Pinoy Coffee

FACTUAL BASIS FOR NATIONAL EMERGENCY SEEMS SOLID

2006-04-02T00:10:00.000+08:00

I read an opinion article from Inquirer from a man who was shocked to learn that there was really an attempted coup last February 2006, based on the stories written by Bergonia. I was not surprised about that coup because the government leaders are plainly saying that there was an aborted attempt to capture power. Bergonia's story confirms what the government and military authorities have been saying all along. Besides that a news article in Inquirer a few days ago revealed that the NPA people admitted that they are "talking" with military people about joining or collaborating together. All of these prove that there is a factual basis for the declaration of PP1017 and that opposition claims are all unfounded and false. I am happy that the coup did not succeed otherwise we would have no more freedoms today.

Why the coup d’état failed
Mar 30, 2006
Updated 01:43am (Mla time)
Inquirer

I WAS shocked but relieved to read the Inquirer news story “Now it can be told: Why ‘withdrawal’ plot failed” by Tony S. Bergonia. (Inquirer, 3/11/06)

So some military men really staged a coup! It might have been bloodless like the one staged by Gen. Angelo Reyes in 2001, but it was a coup just the same. Some people may call it “withdrawing support from the chain of command.” But, to all intents and purposes, it was a coup.

The story did not mention the civilians involved. But there must have been a civilian component that could have provided the coup with a semblance of legitimacy by way of “people power.” Thanks to Divine Providence, the coup did not succeed. A military-led government, even for a short time, would result in large-scale violence, even a civil war.

Allowing the military to take control of the highest political authority is a very dangerous gamble. It is believed that some members of the military advocate anti-Christian and anti-Catholic ideologies. If these people gained political power, they might use it to persecute the [Catholic] Church, subtly in the beginning but violently later.

Moreover, a military takeover is unconstitutional, even if done with good and noble intentions. Besides, what is the guarantee that a military rule will indeed be short as the plotters vowed theirs would be? Political power has a dazzling effect that can render ethically blind those who hold it.

Bergonia’s story was enlightening. It gave us one more reason to thank God. I am convinced that God always takes care of the only Christian country in the Far East. - MANUEL FELIX G. ABEJO JR. (via e-mail) - ©2006 www.inq7.net

Plugging the holes at Customs

2006-03-16T16:02:00.000+08:00

The need to plug the big leak hole at Philippine Customs bureau

I came across a special report from the The Manila Times that describes the kinds and magnitude of corruption at the Philippine Bureau of Customs. It seems that we are losing more than 30 to 50 billion pesos every year due to corruption inside that bureau. I am just amaze at the scale of such dishonesty and to the fact that such corruption has been going on openly there without senior government officials putting a stop to it.
I encourage you to also read or browse the said Manila Times special report

This points for a clear need to reform and improve our collection efficiency, particularly in this portion of the government. Imagine how classrooms, roads, health clinics and bridges can be built from that 50 billion pesos that we could have earned if we have an honest Customs bureau.

Flimsy alibis of politicians

2006-03-14T20:06:00.000+08:00

Flimsy alibis

I was glued to the TV that night, watching the standoff of the Marines. I was so disappointed with some opposition people like Cory, Biazon and Guingona. Cory mentioned more than 3 times over the air that the only reason she wants to go to Fort Bonifacio is to pray. I said aloud: "but you can pray at your home, or in the church. Why go to such frayed up place like Fort Bonifacio. It was very clear that was a cover-up, an alibi. Real reason was that she wants to become a rallying point or core magnet to attract people to that place. What a disappointing attitude? In a way, she is supporting rebellion and mutiny among the ranks of soldiers. I was so glad that she was stopped by police on the way. I was glad that people did not heed her and stayed at home.

Guingona was also pathetic, saying that he was a citizen and he wanted to keep his rights by being in the military base. But that's a lot of baloney! He is a civilian and he has no business staying in that base. Biazon's presence is more annoying and disturbing, though he claims he wants to pacify the troops, and I don't really believe that was his real motives.

The point is that citizens should not support any kind of military uprising or armed rebellion or mutiny, whatever the reason that triggered it. We should keep our military insulated from politics and encourage it to become a professional military.

I am thouroughly disappointed by our opposition politicians.

Open Letter to Our Leaders

2006-03-13T20:18:00.000+08:00

Open Letter to Our Leaders

I recently found a blog of a fellow Pinoy, Bong Austero, that represents much of my own views of what's going on in the Philippines. Although I don't agree with some of his views, over-all, I am in agreement with most of them. Below is a reprint of the full blog, which can be found http://bongaustero.blogspot.com

***************************************
Blog of Bong Austero
Monday, February 27, 2006
Open Letter To Our Leaders

Dear Tita Cory, Senators, Congressmen, Businessmen, Media
people, Leftists, and all Bleeding Hearts Out There:

I am angry. And I know that there are many out there who
are angrier than I am for the same reason. And that reason
is simple. I am sick and tired of all you guys claiming to
speak for me and many Filipinos. I feel like screaming
every time you mouth words about fighting for my freedom
and my rights, when you obviously are just thinking about
yours.

You tell me that the essence of democracy is
providing every citizen the right to speak his or her mind
and make his or her own informed judgments, but you
yourselves do not respect my silence and the choices I and
many others have made. In other words, your concept of
democracy is limited to having your rights and your
freedoms respected, at the expense of ours.
I am utterly flabbergasted that you still do not get it: we
already responded to your calls, and our response has been
very clear - we chose not to heed your calls to go to EDSA
or to Fort Bonifacio not because we do not love our country
or our freedoms or our rights, but precisely because we
love our country even more.

Because quite frankly, we are
prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move
this country forward. You may think that is not correct,
you can tell me all the dire warnings about the evils of
authoritarian rule, but quite frankly all we see is your
pathetic efforts to prop up your cause. You tell me that
you are simply protecting my freedoms and my rights, but
who told you to do that? I assure you that when I feel that
my rights and my freedoms are at a peril, I will stand up
and fight for them myself.

You tell us that GMA is not the right person to lead this
country because she has done immoral acts. As someone who
sees immorality being committed wantonly in many ways every
day and by everyone (yes, including the ones you do), I may
have become jaded. But you have not been able to offer me
any viable alternative, while GMA has bent over backwards
many times to accommodate you while continuing to work hard
despite all the obstacles and the brickbats you have thrown
her way.

From where I sit, she is the one who has been
working really hard to move this country forward while all
of you have been so busy with one and only one thing: to
make sure she does not succeed. So forgive me if I do not
want to join you in your moral pissing contest. Forgive me
if I have chosen to see things from another perspective.

You say she is the problem. I say, we are the problem, more
to the point, I think you are a bigger problem than she is.
Taking her out may solve part of the problem, but that
leaves us with a bigger problem: you. That is right, YOU!

While I felt outraged that she called a Comelec official
during the elections and that she may have rigged the
elections, I have since then taken the higher moral ground
and forgiven her. Yes my dear bishops, I have done what you
have told me to do since I was a child, which you say is
the Christian and moral thing to do: forgive. Especially
since she has asked for forgiveness and has tried to make
amends for it. Erap certainly has not apologized and
continues to be defiant, continuing to insult us everyday
with his protestations. Cory has not apologized for her
incompetence but we have forgiven her just the same because
like GMA, she has worked hard after all.

I know you do not think that GMA's apology was not enough,
or that she was insincere, or that that apology should not
be the end of it, but please spare me the hypocrisy of
telling me that you do so for the sake of protecting the
moral fibre of society. The real reason is because you
smell blood and wants to go for the kill.

Well, I have news for you. I do not like her too. I did not
even vote for her. I voted for Raul Roco. But as much as I
do not like her, I do not like you even more. I may not
trust her, but guess what, I do not trust you even more.

You know why? Because all you do is whine and sabotage this
country. You belittle every little progress we make,
conveniently forgetting that it is not just GMA who has
been working so hard to achieve them. Every single day, we
keep the faith burning in our hearts that this country will
finally pull itself out of the mess and we work so hard to
do that. Every little progress is the result of our
collective effort, we who toil hard everyday in our jobs.
Yet, you persist in one and only thing: making GMA look bad
in the eyes of the world and making sure that this country
continues to suffer to prove your sorry point. In the
process, you continue to destroy what we painstakinly try
to built. So please do not be surprised that I do not share
your cause. Do not be surprised that we have become
contemptuous of your antics. You have moved heaven and
earth to destroy her credibility, you have convened all
kinds of fora and hearings and all you have done is test
our patience to the core.

For all your effort, you have
only succeeded in dragging us further down. I say enough.
Don't get me wrong. I am not asking that we take immorality
lying down, or that we let the President get away with
anything illegal. But you have tried to prove your
accusations all these time and you have not succeeded, so
it is time to let things be. Besides, you are doing
something immoral as well if not utterly unforgivable. The
Magdalo soldiers are consorting with the communists - the
same people who have been trying to kill democracy for
years. Cory has been consorting with Erap and the Marcoses.

So please wake up and take a reality check. In the absence
of true and genuine moral leadership, many of us have
decided to cast our lot with the President, even if we do
not like her. A flawed leader is better than scheming power
hungry fools who can not even stand up for their
convictions in the face of an impending arrest.
Your coup attempts and the denials that you have
consequently made only underscore what we think is true:
you are spineless and unreliable people whose only defense
is to cry suppression when your ruse do not work. You are
like bullies who taunt and provoke, but cry oppression when
taken to task for your cruelty.

I would have respected you if you took the consequences of
your actions like real heroes: calmly and responsibly
instead of kicking and screaming and making lame excuses.

You say you are willing to die for us, that you do all
these things for the country and the Filipino, but you are
not even willing to go to jail for us.

Come on, you really think we believe that you did not want
to bring down the government when that is the one and only
thing you have been trying to do in the last many months?
We love this country and we want peace and progress. Many
among us do not give a f*&k who sits at Malacanang because
we will work hard and do our share to make things work. If
you only do your jobs, the ones that we elected you to do,
things would be a lot simpler and easier for every one.

The events during the weekend only proved one thing. You
are more dangerous and a serious threat to this country
than GMA is. We have seen what you are capable of doing -
you are ready to burn this country and reduce everything to
ashes just to prove your point. If there is something that
we need protection from, it is protection from you.

Justification for PP1017

2006-03-07T19:26:00.000+08:00

Justification for PP1017?? Most of the newspaper and mass media blow up the opinions of many oppositionists that there was no sufficient basis for the GMA's declaration of the state of national emergency. How can they say that when they don't have full access to all the inteliigence information gathered by the police and military authorities. Even the Supreme Court can not pass judgement on whether there is sufficient basis in fact for the President declaring such
emergency because that is the prerogative of the Executive.

I fully disagree with the views of many opposition figures that it has no sufficient basis. I am incline to believe what the government officials are saying that there was a real danger and risk of a coup that was to take place two weeks ago. That was clearly evidenced by the attempt of Colonel Querubin to call for people power in Fort Bonifacio. Most ordinary Filipinos I talked to also give credence to the statements of the government and defer to the good judgement of the Executive. The President was also correct in saying that a power grab
by communists and rightist-soldiers will result to the loss of freedoms for Filipinos, which the oppositionists do not see or understand. Honestly, I am tired of the oppositionists one-side view of things. I am also tired of media's one-sided, unbalanced views.

Introduction

2006-03-07T16:39:00.000+08:00

Hello, this is "Pinoy Coffee" - my online alias name. This blog is intended to give out and publish my own humble views on what is happening in the social, political and economic spheres in the Philippines. I am a Filipino citizen, a freelance international consultant, and I am deeply concerned about what's going on. Remember, they are my own personal view of things.... Keep tuned...