often enough, will end up as truth.
- Dr Paul Joseph Goebbels
Hitler's Minister of Propaganda (1933-1945)
I am very busy these days but I can’t help but dish out some thoughts regarding the brouhaha called the NBN Scandal. An assortment of witnesses is coming out one by one and seems to be dishing out bombs distributed over time in order keep the public talking about it. Looking at it in terms of warfare, what we are seeing here is a prolonged bombing strategy intended to soften the targets before launching the final assault. This campaign is reminiscent of the last two wars in Iraq.
In the Dessert Storm, General Norman Schwarzkopf ran a month long bombing campaign while flanking his forces deep into Iraq in a final strategy called the “Hail Mary” that lasted only for 100 hours. During the campaign to oust Saddam, the US rained hell on Iraq before sending in the troops using a basically the same strategy now very popularly known as “Shock and awe”.
In the Philippines today, what is happening is a variation of the two campaigns except that the public is only seeing the propaganda aspect of it. Like an audience in a stage play, they are only seeing what the directors are showing. The bigger play is happening in the back stage.
In one side of this campaign, witnesses are lined up, dates are set, bombs timed and things are being set into motion. With Durano’s revelation that Lacson’s chief of staff is a close friend of Lozada’s brother and that they have been planning this since August, I am not at all surprised that this things are happening. And if that is the case, the street protests, withdrawal of support and possible military component is probably being worked on.
Of course, there may be truth to the allegations against GMA and corruption may actually be taking place. But one thing that we should never forget is that stalwarts of the Estrada led opposition, Escudero, Lacson and now Cayetano et al. are the ones leading the charge in the senate, the others are in the streets and one of the godfather’s, Erap has started to come out to lead the attack.
Let us remember that in contrast to GMA, Erap has been convicted of widespread corruption. Having spent only 880 days in Malacanang, he was he was proven guilty of having amassed P4,097,804,173.17 or P4.6 million per day. That is discounting the other charges that the prosecutors decided not to pursue, being so confident of winning a conviction in the first two cases.
Last weekend, the opposition Godfather Erap, bragged that none of the government dealings of his regime was ever tainted of corruption. With the media replaying this statement again and again, the public is being made to believe that this is true. This part of the strategy is nothing new, it was a theory so effectively used by Hitler, through Joseph Goebbels.
But what are the facts? Isn’t it that Erap was guilty of:
- misappropriating, converting and misusing for his gain and benefit public fund in the amount of ONE HUNDRRED THIRTY MILLION PESOS (P130,000,000.00), more or less, representing a portion of the One Hundred Seventy Million Pesos (P170,000,000.00) tobacco excise tax share allocated for the Province of Ilocos Sur under R.A. No. 7171, in conspiracy with co-accused Charlie ‘Atong’ Ang, Alma Alfaro, Eleuterio Tan a.k.a Eleuterio Ramos Tan or Mr. Uy, and Jane Doe a.k.a. Delia Rajas, as witnessed by Gov. Luis ‘Chavit’ Singson, among other witnesses; and
- (c) directing, ordering and compelling the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Social Security System (SSS) to purchase and buy a combined total of 681,733,000 shares of stock of the Belle Corporation in the aggregate gross value of One Billion Eight Hundred Forty-Seven Million Five Hundred Seventy Eight Thousand Fifty Seven Pesos and Fifty Centavos (P1,847,578,057.50), for the purpose of collecting for his personal gain and benefit, as in fact he did collect and receive the sum of ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY NINE MILLION SEVEN HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (P 189,700,000.00), as commission from said stock purchase; and
What do the two statements mean?
a) He took P150 million out of the P180 M of tobacco taxes.
b) He used the SSS/GSIS money for gambling purposes in the stock market. In Pilipino- “Ipinang sugal ang pera ng gobyerno”
There are so many other things that Erap is guilty of, here’s the court decision to enlighten us all. That is one big problem. If GMA is a plunderer, the opposition which is trying to oust her, is by itself led by a confirmed and unrepentant plunderer.
Isn’t it strange that they are also asking for the ouster of the mandated successor, the Vice President (VP)? They allege that since he is not lifting a hand against her, he should be taken out, as well.
Logic dictates that the VP’s silence is the most proper thing to do. With him about to benefit from the president’s downfall, any attempt for him to lead the opposition will make him look like a power grabber. One thing should always be remembered. Even if we have doubts to the VP’s ability to lead the government, he is and should be the successor, should anything happen. That is a truth that is as clear as the sun, which the opposition is trying to shield our eyes from.
The opposition is taking out the VP because he is no puppet of theirs. What they are doing is nothing but an attempt to bring back the old days. When the first order of the day was to persecute political opponents and reward friends, pardon convicted criminal friends, a hero’s burial for the Apo at the Libingan ng mga Bayani, etc, etc...
The best strategy for the people is to be vigilant and keep on sending crooks to jail, while awaiting the likes of Mar Roxas and the younger ones to become ripe. Hopefully, by 2010, they will be. Let us be careful in believing the opposition, they’re as tainted as the people they are trying to depose.
One thing for GMA, though… Take heed! The people is running out of patience. The end is near… As Shaekespeare once wrote,
"All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances.."
You will only be remembered only for your exit, for your entrance happened a long time ago.
2 comments:
erap would be at the interfaith rally at makati tomorrow. that's one scary event if you ask me.
JC,
I am terribly impressed and overwhelmed by the gullibility and stupidity of the educated classes who are supposedly enlightened and discerning. Falling all over themselves in trying to outdo each other in superlative praise of the liar and deceiver Jun Lozada. Cory Aquino compared Lozada to Ninoy Aquino (somebody should have taken her word immediately as full authority to shoot Lozada dead right there and then), while Bishop Bacani compared Lozada to Jesus Christ (the comparison must have made Jesus twist in the wind while hanging on the cross).
Lozada is a puppet and consummate operator of Panfilo Lacson, and probably Jamby Madrigal. We know this from their own admissions in meeting Lozada in December 2007 before his supposed trip to London (to visit the queen, like himself). Who, in turn, is handling Lacson? Does he operate alone? I doubt it. I suspect Lacson takes orders from the Americans, as well as financial and material assistance. Lacson’s sources of secret information are his contacts at the ISAFP and the PNP, both well-stocked with American equipment, training, funding, advice, and junkets. The arrest and jailing of Lacson’s close associates (Michael Ray Aquino & Aragoncillo) in the U.S. may be the Americans’ way of keeping Lacson under tight leash.
The overall American objective is to destabilize GMA’s government a bit to keep her off balance, but not yet to topple her.
The Americans are busy doing serious colonial work in Mindanao under the pretext of helping the Philippines fight international terrorism. George W. Bush received a letter from the late MILF head Hashim Salamat in 2003 requesting that the MILF territory be placed under the protection of the United States. The Americans took some time thinking about that before they decided to act on it. What an opportunity for them to have an Asian Muslim group as cover for their imperial ambitions in Asia. The invitation also serves to keep the central government deathly worried about territorial dismemberment. The Americans play Muslim Filipinos against their non-Muslim overlords. Philippine marines have found to their horror that Muslim rebels have better firepower in the battlefield – thanks to America the protector. Americans doubt GMA’s obedience and canine devotion to American policies since she pulled out Filipino soldiers from Iraq, entered into defense agreements with China, and ignored the American bid for the NBN contract (awarding it to ZTE of China). The American ambassador, Kristie Kenney, can even enter MILF territory like a proconsul, but not the Philippine President. Shows you who the real boss is in the Philippines.
So all this noise we hear may have its origins at the U.S. embassy. Ambassador Kenney says Washington is closely watching current political events. She’s lying, of course. The truth is, Washington is watching the results of its own interference in the internal affairs of the Philippines.
Nevertheless, GMA will not be forced out of office at this time due to the following:
1.The Americans are not supporting the ouster move;
2.There is no compelling reason for ordinary people to support leaders of the ouster move. No great moral outrage over an obvious injustice like Ninoy Aquino’s murder on a clear day, or a blatant attempt to suppress evidence as in Erap Estrada’s impeachment trial.
3.No credible leaders at hand to lead a moral charge for change.
4.No obvious benefits visible for ordinary people to sacrifice themselves.
By the way, I just noticed today your comments on my post about the Philippines and the response you gave to the mysterious wordwarlock. He has no blog listed and no post, so I guess someone's monitoring me. Anyway, thanks for responding. He issued another argument tonight in answer to your response but I chose to ignore it. I suggest you do the same. See if you can spread the info above. --Durano, done!
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