THE FIRST NO-EL FLAK

Wow! Pre-new year's fireworks display! Now, Ramos is really talking! Read all about it in the Inquirer!Ramos said he had received minutes of the con-com's discussions until December 12. Apparently that was when the con-com has yet to take flights of fancy to propose a NO-EL and term limit extenders. But something mysterious happened within the last 12 hours after Tabako received his last report until it was hastily endorsed to Congress. . .
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PARLIAMENTARY RUSH, FEDERAL DRAG

Ramos is worried that federalism "could lead some regions to secede". I'm sorry but this worry betrays his utter lack of vision and leadership. His distrust for the people in the regions surely must make them want to secede from Manila as soon as The Ramos Parliament is in place. . .
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THIS COUNTRY IS HOPELESS

One in three Filipinos want to migrate to another country if they had the chance. This was confirmed by the recently released Pulse Asia survey published in INQ7. And this, I believe, is not a case of brain drain but a sign that at least 1 in 3 Filipinos are ready for a radical social change if a true visionary leader will just assume the task of leading this so-called nation despite the legion of vipers waiting in line known euphemistically as traditional politicians. . .

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SELECTIVE SEPARATION OF CHURCH & STATE IN R.P.

I was about to update my blog last Thursday regarding my recent post to happily announce that Bro Eli's name was witheld from the Bureau Of Immigration (BI) watchlist when this item on INQ7's breaking news was published...

Gonzalez orders: Put evangelist Soriano on watch list First posted
06:07pm (Mla time) Nov 10, 2005 By Tetch Torres
INQ7.net

JUSTICE Secretary Raul Gonzalez has ordered the Bureau of Immigration (BI)
to put "Ang Dating Daan" (The Old Way) leader Eli Soriano on a watch list.

In a one-page memorandum, Gonzalez ordered Immigration Commissioner Alipio Fernandez to put the TV evangelist on the BI's watch list because of a rape complaint filed against him.

Daniel Veridiano, Soriano's former deputy secretary, lodged a rape
complaint before the Pampanga Prosecutor's Office against Soriano.

The Pampanga Prosecutor's Office requested the Department of Justice to put Soriano on its watch list.

Thanks to INQ7 the news was immediately brought to our attention in the Church of God International. Some of us, myself included, thought the news was stale since the latest development we know of the news was that of the liftingof the watchlist order...

Come Friday night on Ang Dating Daan TV program live over UNTV37 the news was independently confirmed bro Eli Soriano himself and Atty. Batas Mauricio. In the face of the blatant irregularity of the situation surrounding the order, this time by "Justice" Secretary Gonzales himself,Atty. Batas, in exasperation, concluded that "Gonzales may have acted on compulsion by a higher official (read: Gloria ) or some entity with a great political influence (read: INC)." In his personal meeting with Gonzales, Batas said the DOJ Secretary never said anything about anyone making a request to him as was claimed in the INQ7 report. Bro Eli asked Batas if Gonzales may initiate the order "moto propio" and Batas said that can't benoting that the law is very specifically states that no one in government can put anyone on the BI's Watchlist or bar anyone from leaving the country with a Hold Departure Order unless there's already a court case. In this case the alleged case of rape lodged againstbro Eli is still in the preliminary investigation stages. What gives?

Remember that Virgillio Garcilliano, after being accussed by the opposition of brutally raping the electoral laws, was able to freely leave the country because the government refused to put him on the Watchlist or initiate a Hold Departure Order on the pretext that there has yet to be a court case against him.

Political observers in the country don't bother to look deeply into the political undercurrents generated from the religious sidelines.If and when they do, they'll be shocked to learn that a minority religious sect is already running government from within.

Calling on PCIJ! Have you already investigated on how many sensitive posts in government have been given as a political payback to certain religious leaders in exchange for block votes? Have you already asked yourselves questions like "who jumped the gun on the impeachment case and what does his religion got to do with his move"?

When it comes to the issue of the separation of church and state in the Philippines the most proper question to ask is "which church are we talking about?"

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ANG DATING DAAN MEMBERS WILLING TO MARCH TO MALACANANG

A very angry Bro. Eli Soriano finally announced what we in the Church of God International (a.k.a Ang Dating Daan or ADD) have long been waitingto hear. We will all definitely march to Malacañang! This is to peaceably address ourgrievances regarding the persecutions our religious group have been receiving from the Gloria Arroyo government...

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SEVEN DAYS

It's been seven days since I was last online and the world was so much different then. I took a 5-day leave from work in preparation for our religious congregation's 2-day National Thanksgiving Celebrations in Apalit, Pampanga and to help out my wife in reviewing the kids for their major exams at school. Seven days ago people were talking that Martial Law was about to be declared. Now they say Martial Law is here, albeit in disguise. Now they are saying a dictator is born, albeit with presidential pretensions. Now they are saying the situation is just plain bullsh-t. . .

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PEOPLE POWER POLITICS

Whether we like it or not, our generation lives under the shadows of Ferdinand Marcos and his Martial Law. As a people we pledged to "never again" allow for a return of the likes of him in the political landscape or, failing in that, to remove him/her in office before he/she gets a chance bring us back in that dark era. Our actions today are judged to the degree that we conform or digress against this pledge and so the question must be asked, are we withdrawing from that pledge? . . .

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WHAT NOLI COULD DO

I am no fan of the vice president except when he was still in the news anchoring business. In my opinion, he was the best Pinoy TV news anchor of his time, if not for all time. He could cry or laugh or mumble or get lost in the middle of a spiel without ever losing face. His was a perfect sense of live broadcast timing that if ever there would be crowned as king of the "pregnant pause" that would be him! Too bad he opted out of his turf that now he must decide to use or not to use this gift of timing differently.

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ONE DAY MORE

Its never over until it's over. That is to say, until Gloria is over. This is the damning consensus that the nation is getting at. A group claiming to represent the business community has released its stand on the issue calling for the nation to accept the house decision to junk the impeachment charges against the president and for everyone to move on. That is to be expected of business people. They are leaders in the productivity game at least if only on the virtue of their high stakes. On the other hand, they will be the first one to tell you that, in the long term, good governance is good also for business. Their saying "let's move on" only betrays their hopelessness of the system whoever happens to be the captain. When it comes down to it, I believe they will be one of the last ones to abandon ship, but they will abandon ship saying "let's get her over and done with".

If this were a game of chess, the administration would have at least a stalemate to look forward to. But a stalemaet is not victory, not in chess, not in fairy tales, not in reality, not in the Philippines.

To quote Valjean in Les Miserables...
"One day more, Another day, another destiny,

This never ending road to Calvary;

These men who seem to know my crime

Will surely come a second time,

One day more... "

First "they" junked the call for Gloria to resign. Then "they" junked the call for Gloria to be impeached. And we know the truth comission, if there will be one, which sound like a joke really, will be the final insult to the injury"they" heaped on our so-called democracy.

It was refreshing to see Oscar Orbos rise to the occassion and be among those at the frontlines of the September 7 movement. It was refreshing revelataion too how the house legislators voted and thanks to the 'absentee dissenters' now we have 21 less legislators to trust.

It takes but a blink of an eye to know that something "good" will happen when they killed the impeachment initiative that fateful hour. But it may well take the rest of the year to fully understand the new dynamics it has unleashed. That the battle has shifted away from the hands of the professional politicians it is clear. But in whose unknown hands will the future bestow its favor, I don't really know.

GMA's call for the healing of old wounds already began but not because of her call but because of her defiance to heed the people's call. Common wounds foster a common battlecry. We may indeed be seeing the beginnings of the healing of the wounds left by the EDSA Revolution trilogy.

Afterall, our enemies are not the Glorias nor the Eraps and Marcoses of this world. Our enemy is the lack of a leadership culture. One whose adherents can be counted upon to lead and inspire instead of cheat and feed us with lies. Such impossible dream that Ninoy himself did not achieve in life nor in death although he did inspire a lot of people.

The moment of healing has arrived. A truly ambitious politician need only to be a genuine leader to capture this moment to advance himself. . . I do hope that that leader has already arrived unannounced or else the chorus of lesser opportunists and uncanny usurpers will once again drown out our chances.

Still I believe, life goes on... but never backwards.

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THE NEWS ON HOLIDAY

It's official. (Well, sort of.) No work on Monday, August 29, 2005. Just about one of the very few slightly good reasons to have Gloria still around. The trademark lapse in judgment, however, manages to make it more newsworthy than necessary.

Just when you prepare for a longer-than-usual-weekend, I was hit by this unkind NEWS UPDATE also from inq7.net. It turns out, the order only covers gov't offices, public and private schools, and that's it. The reason? Well, Bunye said "some private companies have quotas to meet", as if implying that, except for the Bureau of Customs, the government as a whole have no quotas to meet.

Whatever, I must now contend with an even more complex problem, a cashless working non-working holiday that I should have filed as vacation leave earlier had the confusion not been sowed since middle of last week. And what of businessmen who have to worry uncessarily of the supposed holiday?

If a little glitch in the news can drive us crazy, then what of the non-apology apology variety?

Welcome to NEWSDRIVE.

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