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What is your view and/or concrete proposal to resolve the present political crisis in the Philippines? Editor's Note: Starting today, we're opening the present Talking Points topic to include letters on Malacañang's proclamation of a national "state of emergency." But here's a strong caution. We're short of time to re-encode letters. To be posted, they must meet these requirements: 1. Capital letters, not lower case, to begin sentences; lower case for the rest of the sentence. (Avoid writing in lower case or capital letters.) 2. Standard spelling, NOT SMS abbreviations . e.g. 'cn' for 'can' and 'wd' for 'would,' 'kc' for 'kasi,' 'cya' for 'siya'. Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-27, 06:53:00, God heard the cries of Filipinos during the Ferdinand Marcos regime. And so in February 1986 He worked. Unfortunately, Father God, the Creator and the Unseen Force during the People Power Revolution, was not given the honor. His heart was broken. Instead of glorifying Him and acknowledging His mighty work, a creature was given was praise. The people even built a huge statute at the corner of the EDSA highway and Ortigas Avenue in honor of this creature. Have you not read the Ten Commandments? He is a jealous God and He commanded us to live Him with all our hearts, with all our minds and with all our strength. It is written in 2 Chronicles 7:14 of the Holy Bible that "if My people who are called by My name shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land." The one who wrote this is Father God, the Creator, and not Mary. This is not my proposal but God's. My personal proposal is for us Filipinos to acknowledge Him for His mighty work. Return to Him and destroy what He hates most, and that is idolatry. Return back to God and all the problems of our country will be resolved, not just the political crisis. -- Noel Christopher S. Bermejo (noel.dubai@gmail.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-27, 06:52:00, If Filipinos continue not to wake up then, we certainly deserve what kind of society we have now. In the whole of the ASEAN region, we are in the worst condition economically! Doesn't anyone see it? Travel to other Asian countries and you will see how other countries are well managed! Wakeup! Stop this Fidel Ramos and Gloria Arroyo plunder of our country! -- Leopoldo Juni (leojuni04@yahoo.com), OFW in Iraq Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-27, 06:52:00, How to resolve political crisis in the Philippines? Simple: a bloody revolution that will purge the country's rotten society. A milder idea is to rename all the government institutions by putting the word "Circus" -- i.e., Executive Department changed to Circus Executive Department, Department of Justice to Circus Department of Justice, and so on. There are so many freaks and clowns in town, but not enough circus! -- Archie Andal (archie2774@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-15, 06:04:00, There they go again. The oppositionists are dying to throw Arroyo out of Malacañang. They say she rigged the election to stay in power. That’s nothing new. We're sick and tired of that issue. Please, think of some more credible charges against Gloria that people would buy. Cheating in an election is not only Gloria’s work (if she really did). Politicians, oppositionist or otherwise, all cheat. Some may not rig the vote count, but they cheat in so many other ways, like giving empty promises, buying votes, deceiving unsuspecting voters, using popularity to get to public office with a hidden agenda or simply to be brainless in office. Why can't they just help people by working hard in office? In demonizing Gloria, they are wasting time and the people’s money that pays their salaries. No politician today is worthy of our vote. How I wish our generation would produce true and honest leaders for the future, not like our leaders of today who are all masquerading as people's servants but they are actually the opposite. -- Willie Bullo (willie_pada@pldtdsl.net) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-15, 06:03:00, Nobody cares about anyone. Nobody cares about what's happening. All the politicians are good only in talking. I'll tell you what: The Philippines is a hopeless country. There's is no way to solve this crisis. I hate Ferdinand Marcos but he's still the best. -- Gilbert (gbc621@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-15, 06:03:00, Your questions are very familiar and have been asked several times, and yet not one smart Filipino has given an answer to resolve this problem. I am sure the solutions to the problem/s we have in our country depend on each and every concerned Filipino. -- Jerry Po, Dubai, UAE (jerry@c-sgroup.ae) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-15, 06:03:00, AS FAR AS WE are concerned here in the province of Compostela Valley, the endless bickering in Metro Manila is making this country sick. Everyone there has his own say. Do you hear what the ordinary people in the provinces want? They want you all shut up and get back to work! No matter how you want Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to be kicked out, she will still be there. Can't you see how many times your petitions are junked? Isn’t that enough answer to you guys -- that if you want change, to wait for the right time and just be contented with the present administration? Remember how discontented we were during the Joseph Estrada days, but still we embraced his government until he voluntarily left. Arroyo has not left. Maybe, for some reason, she is meant to be there, so wait till her term expires and we'll choose again a president that after a year we will impeach! This is a cycle, of course. Nobody likes a Filipino personality in the throne these days, no matter how deserving he or she is. And nobody likes change, either. Why? Because that is the way it is here. Hope we recognize that. -- Christine T. Dompor, (tineache_dompor@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net 2006-07-07, 07:31:00, THE current political situation is a manifestation of our real self as Filipino. We seem have the brightest and the wisest leaders who talk a lot but have empty hearts and dark intentions. We seem to forget that the Philippines is the only Christian nation in the ASEAN. We Filipinos have forgotten the foundations of our faith and our pride as laid down by our ancestors. The "Gloriagate" crisis is a test of our maturity as citizens. The political system has its strengths and weaknesses. Changes in it can't come about if we don’t change ourselves for a better future of our children. -- Venus Agustin (sunev212@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-07, 07:31:00, FIRE ALL corrupt officials! The Philippines has been in crisis for years. It has become the sick man of Asia because of corruption at all levels of government and nothing has been done to heal this cancer. To cure the sick man of Asia, all corrupt officials -- from top to bottom -- should be fired, imprisoned and made to pay restitution to the Filipino people. Imelda Marcos and her ilk are still around enjoying their loot, aren't they? What has happened to the Joseph Estrada mistresses' millions, or are they billions? Quo vadis, Philippines? -- Jade (JadePearl1112@cs.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-07, 07:31:00, THE WORST political crisis today is caused by the cheating by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Commissioner Virgilio Garcillano. Arroyo has admitted that she did wrong in calling up an official of the Commission on Elections at the height of vote counting. People won't stop marching in protest and asking for another but clean, peaceful election. If Arroyo was sincere in her “I am sorry” message, then she should make a sacrifice, step down and facilitate a clean election. I suggest that this time there be an election contest between Arroyo and Joseph Estrada. Let’s see which of them the people would elect. -- Eufemio Lugo (femlugo2003@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-07, 07:29:00, What is your view and/or concrete proposal toresolve the present political crisis in the Philippines? FIRST of all, we deserve the kind of government we have today. If we think our government is stupid, check out who voted for its officials and the apathetic intellectuals and youth who didn't vote at all. This is not just about Gloria. We have a star-studded, grandstanding Senate that is short in brain cells, an ever-unreliable greedy House of Representatives that never fails to live up to our expectations -- of being corrupt. And we have a power-hungry opposition that just can't wait for its turn! Gloria cheated her way to Malacañang, that's a given. But to remove her by extra-constitutional means, through worn-out and overused “people power” or a military junta, would be pushing the matter too far. We have had too much politicking. And who's the right guy for the position? Shouldn't we just work together? The problem with the opposition is that its members think they are the only Filipinos around. They speak of the Communist Party and the New People’s Army as though these rebels have a special place in their hearts. But, speak of NPA sympathy to Filipinos in NPA-infested areas in the provinces and they will spit on your faces. In fairness to Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, it is to her credit that finally the Hacienda Luisita land is being given to the poor farmers. That is way overdue. Can we be blamed if we call Manila “imperial Manila”? Every time officials in Manila make decisions, they make millions of people in the provinces starve to death. Life stops for some. And while people in Manila are in euphoria over a new president, in the provinces we don't even care. We need a strong government. Not a strong leader to strengthen a weak government. With a strong government, even if we put a mediocre leader at the top, we are assured that we will not be left with no job, no food, no welfare, etc. There is no easy and quick way to resolve the conflict. But if people will just work and go on with their lives, wait for their turn to be in power (patience is a virtue) and know the concept of sacrifice, somehow we can help ease the problem. Let Arroyo do her job. Punish her later. -- Chinky Gentiles, Cagayan de Oro City (chinky_bacz@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-01, 05:18:00, IF ONLY the real enemy of the people would leave Gloria alone to do her job, this "crisis" would be ended. Blind to the little progress the country is achieving despite the burden of barnacles hampering the smooth sailing of the ship of State, these groups of oppositionists, which unfortunately includes the Catholic Church leaders who, despite Vatican's clear advice to detach themselves from political activities, still insist on doing the same, are the real problem that plagues the country as a whole. These groups do not seem to have the correct attitude of helping the country to get up from its dismal position. Best solution? Well, we need a strong arm to flick the whip to tame the wild nature of the beast! First, Gloria should herd them all together, put sacks over their heads and then get a baseball bat and do some practice swings on them! Too brutal, you say? But look at what is happening in the country today. It is being brutalized and nobody seems to notice! Isn't that the worst? Ford (Ford@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-01, 05:17:00, TO MR. Mike Mercado of California (“To our beloved president Arroyo: Keep up the good work”): You are hallucinating! Why don't you come back here and see the real situation for yourself. The peso-dollar exchange rate is not a gauge for achievement at all. Have you seen the police hacking and whacking peaceful teenage demonstrators at will? For all we know, you are really Mike Arroyo. For anybody out there who could be thinking the same way as Mr. Mercado, please come back to the Philippines and see and feel the real situation. But if you are a journalist, I suggest that you stay where you are, because this is the most dangerous place in the world for guys like you. -- Randy Marquez, Tondo, Manila (randymarque@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-01, 05:17:00, NO MATTER how many changes are made in the Constitution or in the form of government, if we don’t change the people manning the government, all will be useless. Eradicate all these "trapo" [traditional politicians] and their relatives. They are the ones who make our country sink. Are they not the same people who make the Constitution and all the bills and laws? Now they are asking for changes of their own doing. Give priority to educating our people -- allocate a bigger budget for free education. Let them learn self-discipline, and to become nationalistic. They must not rely on government help alone. Let them cooperate too. It is a give-and-take process. Create a "corruption watch group." Any military (especially generals), police and government employee that acquires mansions, expensive cars and many properties without a legitimate business to acquire such must be investigated at once. It is only in the Philippines where no politician loses, every loser has been “cheated” and every winner has won through deceit. Let him/her finish his/her term; they all cheated, anyway. What would happen if we kept on changing our leader? We would have never-ending problem, and the loser would be we, the people. Municipalities and “barangay” [villages or neighborhood districts] must educate their constituents on the impact of population growth. The more people to eat, the less food they get. -- Ernesto Sandoval, Jeddah , Saudi Arabia (ESandoval@se.com.sa) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-07-01, 05:17:00, WE CAN all debate this subject ad nauseam, but the simple fact remains that no politician in the Philippines wants to shake up the status quo. As long as politicians buy votes and recover the money by corruption, there will be no curing the sick man of Asia. Since time immemorial, he who has the gold rules in the Philippines. And there is no will among the politicians to right what is drastically wrong. The only way that you can straighten out this mess is to make things involving the government transparent. All bids that are one million dollars or more need to be done by sealed bidding and the winning bidder’s quotation must be made public, so that there can be accountability in government. Unfortunately, it is the fox that is guarding the henhouse, and therefore nothing good will ever come of it. If we imprison a couple of the politicians that are caught enriching themselves in office, then maybe the rest of the crooks can be warned. Unless and until someone with the political will is willing to take on this bad and entrenched system, no change can be done. I have lived in the US for many years and I have seen a president, vice president, senators, congressmen, mayors, etc., go to jail when they are caught. That is the mark of a truly great nation, where no one is above the law. -- Nestor Mercado, senior staff engineer, The American Sugar Refining Co. Inc., 1 Federal Street, Yonkers, New York 10702 (NMercado@tasrc.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-06-21, 05:07:00, Unity among the filipinos will certainly solve the political crisis the Philippines is undergoing right now. No matter who takes over the government success Is just too far if the people remain divided. In the 1950's the Philippines was one of the more progressive countries in Asia. It's the war that made us united. Now the war is among the filipinos. Disunity and discrimination is so rampant, turmoil and chaos is destroying the political stability of the country. One such disunity is now being displayed worlwide. The climb at Mt. Everest. Charles Magno (jetmboat@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-06-21, 04:58:00, To our beloved president Arroyo: Keep up the good work. There are people who have political ambition but have no platform for moving the economy forward. They are merely hungry for power. You are the only President who was able to change the value of peso 10 percent against the dollar. I am so amazed and happy for that. You have all our support here in Modesto, California. We are a small Filipino community who wish to return to our land. We know you can make a better life for all the Filipinos in the future. This is the first and the greatest news I have ever heard in the country. To our fellow Filipinos who wish to have a new leader: Please, look at the brighter side. Another election could make our economy the worst ever anyone could imagine. Our country needs your cooperation. If you care enough for our country, you shouldn’t think of the past but think of the future. I have seen a lot of progress in our government offices, like the Land Transportation Office. They have shown us a huge difference, from clean processing to fast results. Our policemen earn respect now. Don't take my word for this. Try it. You'll believe it is true. Mike Mercado, California (compumike@gmail.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-06-21, 04:58:00, In reality, by fighting the "Gloria administration" alone, not much can be achieved. She has surrounded herself with fronts and "al-lies" (these are the most vicious kind of people, the clinging-vine type, the kind that would deny anything to death, even when face to face with the truth, just to stay in their comfort zone. The administration is talking about progress. I believe they should look around hard and see for themselves the progress they are talking about. "The real test of progress is not whether they have added more to the abundance of those who have much, but whether they have provided enough for those who have so little!" TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) effort from both the administration and the opposition is needed to make this nation move forward. Fritz Parondo (fjparondo@yahoo.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-06-21, 04:58:00, HOUSE Speaker Joe De Venecia announced that as of June 8, the House of Representatives had passed a total of 814 bills, 802 of which remained pending in the Senate. This is a clear indication that the hindrance to legislative production is the Senate. The dismal performance is the result of endless investigations and ceaseless political maneuverings. Regardless of who are to blame, this means that Congress enacted into last only 1.5 percent of the bills passed by the House while 98.5 percent was left undone. I once heard it said, “Work half done is work half undone.” To solve this alarming problem of depressingly low efficiency and costly legislation is to go for a unicameral parliamentary system of government so there will be no bottleneck or hindrance to legislative production, because the legislators who would represent the people would all be working together as Members of Parliament. This means that there would be no more separate and independent congressmen and senators blaming one another for why 98.5 percent of proposed laws are left not done. Another beauty of a unicameral parliamentary system, in addition to the savings that would be realized with the abolition of the Senate, is the opportunity of the public to see their representatives painstakingly debating in the parliament important issues affecting the country. The legislators speedily approved the abolition of the death penalty while not passing 2006 national budget and other bills certified as urgent including those on biofuels, anti-terror, and tax reforms. Just an opinion, something for the Filipino electorate and taxpayers to ponder. Raffy Oriel (oriel@shaw.ca) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. 2006-06-07, 05:40:00, We should be keeping an eye on President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo not as a person but as a leader and public figure, especially the way how she carries out the affairs of government. Let the tree fall where it leans. If Arroyo’s actions deserve credit, it is but proper to give her the accolades she deserves. If they do not, we should also be vigilant and criticize her. Joey Burgos (Joey.burgos@nofaresort.com) Reply to talkingpoints@inq7.net. |
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