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An ‘oust oligarchs’ alliance DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 03/12/2012

Monday, March 12, 2012

An ‘oust oligarchs’ alliance

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
03/12/2012
The global “Occupy Movement” opened the struggle of the 99 percent disposed peoples of the world against the miniscule but powerful one percent that monopolize the globe’s wealth. That one percent is, of course, the oligarchy. Like the rest of the world, the Philippines has had its own share of oligarchs who mimic and implement the same paradigm of greed and exploitation that has dominated the world these past two and a half decades — since the time of Thatcherism and Reaganomics.

Even though the Philippines’ own oligarchs may have spats — real or make-believe — with one another once in a while, all of them will always stand united when it comes to exploiting and exhausting the wealth and resources of this nation for their fat bank accounts and megalomaniac egos.

At their core, these oligarchs are the centurions of the global oligarchy in the country, the local gatekeepers of finance capital holding rein through money politics and mass media control. And because of this, the people must recognize the need to oust this oligarchy in order to free this nation from the global masters determined to extract every bit of wealth and anima from us.

Just the other day, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) again had called for new taxes on the Filipino people. IMF mission leader to the Philippines Vivek Arora reasoned that it is required for “growth to be sustained over the medium term.” However, what they won’t say is that while the oligarchy revels at the government assets to be privatized for their benefit, as well as the taxes from the people that finance the bureaucracy implementing the global and domestic oligarchy’s will, the people suffer from over-taxation just so that both public and private sector debts can be financed.
 
As I picked up a copy of the credo of a giant bank’s training manual which says, “We believe in the central role that private enterprise plays in economic development,” it is pretty clear that minions are being brainwashed to execute an ideology of servitude to the oligarchy.

But pray tell us, is the United States of America, the Mecca of capitalism that allows Wall Street to be the central power in its economy, a shining example of economic development today? We have seen the US of A become an economic wasteland as neoliberal economists of the Reagan period transferred all power to private capital, which went on to seek profit for profit’s sake and against continuous development of that nation’s physical or “hard” industries, which then led private enterprises to shift to Third World labor to further increase their profits.

So, should the Third World celebrate this? Are people too naive to realize that the Philippine oligarchy has also tapped into the much bruited about business process outsourcing (BPO) sector?

Though prone to window dressing, there are times when correct views emanate from multilateral agencies, like that Asian Development Bank (ADB) study by F. Tech Tschang, Associate Professor of Strategic Management, stating that “the (Philippine) government should not rely on the (BPO) industry in dealing with the poverty situation in the country.”

Further, Norio Usui, ADB Philippines senior country economist, said the economy must “walk on two legs,” one being the services sector and the other, the industrial sector (particularly manufacturing) in order to achieve growth. Of course, we should add the all-important factor: Agricultural development toward food self-sufficiency.

Yet the Philippine oligarchy will have none of these since they are averse to investing in long gestation projects with substantial original capital (as opposed to borrowed capital using government “sovereign guarantees”).

Hence, private enterprise can never be the central engine in economic development. As the state (i.e. the people and their territory) is the genuine agent of the people’s aspirations and will, it is the ultimate source of all capital.

Witness several state-led economies (such as China, India, Venezuela, Brazil, Vietnam and Argentina) that have shown the way since the advent of the 21st Century: Have they not successfully established their own nation-state leadership paradigms, which the Philippines can learn from? So then, how do we make this work given the local oligarchy’s control of all institutions of state and government, not to mention its control of all mainstream tri-media instruments, as well as the educational system that shapes the minds of our youth?
Ironically, the greatest ally of the people and the nation-state centered leadership will be the oligarchs themselves. As their ideology of greed inflicts greater and greater suffering on the population, intra-oligarchy rivalries will soon arise.

In the interim, the challenge to the genuine leadership agents of the people is to maintain the audibility and visibility of their nationalist ideology and its promise of genuine change and benefit to the general welfare.
The first priority, therefore, is to consolidate the diverse forces that represent the nationalist ideology into an alliance. From there, a consistent message, image and leadership must find constant projection in all forms of national media.

Those alleged “retired military officers” plotting a supposed ouster of PeNoy would do well to consider not just booting out a single trapo but the entire oligarchy. They must also ensure that in the ensuing vacuum, all their efforts are in support of a nationalist leadership. Otherwise, the same domination from PeNoy and the oligarchy will remain. But no matter the great effort and sacrifice needed for this, we must remember that the time is now ripe. As the global and domestic situation mature toward an explosion of the people’s rage, we will hear more and more exclaim, “Patria o muerte, venceremos!”

(Tune in to 1098AM, dwAD, Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m.; watch Destiny Cable GNN’s HTL edition of Talk News TV, Saturdays, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11:15 p.m., on “Anti-large scale mining is pro-people;” visit http://newkatipunero.blogspot.com for our articles plus TV and radio archives)
(Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel)

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120312com5.html

Defense takes offensive EDITORIAL 03/12/2012

Defense takes offensive

EDITORIAL

Click to enlarge
03/12/2012
Now it is the turn of Chief Justice Renato Corona to make himself heard in the impeachment trial regarding a list of charges already aired and dried before the public but which his accusers were having a hard time proving their charges in the Senate court.

Corona has been making the rounds with media outlets during the 12-day break of the trial to match the publicity blast that the prosecution team has been employing against him since day one of the trial.
 
Looking silly are the prosecution propagandists, especially Noynoy, through his mouthpieces slamming Corona on his media interviews, and accusing him of “defense by publicity,” with even Noynoy and his spokesmen accusing the Chief Justice of conduct unbecoming a chief magistrate, while conveniently omitting the fact that their client, Noynoy, is certainly guilty of conduct unbecoming of a president, as he takes, to this day, every occasion to demonize the CJ..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120312com1.html

Is NATO luring Russia into summit trap?

Is NATO luring Russia into summit trap?

Washington’s election-year offer to share with Russia data on a US-built European missile defense system will likely fail to address Moscow’s objections to the project, a Russian security expert says.

Vladimir Kozin, a senior researcher at the Russian Institute of Strategic Studies (RISI), said Moscow’s lack of full membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) precludes the military bloc from data-sharing sensitive information with Russia..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/politics/putin-obama-nato-summit-missile-defense-301/

Fakebook: Bogus NATO chief spies on his top-level friends

Fakebook: Bogus NATO chief spies on his top-level friends


NATO commander James Stavridis has fallen victim to spies who created a fake profile on his behalf on Facebook and sent numerous “friend requests” to UK military chiefs. UK media suspect reams of acquired personal data have flown to China.

­The sham account for NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis is understood to have gathered a distinguished company of British high-level military officers and Ministry of Defense officials.

While one might not go looking for sensitive information on a social network like Facebook, the site can certainly give clues to passwords for classified files, as it stores dates of birth, phone numbers and hobbies. It could also help build blackmail or espionage profiles by disclosing names, family members and friends and tracking locations..... MORE
SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/nato-spies-facebook-china-319/

Cross to bear? UK denies Christians right to wear crucifix

Cross to bear? UK denies Christians right to wear crucifix


The British government asserts that Christians have no right to wear a cross or crucifix at work and is eager to prove it in court.

The case was initiated by two British women Nadia Eweida and Shirley Chaplin, after they were punished for refusing to take off their religious symbols.
 
Nadia Ewedia is a British Airways employee, who was asked to cover her cross while at work, and was placed on unpaid leave when she refused to do so. Shirley Chaplin is a nurse moved to a desk position after she refused to remove a crucifix..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/uk-bans-wearing-cross-317/

More lawyering for the prosecution FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 03/12/2012

More lawyering for the prosecution

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
03/12/2012
One gets the feeling that Noynoy’s senator-judges and the prosecutors fear that the testimony of the Chief Justice’s wife, Cristina, may well clear the chief magistrate, Renato Corona, on his bank deposits which Noynoy and his lapdogs in the Senate and the prosecution thought all along would be the “final nail” in his ouster coffin.

With the yellow media going all out to nail the Chief Justice with their highlight on Ana Guidote’s interview demonizing her uncle, followed up with an interview with another Basa, a Franciscan nun, equally meddling in painting the CJ negatively, along with broad hints from the prosecutors claiming they will be calling on these two to testify as its rebuttal witness, there went Franklin Drilon, lawyering for the prosecution again, saying that the two Basa women can be called to testify, because the CJ’s statements of assets and liabilities networth (SALn) mentioned the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI), as the firm that had loaned him P11 million, reflected as his liability..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20120312com2.html

Noynoy went on a different blitz with senator-judges By Angie M. Rosales 03/12/2012

Military justifies presence in Hacienda Luisita

By Mario J. Mallari 03/12/2012

The military yesterday justified its presence in the controversial Hacienda Luisita, owned by the family of President Aquino, in Tarlac province by citing support coming from 10 barangay chairmen inside the sugarcane farm, stressing that local residents want government troops in the area.

Army 7th Infantry Division (ID) spokesman Maj. Enrico Gil Ileto said that the presence of government troops in Hacienda Luisita, which straddles the towns of Concepcion, Lapaz and Tarkac City all in Tarlac province, is also part of the military’s commitment to protect the people.

“Our presence in that area is a testament of our commitment to protect the rights of the people as embodied in our Internal Peace and Security Plan ‘Bayanihan,’” Ileto said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120312hed3.html

JPE to judges: Respect Corona or I’ll resign By Angie M. Rosales 03/12/2012

IF DEFENSE PANEL PRESENTS CJ AS WITNESS

JPE to judges: Respect Corona or I’ll resign

By Angie M. Rosales 03/12/2012

Senate President Juan Ponce Enarile said yesterday he would put at stake his position as presiding judge of the impeachment court should any of the senator judges or the members of the House prosecution panel make acerbic remarks that will tend to disrespect Chief Justice Renato Corona if the defense panel decides to present him as witness during the impeachment proceedings that resume today.

Enrile assured Corona, should he decide to appear and defend himself before the impeachment tribunal, that he will not allow the chief magistrate to be disrespected by senator-judges, adding that he will resign, should this happen.

“I will not allow that. If they start making abusive statements against the Chief Justice, I will immediately resign as presiding judge. I will tell everyone in the court that our job is to render judgment but dignity should be accorded him,” he said..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120312hed1.html

Help repatriate pregnant OFW, Binay tells RP Embassy in Saudi 03/12/2012

Help repatriate pregnant OFW, Binay tells RP Embassy in Saudi

03/12/2012
Vice President Jejomar Binay has sought immediate assistance from the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia to help a Filipino woman, who became pregnant after allegedly being raped by a fellow Filipino in the Kingdom, where carrying a child out of wedlock is a capital offense punishable with death.

Binay asked the embassy to facilitate the return of the Filipina, who is believed to be a victim of human trafficking.

The Vice President declined to disclose her identity for security reasons..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120312hed5.html

Deadline set for harvesting unlicensed fishcages 03/12/2012

Deadline set for harvesting unlicensed fishcages

03/12/2012
Fish cage owners and operators in Taal Lake whose applications for renewal of permits have been disapproved have only until March 29 to harvest their products, Task Force Taal Lake officials said.

Task Force Taal also reminded the fish cage owners with disapproved permits, including those without licenses, that their fish cages will be dismantled starting March 30 and they no longer be allowed to operate in the lake.

The task force issued the twin reminders following a warning Friday by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) that Taal Lake fishermen should be prepared for possible fishkills due to temperature changes caused by the scorching summer heat..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120312nat4.html

Quarry to operate on Marikina faultline By Fernan J. Angeles 03/12/2012

Quarry to operate on Marikina faultline

By Fernan J. Angeles 03/12/2012

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is set to give the green light to what stands to become the largest quarry facility in the National Capital Region (NCR) on top of the Marikina East Valley Fault — in spite of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) warning of an impending strong earthquake on a movement of the Marikina Valley Fault,

Documents obtained by the Tribune show that a relatively big mining operation would soon be in place at a town located at the immediate northeast of Metro Manila.

The documents, allegedly from the DENR, show that an investment company registered as San Rafael Development Corp. (SDRC) has started laying the groundwork of what could be the biggest aggregate excavation and production activity in the NCR. SRDC, through another entity referred to as Massab, has already secured a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) clearing them to commence the quarry, production and sale of a mineral deemed as necessary in ensuring the structural integrity of infrastructure works..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20120312nat1.html

CA division hit for resorting to ‘procedural shortcuts’ By Benjamin B. Pulta 03/12/2012

CA division hit for resorting to ‘procedural shortcuts’

By Benjamin B. Pulta 03/12/2012

Lawyers of the Steel Corp. of the Philippines (SCP) have denounced the alleged irregularities over how a division of the Court of Appeals (CA) handled its case against the Banco de Oro Universal Bank (BdO).

In a letter, SCP’s VP-Corporate Legal Counsel, Nonnatus Chua, urged CA’s Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., to investigate Justice Normandie Pizarro, the ponente, together with the two other members of the Special Fourth Division, namely, Justices Rebecca de Guia-Salvador and Ramon Bato Jr., for allegedly committing “irregularities and procedural shortcuts” in violation of the 2009 Internal Rules of the Court of Appeals (IRCA) and railroading the case in favor of the opposing party (Banco de Oro Universal Bank or BdO)..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120312met1.html

Privatization of Water Districts opposed M E T R O F I L E 03/12/2012

Privatization of Water Districts opposed

M E T R O F I L E

03/12/2012
The Philippine Association of Water District (PAWD) is opposing the proposed bills in the Senate and House of Representatives aiming to privatize the Water Districts in the country and the establishment of Water and Sanitation Regulatory Authority. According to PAWD national president Gilbert Camaligan, there is no reason to privatize the water districts as proposed by Sen. Edgardo Angara in his Senate Bill 2997 and House Bill No. 5497 of Rep. Romeo Federico S. Quimbo and Rep. Karlo A.B. Nograles. He added that the creation of Water Supply and Sanitation Companies, under the section 17 of Senate Bill 2997 which will allow the ownership of the properties of Water Service Providers, will not do any good to the public..... MORE
SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20120312met6.html

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