'In Between Columns'

VSMMC YOuTube Controversy

Many now question the conduct of the medical personnel who operated on a male patient with a perfume spray cannister pushed up his anus during his New Year's Eve tryst with an unnamed male.

But who was that unnamed male who started the whole controversy in the first place? Why is the victim/patient also not going after this unnamed male?

How was it possible for them to have a date and the victim/patient forgot his identify after he got dead drunk and slept for three days? Was he a boyfriend that victim/patient is trying to protect?

Or was he simply ashamed of acknowledging that the guy was a cheap call boy?

Or is victim/patient just going after the doctors for the fund of it?

Noli de Castro

The calls for GMA's resignation has earned Vice President Noli de Castro both a second look by political observers and pleyers as well as a demolition job by detractors.

The vice president himself has his men going around the country to feel the pulse and at the same time laying the grounds for a nationwide machinery.

Many in the middle class may not have a high regard for de Castro. But he is our vice president -- the man who rise into power if current efforts to unseat President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo succeeds.

Fortunately for GMA, I don't think the opposition is solidly behind the resignation call.

The presidentiables within the opposition camp surely don't want de Castro as sitting president when he runs for the same position in 2010.

Come to think of it. Since the time he was elected vice president, de Castro is already a contender for the presidency come 2010.

Lozada

My news editor Roger Vallena told me last night Fr. Diola and his Dilaab are wary of Rodolfo Noel "Jun" Lozada and his testimony because of his association with some opposition personalities.

It seems revelations on Jun Lozada's meetings with Sen. Panfilo Lacson and the senator's role in his eventual emergence as an NBN-ZTE witness has colored the "reluctant hero's" image with somekey sectors in Cebu.

If I were Lozada, I should stick more with the religious sector than with Lacson and his camp.

Already, Lacson's publicity man Lito Banayo has been bragging in his Malaya column about his knowledge of the Ping-Jun relationship.

Incidentally, (let me digress a little on Lito Banayo) Tonton Antogop is being teased for having beaten Banayo in te 2004 election. Tonton was with the camp of Rep. Nerry  Soon-Ruiz while Banayo came to Cebu to help Luigi Quisumbing.

While Tonton is taking the credit however, only a few knew I was the one who told him about the arrival of the Banayo group. Tayming lang that I was having beer with Rey Bajenting that night at Da Vinci's at Osmena blvd. when Tonton suddenly emerged from the adjoining Internet cafe.

Will Lozada unlease wrath of people power v. GMA

Mobilizing hundreds of thousands to more than a million was easier against the Marcos and Estrada administrations than against Arroyo after she hurdled her first difficult year.

I can cite many reasons for this difficulty. Internally, the broad people power movement has so failed to put its act together. Even during crucial mass actions, it could only muster a little more than 50,000 in Metro Manila from its organized mass base. Worse, it  failed to excite and spark spontaneous public participation that should have swelled their ranks during demonstrations.

The dramatic emergence of NBN-ZTE scam witness Jun Lozada has attracted the attention of the public nationwide.

Members of the various civil society and militant groups, active members of the religious, and the opposition are reportedly coordinating to get their acts together so as not to fail Lozada's "heroism."

Will Lozada's heroism then finally unleash the wrath of people power against the administration of President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo?

I'm still skeptical.

Banilad-talamban road

Avoid the Banilad-Talamban road if you can help it. As it was, the monstrous traffic crawled liked a sleepy turtle. But with the construction of the traffic solution, the Banilad=Talamban road flyover, expect one to actually sleep on the road while waiting for the traffic to inch a little forward.

They are thinking of palliatives and alternative routes alright. There's the odd-even scheme that is supposed to start tomorrow but one still does not know what will be allowed on what day.

Perhaps, it's the duty of the arresting traffic officer to tell you that your driving your vehicle on the wrong day.

There's also the alternative routes -- the also congested Hernan-Cortes road and the MC Cuenco.

But what could one do while the DPWH constructs the flyover and other needed works and distributes the shares of the SOP? Of course, avoid the Banilad-Talamban road.

Retake or no retake?

I understand that those who already passed the controversial nursing board exams don't want to undergo the same torturous journey again. But even if the leakage was only in Manila and Bagiuo, the whole exam was already tainted. I believe retake is the best course for everybody.

Press Freedom Week in Cebu

Congratulations to Pubs Briones and Atty. Cheking Seares for their video-documentary on the killings of Journalists in Cebu. The film should serve as a beacon for Filipino journalists who face a growing culture of violence.

The way is adhering to the basic principles of journalism of fairness and accuracy. Most of those killed in Cebu were the ones who failed to do so. There were those who actively helped the military and anti-communists so they was assassinated by the NPA. There were also those who allegedly engaged themselves with the criminal elements they are covering like druglords and smugglers.

However, I think somehow Cebu is blessed in the sense that violence as a solution to social problems is not as ingrained as in Central Mindanao or Mindoro.

Years ago during the early 90s at the height of a kidnapping spree in Central Mindanao, I remembered a friend in Cotabato city who worked for Mindanao Cross saying life as a journalist in Cotabato and Central Mindanao is different. There, many powerful people don't threaten you with libel or death. They just proceed to send somebody to shoot you.

In Cotabato city then, uncovering the truth no matter how one exercises fairness means getting the ire of bosses with trigger-happy underlings.

That was precisely one reason why I decided not to accept an offer to transfer there. instead I brought my family back to Cebu where freedom of the press reigns.

This week, Cebu celebrates Press Freedom Week. Salute to the Philippine media!

Impeachment

The opposition is filing one impeachment complaint daily for the last three days. It is a ploy to avoid a technicality. On the other hand, they look so desperate in their efforts to unseat President Arroyo.
I think the opposition should focus on getting the numbers both in the LOwer House and in the streets.The last count, the opposition lack enough supporters to get an impeachment complaint passed on to the Senate. In the streets, a mere 50,000 or even 100,000 pales in comparison to the millions gathered prior to Edsa 1 and during Edsa 2.

people's initiative

the major obstacle to people's initiative is the supreme court ruling that required the passage of an enabling act. but what if the people's initiative advocates succeed in getting the signatures of 12 percent of the voting population? will the comelec ignore this? what if the comelec will certify the signatures as genuine? how will the supreme court react?

i think the administration is betting on the possibility that the supreme court will review the ruling and reverse itself this time around. this is possibly because those who issued dissenting opinions before are now ranking SC officials. malacanang had also appointed many justices during gma's term so far.

kudeta

in an Internet forum post, a Marines officer said the tanks that arrived during the Fort Bonifacio standoff in late February were pro-GMa. The company nga nag-formation were the anti-gma. The anti-gma were outmanuevered.

Proclamation 1017

Proclamation 1017 may not be Proclamation 1081. But it sure sounds similar. Sa mga hilig pag-masiao, mora kunog gi-slide ang numero.

In my book so far, however, 1017 is a minor version of the Marcosian masterpiece.

Proclamation 1017 has not resulted in a massive crackdown involving thousands. So far, the Arroyo regime has only arrested over a hundred.

Proclamation 1017 has not led to the closure of Congress. It only caused the arrest of two party list congressmen and threatened the arrest of other opposition solons.

BUt Proclamation 1017 and 1081 are similar because of the intention of sowing fear.

Leyte tragedy and Big Brother

OA sad nang ilang Budoy nga maghilakhilak tungod sa trahedya sa Leyte ba, di ba sel?

Leyte tragedy

Many correctly described the latest Leyte tragedy as the environment's vengeange for decades of logging. Unfortunately, nature chose to punish the poor people of St. Bernard and not those who got rich for cutting all of the trees.

GMA-FVR

A lot is going to happen with the current GMA-FVR controversy. So far, Customs Commissioner Arevalo was replaced by Commissioner Boy MOrales. My friend Bert Emphasis was also a victim, if we are to believe the tsismis.

vigilantes

since christmas eve, cebu's vigilantes aree at it again. and they're starting to hit the more known criminal characters like lao-lao, alemar luna and nanik shewakram. meanwhile, spo1 dumpit is trying his best to earn pogi points by arresting a man with a gun, not shooting him down.

it seems the vigilantes are upping the ante. they also learned to be sensitive to public opinion. or basin nahutdan na sila og mga gagmay nga target. they should have begun with the big names first sa una pa.

but these does not convince me on the merits of vigilantism.

Kudeta

Bert Emphasis is inviting media friends again for some chit-chat over some lechon (i suppose kay anha man sa bernadette's lechon near sm ... the new tambayan of customs media).
I expect himn to talk more about his piece of new re a coup and the fvr-jdv-reyes junta against GMA. So far, Tingting and Cerge said this is not true. I think this is a trial balloon to see if it will fly.
But I don't think Ramos and de Venecia is popular enough to be an alternative to GMA.
The sooner people accept that we are stuck with GMA untiul 2010, the better for all of us.

george's death

today, the family and friends of george benaojan will bring his body to ronda and later to moalboal where he will be buried.

last night, i again visited the wake at the cosmopolitan parlor in lahug and met several reporters there.

even after saul carillo told me that the possible mastermind could be the former owner of george's stall at the lawaan central market because the two are neighbors and close friends, still some quarters of the media still insist on the customs angle.

however, i have been combing my sources at customs for a lead. the more i ask, the more i am convinced that it is not customs related.

killings of media men

last year, it was another friuend Allan Dizon, who was gunned down. good that the killer was arrested but the police simply shied away from going after the mastermind.

killings of media men

last night, another friend was gunned down by an unknown assassin. The assailant pumped at least three bullets into the body of George Benaojan of Bantay Radyo at around 9:30 pm at his shop at the Talisay Central Market. He died hours later at past 12 am.

his close in friends went to the nbi to get the agency's cooperation in going after the killer and the mastermind.

at first glance, it's hard to determine who could have ordered snuffing out his life. but then, people i talked with agreed that george was going too fast along a very dangerous road.

kudeta

    a friend from way back had approached doris last week with an invitation for a nother friend to attend a meeting of a group identified with retired general abat. kedta ang ilang agenda.
    but i dont think the objective is to really wage one.
    I think they only wanted to create some noise to pressure GMA into what FVR wants her to do.
    It seems, while GMA has initiated the Cha-cha process, she has manuevered to maintain control away from FVR's man in Congress -- JDV.
    In fact, there is this move to remove JDV from the speakership.
    why is this so?
    because GMA does not want to step down gracefully or not. meanwhile, the FVR groupo wants her to cut her term. they want her to use the cha-cha para constitutional ang iyang exit and graceful sab ang assumption nila FVR and JDV.
    however, GMA has her own loyalists and she is out to stay until 2010 at least.

SOna - expect violence

I expect the anti-GMA rallyists to go into a confrontation mode this afternoon to draw attention away from the President's state of the nation address and seize the initiative, thus breaking the present political stalemate.

GMA

In my column for tomorrow, i wrote that the current political controversy has entered a stalemate phase and each camp wants to gain the upperhand by mobilizing the bigger number. the opposition camp had their rally yesterday. i think this is part of the build-up for a much bigger push on july 25, 2005.

the gloria administration, on the other hand, is organizing a much bigger rally on saturday.

the opposition is trying to create a critical mass that will snowball into another mass uprising. the administration is trying to create a critical mass that will propel their cha-cha move forward.

i anticipate that on july 25, 2005, the day of gma's state of the nation address, both camps will mobilize tens of thousands. i hope the police can maintain peace and order.

The Ramos Agenda

Former president Fidel V. Ramos is the biggest winner in among the political players in the current Philippine political crisis. Publicly, he is now known as the one who saved GMA at the height of last Friday's Cabinet coup. He also got GMA's active espousal of his charter change agenda.

Moreover, his men are back at the frontlines of Ate Glo's Cabinet -- like Claudio, Tiglao and Ermita who came out to defend GMA last Saturday. Other former generals are still in place. Expect some more FVR boys to move into the posts vacated by the Cabinet coup plotters.

Earlier, the Cabinet faction identified with FVR succeeded in getting Mike Arroyo and his group out of the power loop. (This coup should translate into reversals in policy in the Piatco issue .... hmmm let's see ...)

After all, FVR is the AM boy of Philippine politics. His support for a cause also means the US is going along with him.

But come to think of it, I believe Ramos was right in the midst of the core that stirred the current crisis against GMA. And this we saw when retired Gen. Fortunato Abat first emerged. (according to the grapevine, FVR attended a meeting regarding the GMA destabilization plan in Cagayan de Oro.)

Clavel's tape

Rep. Clavel Asas-Martinez has made herself and her political clan closer to the opposition than the administraton when she questioned GMA's victory in Cebu.

However, FPJ never had a chance in Cebu in the last elections because the major political groupings (which included Martinez) were in the GMA camp. FPJ strategists gave up CEbu to the administration.

If ever there was cheating, it involved the local contests.

Garci Tapes

If the tapes with Sammy Ong did not come from T/Sgt. Vidal Doble and the ISAFP, where did it come from in the first place? Is it really true that the CIA carried out the wiretapping of President Arroyo?

If true, then it means the current destabilization efforts had the blessings of Uncle Sam. It also means the wiretap operation is a result of espionage by our Big Brother.

Bibit

BIlly Bibit had long been conveying veiled threats on what he will do if pushed to the wall and when he is out of the government. I think he is now plotting moves to pressure GMA into giving him back the post or give him a juicier one.

Talisay water

April 26, 2005
8:40pm

Talisay City officials reportedly talked about cutting off Cebu City's water supply from the Mananga watershed if Mayor Tomas Osmeña keeps on making problems like questioning the cityhood.