mongster's nest

- disturbing fantasies, traumatic verses, definitely mongrel thoughts

 

Losing the war

Max Soliven wants the government to apply the F-strategy against the communist rebels: Find them, Fight them, Finish them.

A blogger-lawyer wants to migrate to Canada because the Reds may emerge as the dominant political force in the country.

The Inquirer editorial wonders why insurgency is thriving in this country despite the downfall of communist regimes in Russia and Eastern Europe.

Though not surprising, the misinformed middle class and the notable reactionaries are spewing more than the usual anti-communist venom in the media lately.

Indeed, the rebels are showing impressive strength in the battlefield. But I think it is inaccurate to compare the strength of the rebels to what they attained in the 80s.

I sense a brooding plot in the way reactionaries are exaggerating the influence of communists today. They may be conditioning the minds of the public to support a total war campaign by the government. The last time we were made to believe about the creeping dominance of the communists in Philippine society, the government of Aquino unleashed a violent offensive which affected the lives of millions. Vigilantes were funded and human rights violations surpassed even the Marcos record.

The sensible solution to the insurgency is to address poverty and injustice. There is no way the military can defeat guerilla warfare. This is one the reasons why the Philippine communist movement has endured throughout the years.

Ho Chi Minh provided the best argument why war machines cannot defeat a guerilla army. He once mentioned that the Indochina war is a war between an elephant and a tiger…

“…If the tiger ever stands still, the elephant will crush him with his mighty tusks. But the tiger does not stand still. He lurks in the jungle by day and emerges by night. He will leap upon the back of the elephant, tearing huge chunks from his side, and then he will leap back into the dark jungle. And slowly, the elephant will bleed to death.”

Poverty and guerilla-based struggle help sustain the oldest insurgency in Asia. Is it also a factor that Filipinos are known for launching revolutions which could last for many decades? Remember Dagohoy?

That the rebels are winning the war is not really shocking news. What is astonishing is the sinister motive of reactionaries in scaring the people about the communist invasion so that the government can proceed in eliminating, not poverty, but the poor.


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Attention: Sign the online petition against the proposed Charter Change.

View my pictures in the Oust Gloria Fashion protest. Sino kamukha ko?

posted by: mongpalatino at January 25, 2006 12:39 | link | comments (2) |
reds

Shall we dance the Cha-Cha?

Our group invited former UP Law Dean and Inquirer columnist Dr. Raul Pangalangan to enlighten us about the proposed charter change of the government.

Here are some of his interesting insights:

He warned about the ‘transitory provisions’ in the Concom recommendations. It is the same Marcos tactic which was used to extend his term and broaden his powers.

He admitted that the 1987 Constitution has many defects but he also pointed out that since it was a product of a democratic struggle against the dictatorship, it also contains many provision to ‘safeguard our democracy.’

The people who drafted the said Charter ‘romanticized democracy’ when they guaranteed the empowerment of the people by including a provision which would allow the amendment of the Charter through direct initiative.

And the Arroyo political strategists are taking advantage of this clause to ensure the success of their plan. They have given up hope in getting the support of the Senate. Their tactic now is to argue that the people are clamoring for a Cha-Cha.

But this tactic failed in 1997 when the Supreme Court rejected the proposed Cha-Cha of Ramos and his NGO (PIRMA). What inspires the Arroyo gang to repeat this risky tactic?

Dr. Pangalangan explained that it was Chief Justice Davide who penned the 1997 decision rejecting the Cha-Cha. Davide had two major arguments:

1. PIRMA should first prove that it already has the signature of 12 percent of the electorate. It should not go to the Court so that the latter will ask the COMELEC to hold a plebiscite and determine if Cha-Cha has the support of the people;

2. Davide reminded PIRMA that the Constitution can be amended through direct initiative as provided by law. Where is that law, Davide asked. He said the ‘Initiative law’ passed by Congress is inadequate.

The first argument of Davide was unanimously supported by the Supreme Court members. But the second argument divided the Justices. Even Sen. Roco who was against the Cha-Cha could not accept the second argument since he was the author of the Initiative law in Congress and he reminded Davide that no law is inadequate; it is either valid or invalid.

The Arroyo camp may be encouraged by the fact that Davide is already retired and the incumbent Chief Justice and his rival (Panganiban and Puno) voted against Davide’s second argument back in 1997. The Arroyo camp is confident they can thrash the Davide doctrine and convince the Supreme Court to support the Cha-Cha through peoples’ initiative.

Dr. Pangalangan praised the strategists of GMA for being smart. He believes GMA is a winner whether we change the Constitution or not. The 1987 Constitution protects the term of GMA until 2010. But if Cha-Cha succeeds and we shift to parliamentary government next year, GMA can run again as Member of Parliament thus acquiring legitimacy to rule the country. The ‘Hello Garci’ scandal will be a non-issue since it refers only to GMA’s mandate in the 2004 elections.

Dr. Pangalangan observed that the Cha-Cha recommendations reflect the ‘divide and conquer’ strategy of GMA. He cited that the Left and business sector may be united against GMA but they will split over the Concom proposal to liberalize foreign investments in the country. Even GMA’s announcement to hold a plebiscite this June is a calculated move to deflect the attention of the people who are planning to file a new impeachment case against her.

Dr. Pangalangan is not enthusiastic over the proposed federal type of government. He believes it will only ratify the power of local warlords, inept hacienderos and village chieftains. He said the people and our culture are not yet ready for this kind of power structure. We should elect our leaders and accept the will of the majority.

(This partly explains why he became adviser of FPJ. In his own words: a Harvard doctorate degree holder supporting a high school dropout.)

Asked about what is the better way to change the Constitution, Dr. Pangalangan suggested that the Cha-Cha should ban GMA from running for public office. In this way, he is ready to study the Cha-Cha proposal in ‘its purest form and substance.’

But he is not confident even with his own suggestion. He remembered that the drafters of the 1973 Charter tried to ban Marcos from running for public office but money, big money was used to defeat that proposal.

Asked about what are the other controversial Concom recommendations, he mentioned the inclusion of the adjective “responsible” in the section about the right to have freedom of speech. He said this is dangerous since Congress will decide what is ‘responsible freedom of speech or assembly.’ He said that in the USA, the right to say FUCK is protected by the Constitution with the US Supreme Court even writing a poetic ruling recognizing the right of people to say the F-word.

Then Dr. Pangalangan remarked that the preamble in the 1987 Charter may be motherhood statements but it is anomalous for a government accused of lying, cheating and stealing to propose the deletion of the word ‘truth’ in that section.


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This week marks the fifth anniversary of my generation’s version of people power. UP Forum (the UP administration’s official newsletter) published the EDSA Dos narrative I wrote back in 2001.

posted by: mongpalatino at January 20, 2006 08:56 | link | comments |
nation

In defense of human rights

Last month, Miriam College invited me to speak about the role of the youth in advancing human rights in the country. Here is the text of my speech….

We don’t have to be old and boring in order to be human rights crusaders.

In fact, the least we can do is to add our voice in condemning the human rights violations we see everywhere.

We should not belittle our voice. Take note of the following: Young Filipinos aged 13-35 is almost 1/3 of the Philippine population. There are 2.5 million college students. Voters below 25 years old will comprise half of the voting population in the 2007 elections.

We are actually the single most powerful lobby group, and most of the time we are unaware of it.

We should use our special strength to influence public officials. We can ask lawmakers to pass a law banning torture or abolishing death penalty. We can pressure Congress not to pass the anti-terrorism bill.

As the most articulate and animated group in society, we can shape public opinion in favor of human rights promotion.

We can start with our schools. We can write term papers about police brutality or the unconstitutionality of the calibrated preemptive response policy of the State. We can join fact-finding teams organized by human rights groups. We can initiate a signature drive urging the President to relieve military officers accused of human rights abuses.

We can organize a field trip on human rights day to visit political detainees. We should be aghast that even today, when the days of colonizers, tyrants and dictators are said to be over, there are people who are still sent to jails because of their political beliefs and activities.

We should exert extra effort to involve the media in our advocacies. Media exposure assures that our target audience will be informed of our issues. The reason why politicians are now suddenly concerned about child prisoners is because the CNN featured this issue in its program. That is why we should write news editors, send feedback to TV programs, call radio shows and publish articles in our campus papers regarding the lamentable human rights situation in the country.

Our addiction to the fashionable gadgets of communication and learning can also be employed in the advancement of human rights. We have already demonstrated the power of texting to ridicule public officials. We even popularized the ‘Hello Garci’ ringtones. We can do more noble things with our trendy cellphones like developing text messages, MMS and ringtones to notify others about human rights activities. We can use our cameraphones to expose human rights abuses.

There is also no harm if from time to time we can pass relevant articles on democracy, environment and human rights to our friends. Aside from forwarding Pinoy Big Brother pictures, let us also email some images or statements about the killing of journalists, lawyers and activists in the country. Let us use our blogs, websites, online forum and chatrooms to raise concern about the creeping repression in our society.

Today it is forbidden to say something unpleasant about the President or else you will be called a destabilizer. The government even attempted to criminalize the possession of ‘Hello Garci’ CD. What’s next? Criminalize Gloria-Pidal text jokes? We should stop this madness. Or else we will wake up one day with a Big Brother government like Iran or China which bans dissident bloggers.

My appeal to all of you is to defy unjust authorities, defy unjust regulations.

If a school enforces obsolete academic and disciplinary regulations, then defy these policies.

If it is illegal to listen and disseminate the ‘Hello Garci’ recordings, then let us organize listening sessions in our communities and copy a hundred CDs for our Christmas gifts.

If rallies are no longer allowed near Malacanang, then let us join democracy walks in Recto.

We may be young and carefree but we know our rights.

posted by: mongpalatino at January 13, 2006 23:24 | link | comments (3) |
speeches

mining, riots and noli

Destroying the environment for a fee
This refers to the news article about the P10.7 million fine imposed by the government on an Australian firm for dumping wastewater in the Rapu-Rapu island of Albay.

The punishment for damaging our environment is too lenient. It took millions of years before nature can mold dynamic landscapes and water systems and yet they were easily destroyed by a mining firm.

Foreign firms extract millions of dollars from our finite mineral resources and when they spoil our fragile ecosystem we only charge them a fraction of what they earned from our land. Ten million pesos is a big amount in this country but if we convert them into US dollars, it is only worth two hundred thousand dollars.

We are unsympathetic to foreign drug pushers because they ruin the future of many young people. We should be more severe towards environment-wreckers because it is almost impossible to replace what they have taken from us, something which we hope will be enjoyed by the next generation of Filipinos.

What is more disappointing is the government decision to allow the Australian firm to resume its operation once it complied with very minimal conditions.

Is the ten million peso penalty a sincere warning to mining companies or is it a marketing blitz to entice big mining investors to come and exploit the mineral wealth of the Philippines? The government may be conveying a message to investors that if they destroy our environment, they will only be required to pay two hundred thousand dollars. And they are assured that they can resume mining operations once they fulfilled certain conditions.

The Philippines is indeed a “mining paradise.”

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EVAT could trigger Paris-like riots in Manila
Malacañang should think twice before increasing the Value Added Tax by two percentage points. This could unleash a violent outburst from the people who are already burdened with the rising cost of living in the country, especially in Metro Manila.

Malacañang should realize that the impressive performance of the peso was made possible by higher remittances from overseas Filipinos and not because the government raised the VAT last year.

That the people are reported to be optimistic regarding the economic prospects this year was more reflective of the jovial mood of Filipinos during the Christmas season than a gauge of the people’s confidence in the economic program of the government.

Glee may turn to glum when the people receive their bills in the next few weeks. No sooner would they realize that commodities and services are more expensive today then comes the government decision to raise VAT.

Malacañang should know better that economic hardship is always a recipe for social unrest. A government suffering from credibility problem then imposes higher taxes on its citizens is not only courting hatred but doom.

Imagine the riots that rocked the streets of Paris and Sydney last year. It’s not only racism, but more importantly, poverty which provoked the angry youths to commit violent activities. Such boldness to burn things and defy the laws could be generated in Manila once the higher VAT puts a toll in the lives of the people.

Malacañang should remember that the major uprisings in the country for the last thirty years occurred in the first half of the year. Remember the student revolt in 1970, People Power I and II, and the multitude of hungry and homeless people who attacked the Palace in May of 2001.

But Malacañang is ignoring all appeals and warnings not to impose a VAT increase. Perhaps it is encouraged by the apparent easiness which it dismissed all protests against a presidency hounded by electoral fraud and corruption issues.

Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo may have survived the last six months of 2005 but can its volatile political strength withstand the “first quarter storm” of 2006 once the VAT is increased?

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Noli’s mandate
According to Vice President Noli de Castro, he could not sever ties with Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because the mandate given to him by the Filipino people was to serve his term until the year 2010. He also boasted that he is too engrossed meeting the deadline of relocating informal settlers in Metro Manila that he has no time to pay attention to the demands of different groups that he also join the “Gloria Resign” movement.

Obviously, Mr. De Castro has forgotten that his original mandate is to serve as a lawmaker for six years. Midway to completing his term, he conveniently ignored the people’s mandate to be the running mate of then incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. When the “Hello Garci” scandal exploded, De Castro was seen and heard on TV declaring that he will follow what the people wants him to do.

After more than five months of lying and bullying by the Arroyo government, De Castro is still indifferent to the clamor for him to oppose a fake president. Known for articulating the pulse of the masses as a media commentator, De Castro is surprisingly ignoring the surveys, mass rallies and public indignation over the continued reign of a President who cheated in the elections. Perhaps because De Castro thinks he is as guilty as Arroyo?

De Castro should stop peddling his opportunist argument that he respects the will of the people. It is self-serving and abominable since he has chosen to continue his role as a defender (and beneficiary) of a regime who steal, cheat and lie without end.

And it is supremely ironic that this public servant who has the “people’s mandate” not only prefers to prop up a stinking regime, he is too busy finishing his term in order to displace more people from their homes in the name of progress. Is this Noli’s own grateful response to the mandate given to him by the people?

posted by: mongpalatino at January 10, 2006 12:06 | link | comments (1) |
nation

The cry of Bonifacio

80s joke: Why is Monumento the last station of LRT? Because Andres Bonifacio will strike them with bolo if they ever disturb his mighty monument in Caloocan.

But Bonifacio could not stop the construction of malls around his monument. Now, young Filipinos barely notice the Bonifacio shrine because they are attracted to the bright lights and funky music of the malls around Monumento.

The Liwasang Bonifacio is patronized by young lovers and activists. The Bonifacio sculpture beside the Manila city hall provides an aesthetic background to the passenger loading-unloading area in front of the monument. Meanwhile, the people are shopping in the nearby SM city (hall) Manila.

Where is SM City North EDSA? It’s in the 1st district of Quezon City, replied a teenager. Where is the Pugadlawin shrine? I don’t know, is it in Tondo, the answer from the teenager. Well, historians are still debating on the exact location of the “Cry” but the official marker is also in the 1st district of QC and very near to SM North.

You go to Divisoria to buy cheap goods and what a surprise, there is a Bonifacio shrine beside the malls. People think Bonifacio is the new attraction in Tutuban mall forgetting the historical significance of the place.

A small and nearly abandoned katipunero statue (or is it Bonifacio?) in Balintawak can be seen by motorists coming from the north Luzon expressway. The noise and stench coming from Balintawak market distract the attention of the motorists who barely remember they have just passed a Katipunan marker.

The popular Bonifacio shrines in Metro Manila are either surrounded by malls or inaccessible to the public and tourists. Is it a consolation that we may be disrespecting Bonifacio but at least his monuments are located in places visited by the masa population?

A province is named after Jose Rizal. I could not think of another major town or street named after Andres Bonifacio other than Bonifacio Avenue in Manila, the road leading to the North cemetery and the lechon district of the Philippines. So, is Bonifacio relevant to the dead and cholesterol-rich food that causes death to many Filipinos?

There is a Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, a big and profitable company. I asked friends if there is a big company named after the ‘great plebian’ and they can only refer the Bonifacio hardware in Manila.

There is a Knights of Rizal, and there is what for Bonifacio, Andres Bisaya?

Can you ever imagine a government official proposing the relocation of the Rizal monument? Well, the local government of Caloocan once thought of moving the Bonifacio shrine to another less crowded place.

Oh this is not an attempt to join the ongoing futile debate in the academe on whether who is more important between Rizal and Bonifacio. They are equally noble and worthy of emulation. They both desired and fought for national liberation.

But Bonifacio’s heroism is not only questioned by western historians (or is it Glenn May alone?). It is also unconsciously undermined by city planners, government officials and even the general public.

These are just trivial reflections from a fanciful mind while going around the streets of Manila during the holidays.

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New year's resolution: Review my Chinese language lessons, seriously study Mandarin again. The cable is just full of Chinese shows, and ofcourse Chinese influence in the world politics and economy should not be belittled.

posted by: mongpalatino at January 05, 2006 12:18 | link | comments (5) |
places