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HDO: An Aquinorroyo PR bonanza DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 11/18/2011

Friday, November 18, 2011

HDO: An Aquinorroyo PR bonanza

DIE HARD III
Herman Tiu Laurel
11/18/2011
How long has this Department of Justice (DoJ)-Malacaang hold departure order (HDO) issue been dragging? Two weeks? All the while, everybody knows its illegal and unconstitutional. Even Malacaang and the DoJ, with their battery of lawyers, would have had enough sense to know the same. As many sensible watchers of PeNoy and Justice chief Leila de Limas HDO drama have pointed out, the easy way to avoid the controversy is to just file one of the numerous complaints that already have ample evidence to ensure a prima facie case. The Hello Garci caper alone would have sufficed as the tapes and the witness testimonies are already there.

Many have also surmised that both PeNoy and De Lima (a former Gloria Arroyo appointee) dont really want to keep the supposedly ailing Pampanga solon in the country. So they had to set things in motion in such a way that the Supreme Court (SC) would have to decide on the issue to get them off the hook all, while enjoying the PR bonanza from appearing anti-Gloria.

In turn, both GMA and her husband also get to reap tons of sympathy from pro-Arroyo dumbos and not-so-dumbos alike, including those whom she reportedly calls by cellphone to give the invariable parting words, Just bill me. That goes for radio and other media too, and its a real gold rush for many in this sector which is actually one way of redistributing the couples alleged plunder.

In fact, it may be a good reason for keeping the pressure on them much longer so that the economic burden on the shoulders of many Filipinos may somewhat be relieved. A trickle-down effect from this would be more certain than if we were to allow them to stay in foreign lands like Portugal or the Dominican Republic where these countries people would be enjoying the alleged purloined wealth instead.

If GMA and FG were to leave the country, even many in the military will be sad as prospects of getting some share of this loot would disappear, as with all hopes of a new coup.

But then, the husband-and-wife tandems payback from the HDO imbroglio goes farther than just PR bonanzas. The two also get a treasure trove of anti-GMA and FG government tirades and threatening official pronouncements published in the newspapers and broadcast in media, which can then be used as justification for a political asylum plea.

Given the incendiary statements coming from the Justice Secretary and Palace spokesmen, especially from BS Aquino III himself, any foreign government will find easy cause to justify the grant of safe haven to the poor and oppressed couple. Throw in that picture of GMA with the Frankenstein contraption around her neck, and what foreign government wouldnt sympathize?

Of course, these foreigners dont know how GMA looked so much younger and perkier after the last election; that is, until the avalanche of cases rushed in like a tsunami wave which seemed to have tossed her hair about and weighed her eyes and cheeks in scowl.

Aquino III doesnt want to really hold GMA back from leaving the country and neither does De Lima, which is why no formal charges have yet been filed. But the SC has no choice given the constitutional provisions, as well as the opinion of highly respected legal luminaries like Alan Paguia and less luminous ones like the Jesuit Joaquin Bernas to allow the couples unrestricted travel unless government files a case, despite the vain attempts by certain quarters to link the prohibition to so-called national security.

Gloria and Mike know that they ultimately will be able to travel, but only if they get the SC decision before any case is filed by this government. They know that they have little to fear from the officialdom, be it BS Aquino III or De Lima or the SC. Still, the proverbial Murphys Law that says what can go wrong will go wrong prompts them, despite their tacit Aquinorroyo modus operandi, to want to get the SCs blessings fast.

Somebody texted us, E + E = A or Elite plus Elite equals Accommodation. And this is what was always in the cards. Ever since the designed-to-fail Truth Commission was put forth, people were already provided a glimpse into the real plans of the current dispensation from the very beginning. The fact that, after 18 months, the Aquino government has not filed a single case against GMA in court behooves even the doubters to comprehend the basis for the theorized Aquinorroyo or Arroyoquino alliance: That they are coddling each other as the ruling class, including their patron, uncle Thomas of the US Embassy, is coddling them.

However, accommodation can go only as far as the ruling powers need the central circus attraction the lion, chimpanzee, hyena, or dwarf. If greater roars from the mindless spectators were to become much more pressing, then the center attraction would have to be caged, even temporarily, to regale the crowds no end.

Those who refuse to see this are but hopeless cases that are better left alone. They and their dead brains can only impede the rest of us who will have to carry on with the impending revolt against the entire system.
(Tune in to Sulo ng Pilipino/Radyo OpinYon, Monday to Friday, 5 to 6 p.m. on 1098AM; Talk News TV with HTL, Saturday, 8:15 to 9 p.m., with replay at 11 p.m., on GNN, Destiny Cable Channel 8; 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/20111118com6.html

A clear show of dictatorship EDITORIAL 11/18/2011

A clear show of dictatorship

EDITORIAL
Click to enlarge
11/18/2011
Whatever reasoning the Palace throws on its defying the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court (SC) on the travel ban against former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo, falls right back in its face and cannot erase the fact that it is Malacaang violating the law, the constitutional right of a Filipino citizen, even if the fact is disregarded that Mrs. Arroyo is a former head of state, and more significantly disregarding the highest court of the land.

Noynoys obsession to jail Mrs. Arroyo and her spouse Mike Arroyo has transcended the bounds of reason and decency and is turning into a bigger battle to uphold the supremacy of the SC in upholding the law, in turn creating a battle against a new style of dictatorship...... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111118com1.html

Dumbfounding FRONTLINE Ninez Cacho-Olivares 11/18/2011

Dumbfounding

FRONTLINE
Ninez Cacho-Olivares
11/18/2011
Leila de Lima’s logic is dumbfounding, rendering even laymen speechless.

In justifying her clear disobedience and displaying her defiance that without a doubt, Noynoy’s contempt of the high court in their insistence on barring the travel of the Arroyo couple despite a clear and not subject to any interpretation the issuance of the Supreme Court (SC)’s temporary restraining order (TRO).

The TRO has the legal and valid effect of voiding temporarily De Lima’s watch list order (WLO) and ensuring the right of Gloria Arroyo and her spouse to travel without restrictions.

De Lima says, echoing the Aquino-appointed Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, that the “state” (which Malacañang is not) is within its legal rights to be heard in court..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111118com2.html

Itlog, anyone? NO HOLDS BARRED Armida Siguion-Reyna 11/18/2011

Itlog, anyone?

NO HOLDS BARRED
Armida Siguion-Reyna
11/18/2011
I’m fully aware of where my newspaper stands on whether Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be allowed to go abroad, or not. “The woman’s rights are our rights,” says my Editor-in-Chief. I am not arguing with that.

My brother, Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile, has likewise aired his position, as have Senators Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Franklin Drilon, and eminent legal expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas, SJ. They believe that preventing Mrs. Arroyo from leaving is “an impingement of her constitutional rights.” Not quarreling with that.

Nor with my good friend Ellen Tordesillas’ contention that Department of Justice Secretary Leila de Lima is courting a “constitutional crisis to cover up for incompetence.” I’m not a lawyer so I get lost in a maze of legalese, especially as the lawyer on the other side of my bed has moved to the Great Courtroom in the Sky..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111118com4.html

400 handcuffs: OWS 2-month birthday gift


 

400 handcuffs: OWS 2-month birthday gift

Four hundred arrests – that is the tally for the last 24 hours, as police stage an intense crackdown on massive Occupy Wall Street protests erupting in America, with more than 30,000 protesters having shown up in New York City alone.

RT’s correspondent Lucy Kafanov reported of numerous protesters having taken to the streets near Wall Street on Thursday morning in an attempt to disrupt operations in this financial center. As she pointed out, they have succeeded in doing so. Hundreds of activists sat on different corners to get their message noticed. Others were holding hands to form human chains and block intersections.

The movement, however, is facing a synchronized clampdown by local governments and law enforcement agencies. RT witnessed extremely intense police response in New York City, including numerous instances of seemingly unprovoked cases of brutality by the police force. In many of these cases protesters were simply sitting or standing near the sidewalk, before they were slammed down to the ground, handcuffed and dragged away..... MORE

SourceRT.com

URL: http://rt.com/news/protesters-police-arrests-anniversary-629/

Under Aquino, no justice for victims of Hacienda Luisita massacre

Under Aquino, no justice for victims of Hacienda Luisita massacre

 
"The Cojuangco-Aquinos used and abused all legal means to their advantage and interest of further controlling the lands.” – Rep. Rafael Mariano of Anakpawis
By JANESS ANN J. ELLAO
Bulatlat.com

HACIENDA LUISITA, Tarlac City — Families and colleagues in the struggle of farmers and farm workers of Hacienda Luisita continue to yearn for justice, seven long years since the infamous Hacienda Luisita massacre that claimed the lives of seven farmers.
“We appreciate the support from our colleagues because it helps us to become stronger. Somehow, I feel that there is still hope that justice would be served,” Gabby Sanchez, 61, father of Juancho Sanchez, one of the slain farmers, told Bulatlat.com.


Pastor Gabby Sanchez yearns for justice for his son Juancho, one of the victims of the Hacienda Luisita massacre. (Photo by Janess Ann J. Ellao / bulatlat.com)
Juancho, then a third year mechanical engineering student, was forced to stop going to school to support his family’s daily needs. He worked as a jeepney driver. His father, a pastor of the United Church of Christ of the Philippines (UCCP) who served an Aeta community, had meager allowance.

But on November 16, 2004, in the picketline of the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita, Juancho was killed. He was only 20 years old. “He went there to provide water for the striking workers,” Sanchez said.

Sanchez said that his son Juancho is a good and helpful person. In fact, aside from his support to the farm workers of Hacienda Luisita, his son Juancho was also known to be generous to his high school classmates despite their living conditions. “He would share his snacks to his classmates when they do not have one. His classmates told me during his wake.”

Their family continues to demand for justice, even now under President Benigno S. Aquino III’s administration, whom he deems would not look after for the welfare of peasants. “Those who were responsible to the massacre should be held liable. The victims sacrificed their lives for this cause,” he said.

Caravan 

A caravan of some 30 vehicles left Chino Roces Bridge, formerly known as Mendiola, on November 16 at around 10:30 a.m. for Hacienda Luisita in Tarlac City to commemorate the seventh year since the Hacienda Luisita massacre. Families, colleagues and friends of the seven victims of the killing still clamor for justice..... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/18/under-aquino-no-justice-for-victims-of-hacienda-luisita-massacre/

Luisita workers reap seeds of decades-old struggle

 Luisita workers reap seeds of decades-old struggle

"We occupied the land because it belongs to us. We used the idle land for the benefit of our children,”
By RONALYN V. OLEA
Bulatlat.com
TARLAC CITY – “Now, we have something to eat,” Florida Sibayan, 55, a farm worker in Hacienda Luisita, said. “Life is better.”

She, along with hundreds of families inside the more than 6,000 hectare Hacienda Luisita, cultivated parcels of land for palay and vegetables, in defiance of the Cojuango-Aquino clan. Under the stock distribution option (SDO) scheme, farm workers were not allowed to plant palay and other crops, with the vast land devoted only to sugarcane.

The SDO was implemented in Hacienda Luisita, a non-land transfer scheme allowed under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP), shortly after President Corazon Cojuangco-Aquino rose to power in 1986. Instead of land, stocks were distributed to the farm workers.

Seven years ago, Sibayan only knew hunger and hardships. As stockholders of Hacienda Luisita Inc. (HLI), each of the farm worker was given one day a week to work at the sugar plantation. They earn P9.50 ($0.22) per week, or P38 ($0.88) per month.

This meant starvation for the family. It was this situation that compelled Halili and hundreds of other farm workers to stage a strike in November 2004. On November 16, barely a week since they set up the picketline, policemen and soldiers fired at the farm workers, killing seven and wounding hundreds.


Lioning Halili, 55, vows to continue struggling for the future of her grandchildren.(Photo by Ronalyn V. Olea / bulatlat.com)
After what is now known as the Hacienda Luisita massacre, Halili and the other farm workers joined the bungkalan (cultivation). In 2005, Halili and her family planted palay on a five-hectare land in Cutcut. Sibayan’s family, meanwhile, started cultivating two hectares in Balete subvillage in 2006.

One hectare yields 120 sacks of palay. Halili sells palay at P13 ( $0.30) per kilo and/or rice at P76 ($1.77) for every three kilos. “Life is so much better compared to those days of misery,” she said, referring to the years before 2004.

Sibayan said the same. “We never run out of rice,” she said. She and her family harvest 145 sacks of rice every cropping season. “We are now selling vegetables.”.... MORE

SourceBulatlat.com

URL: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/11/18/luisita-workers-reap-seeds-of-decades-old-struggle/

Noy mouthpiece defends US military buildup in Asia By Michaela P. del Callar and Angie M. Rosales 11/18/2011

Noy mouthpiece defends US military buildup in Asia

By Michaela P. del Callar and Angie M. Rosales 11/18/2011

While the Senate is considering a review of the Mutual Defense Treaty (MDT) and the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) that the country has with the United States to determine if the local presence of US military forces still benefits the Philippines, a spokesman for President Aquino defended the American military buildup in the Asia Pacific as necessary to provide a “stabilizing force” against China’s expanding power and military strength in a region that has been transformed into a battleground where Beijing and Washington compete for influence.

Amid appre-hensions on the establishment of a US military base in the Australian city of Darwin, presidential spokesman Ricky Carandang said the renewed American presence is a “welcome” development for the region..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111118hed4.html

Erap appeals to high court: Choose justice over technicality 11/18/2011

Erap appeals to high court: Choose justice over technicality

11/18/2011
Former President Joseph Estrada yesterday appealed to the Supreme Court (SC) to consider justice for the Filipino people over a debatable technicality in the motion anew of former President Arroyo to issue a cease and desist order against the government from stopping her from leaving for abroad.

“The Supreme Court must consider that the Filipino people are crying for justice because of the many crimes of the Arroyo Administration against the Filipino people: from electoral sabotage in 2004 and 2007, to graft and corruption, such as in the case of the Fertilizer Fund Scam, to plunder as in the case of the NBN-ZTE deal, among other scandals; and even treason for the illegal deal with the MILFthat culminated in the aborted Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain (MoA-AD)..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20111118hed3.html

House majority to dump impeachment vs Aquino By Gerry Baldo 11/18/2011

House majority to dump impeachment vs Aquino

By Gerry Baldo 11/18/2011

Allies of President Aquino are set to dump any impeachment complaint that could be filed by allies of former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo in connection with the government’s refusal to allow her to travel.

According to House majority leader Neptali Gonzales II if the allies of Mrs. Arroyo are serious in filing an impeachment complaint against President Aquino, the majority bloc is also ready to dump the impeachment complaint.

“If they are seriously considering filing an impeachment case, then we are seriously opposing,” Gonzales said yesterday. Gonzales was reacting to a statement by House Minority Leader Edcel Lagman that they are studying the possibility of filing an impeachment complaint against President Aquino..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111118nat3.html

RP wants Asean to tackle accord on migrant workers By Michaela P. del Callar 11/18/2011

RP wants Asean to tackle accord on migrant workers

By Michaela P. del Callar 11/18/2011


BALI — The Philippines on Thursday called on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to sit down and finally tackle the adoption of a legally-binding agreement on the protection of migrant workers.

Communications and Planning Secretary Ricky Carandang, who was tasked to deliver the Philippine statements and positions on behalf of President Aquino at the plenary session of the summit, said it’s about time the regional bloc consider a rules-based accord that will commit all its members in ensuring that the rights of migrant workers are protected.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Carandang said, was the only one who backed the Philippine initiative. The Philippines and Indonesia, the largest contributors of the workers in the region, mainly in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei, are the only two Asean states strongly advocating for the adoption of such agreement..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/nation/20111118nat2.html

Jeepney fare will remain at P8 till yearend, says LTFRB 11/18/2011

Jeepney fare will remain at P8 till yearend, says LTFRB

11/18/2011
Jeepney fare will stay put at P8 at least until the end of the year amid petitions for increase by transport groups in the country.

“We will invite the public and the transport sector for further consultations in the coming days,” Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) board member Manuel Iway said.

Iway added as much as possible, no fare hike will be enforced in the thick of the holiday rush where most Filipinos prepare for the Christmas season next month..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/metro/20111118met3.html

Vietnam chips away at Indonesian medal lead 11/18/2011

Vietnam chips away at Indonesian medal lead

11/18/2011
JAKARTA — Vietnam kept up their pursuit of runaway Southeast Asian Games leaders Indonesia Thursday as the hosts prepared for a hotly anticipated grudge match against bitter rivals Malaysia.

Vietnam cut the deficit with Indonesia early Thursday, after four more golds in pencak silat — an Indonesian martial art — took them to 62 first places and stretched their lead over third placed Thailand.

The Thais, 2009 SEA Games table-toppers, have stalled after bouncing back from a disappointing start to the 26th edition of the Games with a strong showing in the headline athletics events and have 54 golds..... MORE

SourceThe Daily Tribune

URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/sports/20111118spo3.html

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