The week ahead is going to be an interesting one for the multitude of Filipino sports fans watching what is turning out to be the Super Bowl event of Philippine television. The Senate trial of the impeachment case against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona was shaped over the weekend by several developments that futher reflect on the desperation of the prosecution team led (for now, it seems) by Iloilo Representative Neil Tupas Jr.
First, the prosecution team announced that they plan to present close to 100 witnesses over the course of the trial. This is an astounding number. It continues the spectacular demonstration of quantity over quality on the part of the prosecution position which started with the world record speed with which 188 House “representatives†signed up to what turned out to be an ill-thought-out sloppily-written impeachment complaint.
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Most laughable is how even small fish were caught in the prosecution’s witness dragnet, notably “investigative journalist” Raissa Robles and “online journalist” Marites Vitug who, as far as can be seen bring mere circumstantial and largely irrelevant “information” to the table. The prosecution strategy, it seems, is one that can be likened to the Chinese pakyaw approach of flooding markets with cheap undifferentiated disposable “products” in value crushing-volumes. This approach usually works in markets that are price-sensitive and where quality is not held at a premium. Fortunately for the prosecution, the Philippines is one such society — a society renowned for its flamboyant form and negligible substance.
Second, toxic dissent within the prosecution ranks and leadership seems to be brewing. The obvious incompetence of lead prosecutor Tupas is evidently starting to irk some members within the 188-strong bloc of prosecution congressmen, notably Ilocos Norte Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas who allegedly “walked out” in anger over his inability to speak out during the proceedings. The lack of teamwork among pro-impeachment campaigners is also starting to manifest itself in the way one or the other element of the group — whether he or she may be one of the 188 impeachment congressmen, an enlisted “journalist”, or an Aquino-appointed lackey in the bureaucracy — are now taking it upon themselves to grandstand before the cameras.
Third, the sound of the shuffling of the ocho-ocho “people power” “revolution” zombie can now be heard again as it gurgles and horks its way out of its putrid grave. The once-renowned Filipino-styled “people power” phenomenon, if we recall, has been proclaimed dead and buried in 2005 after it was used and abused once too many after the last fiesta impeachment bid to oust former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo failed.
Indeed, there is poetic irony in the way President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III is allegedly hinting at another call to incite rebellion in the event this impeachment bid also fails. What seems to escape the vacuous thinking faculties of the Mob yet again is a simple principle I articulated back in 2005…
So in effect, Filipinos would have not accepted their duly constituted institutions and duly elected officials as the official authorities on the “Truth” yet would have easily relied on a street mob in yet another Fiesta Revolution to dictate and uphold said “Truth”. This is tantamount to arbitrarily voiding Congress and allowing street mobs to call the shots from hereon. That it seems is what many Filipinos want.
According to information coming from the social media grapevine, the usual suspects are at work again engineering this coup behind the scenes, notably has-been celebrity Leah Navarro’s “Black and White Movement”. This group was also an active participant in the ocho-ocho politics of 2005 and encapsulated in their philosophy the moronism of perverted “revolutionary” thought…
“Saan tayo pupunta pagkatapos pag wala na yung impeachment complaint?” (“Where do we go if the impeachment complaint is voted down?”) asked former education secretary and Liberal Party leader Florencio “Butch” Abad. This was echoed in the PCIJ Blog article “A Black-and-White Day” further quoting Abad: “What path do people take once the impeachment option is slammed shut in their faces?”
Irony of ironies. Whence these bozos once stomped their feet in childish protest for a quashed impeachment bid, now they plan to go out in another spectacular temper tantrum to protest the continuance of today’s impeachment trial. As columnist Ed Javier wrote a few weeks back in a Business Mirror article…
The new/old aggroupment called “Bantay Gloria Network†of [Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel], retired singer Leah Navarro of the Black and White Movement, and ZTE whistle-blower Jun Lozada recently held a loud protest program in front of the SC building simultaneous with the oral arguments held on the petition of Arroyo questioning the joint Department of Justice-Commission on Elections probe.
Fine. That is their right as citizens of this country. However, for a group to dictate to the Chief Justice of the country to willfully abandon his constitutional duty borders on arrogance and total disregard of the law.
What bothers me is that they are using as a basis Corona’s statement where he stressed the importance of upholding one’s constitutional rights against the government’s interest in prosecuting Arroyo. I bet when it comes to protecting their rights as individuals, they wouldn’t mind quoting Corona’s statement in their favor.
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, a constitutional law expert and former RTC judge, said that efforts to force Chief Justice Corona to inhibit himself in the Arroyo cases would result in a “damaged democracy.â€
The Old Guard of the Aquino-Cojuangco yellow-coloured “people power” political brand is unwittingly (to give them a really kind benefit of the doubt) destroying the very “democracy” that they supposedly upheld back in the olden days of mid-1980s Philippine political activism. Quite amusing that despite the Son of Aquino now firmly seated on his throne in Malacañang, the same tired “Laban” (“fight”) rhetoric that better fits that of an Opposition movement still characterises their quaint sloganeering.
Fourth and final, are recent reports of pressure allegedly being applied by Malacañang on star defense leader Serafin Cuevas to resign…
Cuevas said he had been approached on a number of occasions by a lawyer to deliver a supposed message from Malacañang.
He said he was being asked to leave the defense panel in exchange for the withdrawal of the criminal case against Magtanggol Gatdula, the recently sacked director of the National Bureau of Investigation.
“I was told that the President wanted me out as a bargaining chip in the case, that they would no longer pursue it provided that I withdraw,†the counsel said in Filipino in an interview with the Inquirer in his Makati City office on Saturday night.
Cuevas is also the legal counsel of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC), of which Gatdula is also a member. Gatdula has been implicated in the alleged kidnapping of an undocumented Japanese woman.
Cuevas identified the emissary, supposedly a member of Malacañang’s “rah-rah†boys, but asked that his name be withheld. He said the man, his former student at the University of the Philippines’ College of Law, feared Palace repercussions.
Malacañang would deny all this of course. And they did. But it begs the question of why Cuevas would call out such information to begin with if it weren’t true. Would an 83 year old stalwart of the Law profession stake his reputation playing the nutty publicity game that even Malacañang, applying its vast array of taxpayer-funded resources, struggles to do competently?
Philippine politics and the comedic moronism of those who play it like pimpled adolescents really does, indeed, make the Philippines a more fun place to be — if you are a Media executive or shareholder, that is. Lest we forget, they seem to be the only ones laughing all the way to the bank as this circus carries on.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
In the news, seems like the prosecution always have a NEW case against Corona.
Keep on throwing till something hits/sticks?
Lagi na lang nababalita na may BAGONG kaso laban kay Corona.
Bumato na lang nang bumato hanggang may tumama?
lol! peryang perya talaga ang game plan ng prosecution…i like it!
it’s true…i’m also disgusted on a way like solar tv channel’s anchors handled their anchoring esp. pia hontiveros and their guest analyst dean amado valdez of ue college of law. they are so very biased on the way they conduct their discussion. puro against cj corona. mawawalan sila ng televiewers nyan kung patuloy pa rin na ganito sila. it seems they belong to the so called yellow stations.
…bUt b yan la6e an^ isYu???
d b pweden6 aCkasuhin nlang mga new program at iimprove 4 da masa!
inuun6kat m6a corruptr bka iXa “KA” din…
i think Corona is not Guilty..
to Pres. jAz do your promises to us…w6 la6e m6a korakot or ur love life pn6uuxapan..
Wait for the next witness list of 100 Corona girlfriends … even boyfriends (another hundred of them), including Marquez. And there’s the Cuevas list to spare …
Something light to entertain you. I found this video while surfing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEdUAPnBoHY&feature=fvsr
The antics of the bow well movement 188 just shows how they work. Aside from echoing their master EvilNoy’s black propaganda, trial by publicity and other schemes… They must be surely adding ideas in influencing the prosecution to produce 100+ witnessess against CJ Corona. These are interesting times when the reds, red infected liberal party, the yellow nutzis and the red infected civil society groups are united. Mr. Aquino sure knows how to hypnotize people with his power and privilege.
Most likely the 100 “witnesses” wont even be effective against the defense. It only proves that the prosecution is getting desperate in this fight. The 100 “witnesses” are like bullets fired at a target but all miss.
“with which 188 House “representativesâ€signed upâ€
“shuffling of the ocho-ocho “people power†“revolutionâ€
“likened to the Chinese pakyaw approach…â€
Truly a gem: a rare aggrupation (coincidence?) of the Chinese lucky number 8! The prosecution panel, or the author, must have consulted Chinese Feng Shui experts.
Let’s hope the impeachment trial doesn’t take 888 days 🙁
@ benign0,
Going back to lucky numbers, your cartoon photo above reminds of another integer, The 300, the number of Spartans who was said to have defeated the thousands of Persians in the epic Battle of Thermopylae (popularized the phrase ‘Go tell the Spartans!’)
The 188 congressmen + 100 witnesses might just induce Sir Knight Neil Tupas to shout another Cromwellian quote,
In the Name of God: “Go tell the Senators!” 🙂
Funny coincidence. I just happened to have watched the movie 300 last Saturday night..
That’s quite an interesting coming together of numbers there. Maybe there really is something akin to an aligning of the planets going on here. Of course, there is also the doomsday Year 2012 itself underlying all this.
Historians will look back to this year and note how Filipinos sporting their trademark ngiting aso were all fixated on a circus even as the oceans rose up to engulf most of human civilisation…
who the heck is telling the truth here:
Inquirer says – “Cueves – Palace pressuring me to quit”
Manila Standard – Cuevas says Palace not pressuring
me, issue never came up in my interview.
both yellow paper but different stories? which one speaks the truth…and why
never let the truth get in the way of a good headline/story
A well-written article but so biased in favor of the GMA-Corona group. I could have appreciated the article if it cut both ways. I understand the “beg to differ” slogan or whatever you call it, but you have to differ not only with the current administration. The circus is not a monopoly of the prosecution. The defense has its own share.
Sorry, but that was from someone who is confident with the BIASED media. And even refused to see the bigger picture.
Makes sense?
Thanks @Casiano Mayor. Fair enough. It is an article where I present my personal position on the matters covered. If I do find a position that I feel strongly about which happens to favour the prosecution, you can be certain that I will write about it.
this is not news, but an expression of a personal opinion. call it an editorial if you will. hence the writer is entitled to slant a certain way. you want a neutral take on the impeachment, you will probably not find it here, but neither will you find it in the inquirer.
@Casiano,
Just say blog , not article because the latter does not fit benign0.
the prosecution is only fishing for evidence, their delays and lack of preparedness only shows that the impeachment rap is railroaded and had no clear direction, just like mess.,
I have never seen such a dark soul as Mr. Aquino. Everything about him from his false slogans and promises, his many masks and his adapting to the political environment like a chameleon, his deception, manipulation, deceit, black propaganda, trial by publicity, cruelty and harassment of his perceived enemies is seen as nothing but pure evil. I thought I have seen it all. He is the worst of his kind. I say he is an enemy of everything good and decent. His reign of destruction has already started as the darkness slowly creeps through the land. God help us all!
Well Congratulations guys. With the SB2796 just passed in the Senate,let’s see who will get the spanking. With tons of blogs written which are not just assaulting personalities to the meanest level but also ridiculing the government’s effort..all the best to everybody especially to the webmaster.
good luck to rappler then? or inquirer, and any editorial piece on the net.
Please enlighten us on how it would be possible for us to violate it?
@Ilda,
It’s garbage in garbage out if it is from that shameless dude who made a ridiculous claim that it is improper to comment here and yet, he is still around aggressively and eagerly commenting heh…
Expect a version of ““pffftt… talk to the hand†from him as his reply to your challenge Ilda.
I just want to know if he’s just scaring us or there really is something in the supposed law that says you cannot publish alternative viewpoint anymore.
@Ilda
That TROLL just trying to scare us but well it seems that his attempt FAILS miserably just like that dumb@ss vincenzo.
these provisions in SB 2796 are possibly what he is talking about
3) Cyberdefamation. – The maligning or besmirching the name or reputation, or intriguing against the honor of another person whether natural or juridical, or otherwise
committing libel or slander as defined under the Revised Penal Code and other laws with the
aid of or through the use of a computer system, whether using one’s real name or an assumed
name.
(4) Cyberthreats. – Threatening the life, security or property of another person, whether natural or juridical, or otherwise committing threats and coercions as defined in the Revised Penal Code and other laws, with the aid of or through the use of a computer system,
whether using one’s real name or an assumed name
So basically SB2796 punishes any independent blogger from voicing their opinion on the government’s mistakes so that said blogger will post favorable opinion that reflects well on the government regardless of its “actions”.
I for one approve of this high-handed measure that our benevolent ruler will impose on us flawed and lowly subjects that we may be prevented from making dreadful mistakes. As a sigh of this approval I will bow down on my knees and kiss the sole of our wonderful master who in his infinite wisdom have save us from our selves, “cough” “sarcasm” “cough”.
To tell you the truth; I don’t watch the Corona impeachment proceedings…it’s boring already…Fabricated evidences presented. A hundred false witnesses…and aging old Enrile, presiding. I believe, Enrile is already suffering from Alzeihmers desease…he cannot even differentiate, if a case has merit or not…
I prefer to follow the News, of Sec. De Lima’s sexual affair with her Driver. They said: it was caught in Video/DVD in her Sec. of Justice office. De Lima and her paramour Driver, were trying a lot of Kama Sutra positions…this is more interesting than the boring impeachment…
Really??? Is that man so desperate?? . No wonder in some of her so many presscon, she has this glassy eyes. lol.
really? baka nakabili na si llamas ng DVD copy?ahihihi…makahanap nga? baka si allan K makita ko eh bading yon.
i am waiting for mr. quimbo to be subpoenaed and sit on the witness stand then, let us see how glib and flawless his tongue in answering the questions of the defense panel… this boy seemed immaculately clean when he utters accusations on cj corona. payong kaibigan; “wag kang mambabato kung ikaw ay nakatira sa bahay na gawa sa bubog.”