Behind the propaganda DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/12/2010

Behind the propaganda

DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 07/12/2010 If only the nation could see through the propaganda, it would be obvious to one and all that the kind of government we are seeing today is nothing but a continuation of the anti-people, pro-oligarchy, and pro-Western regimes of Corazon Aquino, Fidel Ramos and Gloria Arroyo. Just watch closely how a few days after the presidential inauguration, one of the key economic and financial managers of PeNoy Aquino, budget and Management chief Butch Abad, already turned around and announced that the 2010 budget deficit will be increasing from Gloria’s 3.6 percent to PeNoy’s 3.9 percent! At the same time, even as the Arroyo-appointed board at the PNOC-EC, which owns 10 percent of Malampaya, had previously delayed the sale of those shares (which Joseph Estrada as president had acquired for government), PeNoy’s Cesar Purisima is now saying that such shares are also “on the table” (i.e. ready to be sold along with two other state assets). The expected revenues from selling the 10 percent share of government would fetch up to P16 billion, an amount that is ridiculous considering that this natural gas asset remitted P13 billion in revenues from royalties and other incomes in 2008 alone. The pressure to sell these government shares invariably come from foreign energy companies. Like all previous government finance managers usually backed by international bankers and multilateral financial institutions, the issue of the national budget deficit is regularly invoked to press the sale. We are therefore not surprised that the Budget and Finance secretaries of PeNoy seem to be in a coordinated play to justify the sale of extremely profitable government assets again, including the Food Terminal Inc. in Taguig, as well as our nation’s properties in Japan. Shell Philippines Exploration BV, developer of the Malampaya natural gas wells, has by now fully recovered its investment of $4.5 billion after operating for the past decade. This is therefore the time that the Philippines should be negotiating for a substantially larger share of the project. It is certainly not the time to sell if government is thinking of the public good. If the Filipino people do not awake from the trance of “wang-wang” and “PNoy” which the mainstream print and broadcast media are feeding into the public’s subconscious, the vested interests moving in for the kill will finally succeed in this swindle of the century. PeNoy Aquino may also turn out to be the final villain in this Malampaya saga, with the ruling oligarchs behind Shell Philippines and their propaganda for him becoming instrumental in his infamy. The propaganda to make PeNoy into the “humble, uncomplaining, incorruptible” PNoy is deliberately being generated to overshadow and drown out discussions on vital issues of strategic importance to the public. This is one way to “manufacture consent” as noted linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist and political activist Noam Chomsky has often written about. He explains: “I think there is a good reason the propaganda system works that way. It recognizes that the public will not support the actual policies. Therefore it is important to prevent any knowledge or understanding of them.” The same people behind Gloria Arroyo and, now, PeNoy Aquino are still doggedly after the total conquest, occupation, and usurpation of all the wealth of this nation. PeNoy’s Cabinet secretaries’ reversals on the budget deficit and full Malampaya privatization are just some of the glaring examples of the continuation of Arroyo’s disastrous policies. Another one has to do with recent pronouncements on the unconstitutional Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD). The duplicity behind the MoA-AD’s near-consummation was a major issue against Gloria. PeNoy was supposed to offer a departure from that and a hope for a reversal of the previous regime’s policy of appeasement. But in an interview with Ces Drilon on ANC’s The Rundown, PeNoy’s Peace Process chief Ging Quintos Deles even praised that piece of high treason as well-intentioned and designed to benefit the Mindanaoans, but which lacked only in transparency. When pressed for details, such as the US Embassy’s undue interest on the matter, Deles could only say that in such sensitive issues she has learned not to open her mouth too much, which in itself is a denial of openness and transparency. Let me note that Deles and her husband have lived largely on foreign governments’ and foundations’ projects and funds, such as the Canadian International Development Agency. Ging Deles’ deliberate ambiguity is just a new approach to duplicity; thus, we can expect the PeNoy government to use his so-called “political capital” from his Hocus-PCOS “victory” plus the constant barrage of propaganda to finally consummate the MoA-AD. There are more duplicities hiding behind ambiguities: The pursuit of evidence on Gloria Arroyo’s many alleged crimes, including the Fertilizer Fund scam, through a toothless Truth Commission led by a dubious chairman, defended and reaffirmed by PeNoy Aquino himself. Another major issue is the wanton abandon with which the energy companies are raising power rates. The Philippine Electricity Market Corp., for starters, is already seeking a three-fold increase of its fees for “governance and market” operations in the energy market — an additional overhead in privatization that very few know about. Yet little, if any, public discussion initiated by government has come up about this major manipulation in the energy market. Why then is this policy of silence being continued by PeNoy Aquino? It certainly feels like these are just a foretaste of more insidious propaganda from the PeNoy regime. Could this be why there was that compelling need to form a fortified propaganda war room in the guise of a presidential communications group? (Tune in to 1098AM, Sulo ng Pilipino, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.; Destiny Cable Channel 21, Talk News TV — Infowars Edition, Tuesday, 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on “Election Annulment” with Gov. Bono Adaza and Engr. H.R. Estrella; also visit http://hermantiulaurel.blogspot.com)  (Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu- Laurel) Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100712com4.html

COMMENTARY EDITORIAL Fumbling Palace men FRONTLINE Resurrecting EO 464 ENQUIRY The Senate presidency DIE HARD III Behind the propaganda FEATURE New York lights fire under city’s smokers LETTER Calling Agence France Presse HE SAYS Cleaning up a mess SHE SAYS Fertile minds