Flawed in its execution or not, Malacañang had come out locked and loaded when it ordered Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia suspended for alleged “grave abuse of authority” on the 19th December 2012. Yet ten days later, what could’ve been a clean strike has turned into a quagmire.
What’s the big delay anyway? If the government of President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III had really been serious about carrying out the suspension order to its conclusion, then either the police or the army should have stormed the Cebu Capitol and thrown a blatantly defiant Garcia in jail days ago. The swiftness with which the order was issued and Vice (now “Acting”) Governor Agnes Magpale installed in Garcia’s place does not seem to match any resolve on Malacañang’s part to finish the job. Is this another national exhibition of that renowned half-arsed ningas-cogon character of Da Pinoy?
If BS Aquino was truly serious about taking control of Cebu, he should have gone the whole nine yards within 24 hours of issuing the order. It is the same sort of limpdickedness in execution that resulted in the deaths of nine Hong Kong tourists in the hands of madman Rolando Mendoza back in 2010 owing to uncoordinated management of the crisis and less-than-surgical use of state armed forces. It is interesting to note that both in the Mendoza hostage tragedy and the current loss of control over the situation in Cebu unfolding as of this writing, it is the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that is copping the big FAIL rating here.
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Even at any attempt to be Machiavellian, Pinoys seem to suck.
Aquino’s ten-day flinch had become Garcia’s Ace of Spades evident today as what seems to be the beginnings of another “people power” rally reminiscent of the ocho-ocho rally craze of the mid- to late-2000s is crystallising in Cebu City.
At first, a thin crowd of urban poor residents from Cebu City gathered for Mass presided by Fr. Dennis Boltron, with participants saying it was a Rizal Day activity until the priest announced in his homily that he hoped the impasse in the Capitol would be resolved.
Then more supporters appeared, and a larger group marched to the Capitol with placards, including one with a caricature of of Acting Governor Agnes Magpale grabbing the island of Cebu with the words “Gusto Ko Mopuli.†(I want to take over)
Gwen vowed to face adversity “for the sake of Cebuanos†as she invoked the blessing of the Sto. Niño and St. Pedro Calungsod.
“Magkahi-usa kita mga Sugbo-anon sa lalaiwagan og sa dakbayan. Magkahiusa kita ning atong tinguha nga ang kamatuoran ug hustisya ibalik dinhis sa Sugbo,†she said.
(Cebuanos of the province and city, let us unite to bring back truth and justice.)
Hilarious in it irony, isn’t it?
As usual, Catholic icons are at the centre of this latest of Pinoy street emo fests. Wasn’t BS Aquino supposed to have been the original Prayerful One? Seems like Filipinos of different partisan colours pray to different gods under the same religion. Too bad for President BS Aquino. He is now on top of the Catholic Taliban’s List of People to Excommunicate owing to his lobbying for and signing into law of the Philippines’ landmark Republic Act 10354 which legalises implementation of effective population control measures in the Philippines for the first time. So Aquino will certainly not be counting on the country’s powerful men-in-robes for support this time. Who’s he gonna pray to now? Seems like Garcia and her Cebu mob have gotten first crack at playing the Prayer Card on this round.
[Photo courtesy Flickriver.com.]
President BS Aquino seems to have forgotten one thing though. He’s the President — the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the boss of the Secretary of the DILG which commands the country’s police forces. If there is anything to be learned from the current imbroglio he is already facing with China over the Spratlys and the Scarborough Shoal it is that guns get things done quickly.
Does Noynoy have the balls to see this thing through to where it should have gone to many days ago?
As always:
Abangan ang susunod na kabanata.
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
Would it be reasonable to think though that Aquino cares about this campaign like all the other stuff really?
Looks like things would have been easier if, in our election laws, it was forbidden to elect a governor, president, mayor or otherwise, with an opposition vice. Either you elect both of the same party or none. More stability that way. this mix-and-match in our elections has made things stupid.
That’s absolutely right. I think the problem is that, whilst the drafters of the US Constitution wanted a weak Executive, for fear of “King” George Washington, the drafters of the Philippine Constitution weakened it further for fear of “Datu” Quezon and then weakened the Executive yet again for fear of “another Marcos!”
seriously? all of this is just a ploy…..about time public opinion takes action
i think the one we are asking is the police task force that oversees the removal of Garcia from office.
president already gave his command to the police, its the police that does the work for him. after he is the “President — the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the boss of the Secretary of the DILG which commands the country’s police forces.”
just a different perspective on this article’s views.
And the circus continues into 2013.
Happy Nuclear!
Limpdickedness,hahahahahahah! The hilarity in Ms.Garcia’s statement about ‘bringing back truth and justice’ is a good example of the ‘bald-faced’audacity of all of the Filipino politican’s.Full-of-shit and able to be so with a completely straight-face. It really is incredible,theiving weasels that are able to lie with a completely ‘straight-face’.Brings to mind the one thief I saw on the TV one-day who was seemingly amazed that none of the heads of the GCC’s could account for where half the money was,and that the GCC’s had not filed tax documentation since 2008,and that same thief ‘straight-facedly’ asked if the GCC’s needed an auditor and when the answer came back “NO”(from the thief installed by the thief asking the question),he accepted the answer with no trepidation at all,why was that,huh? Rhetorical question PLEASE do not answer it,anyone!
“If there is anything to be learned from the current imbroglio he is already facing with China over the Spratlys and the Scarborough Shoal it is that guns get things done quickly.”
*cough*Tienanmen 1989*cough*