By REY O. ARCILLA
MALAYA
MALAYA
(I believe it is time for President Duterte who says he “hates corruption” to rally the people to stage once again another Million People March of 26 August 2013.)
Judging from the exchanges between the members of the executive and the legislative branches of the government, it is pretty obvious that pork barrel is alive and well despite the Supreme Court ruling that it is unconstitutional.
We are fortunate we have Senator Panfilo Lacson who has drawn our attention to the feeble attempts and excuses advanced by members of the House of Representatives (many Filipinos call it House of Representathieves) to continue enjoying pork barrel.
However, Lacson’s valiant efforts to rid the budget of pork barrel will not succeed without the support of the administration and, above all, the Filipino people.
I believe it is time for the people to stage once again the so-called Million People March of 26 August 2013 (I was there with many of my former students in tow) which resulted in the Supreme Court declaration that pork barrel is illegal. The high court should endeavor this time to plug the loopholes that our lawmakers (lawbreakers?) are now using to circumvent its ruling.
To refresh their memory about the Million People March, readers may wish to click on this weblink: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_People_March.
Who could rally the people to stage another Million People March?
Who else but President Rodrigo Roa Duterte aka Digong himself? One of his three main battle cries is “My God, I hate corruption!”, the other two being his campaign against illegal drugs/criminality and getting rid of foreign troops in the country.
THE BALANGIGA BELLS
At first, his spokesman said Digong will attend the turnover rites of the Balangiga bells at Villamor Air Base. Then Digong changed his mind.
Subsequently, the spokesman said Digong will go to Balangiga when the bells are delivered there – only to change his mind again.
Finally, the spokesman said Digong was persuaded to go to Balangiga due to the townsfolks’ clamor for his presence. (He did go but with the US represented only by the deputy chief of mission of its embassy in Manila.)
It is evident Digong wasn’t really keen on gracing any occasion meant to give the bells’ return more importance than needed. He has done his job. He didn’t have to “bask in glory” for the bells’ long-delayed return.
My own sentiment: “Mabuti naman at isinauli n’yo na! Salamat.”
In contrast, Digong’s spokesman, his foreign secretary and his ambassador to Washington were quite extravagant in their utterances on the bells’ return, e.g., that it shows the US is a “true friend” of the Philippines; that “it marks an important milestone in and gives new meaning to the shared history” between the two countries.
It took a “true friend” seven decades to return what, in the words of Digong, “belong to the Philippines” and “part of our national heritage”?!
Quite expectedly, US Ambassador Sung Kim was no less profuse in his platitudes about the bells’ return.
Still on this matter, a reader wrote: “I understand, before the return of the Balangiga bells, they were first shipped to Philadelphia. Let us make sure we got the genuine ones, not replicas. Those bells can be carbon dated and let us see.”
Incidentally, why do Digong’s foreign secretary Teodoro “Tweeter” Locsin and his ambassador to the US Jose Romualdez appear so eager to have him visit Washington? Have the Americans been egging them? Just asking.
PURCHASE OF US HELICOPTERS
Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said we are buying 16 Black Hawk helicopters for US$240 million from the US instead of the cheaper ones from Russia “due to US sanctions on Russian military exports”.
He added that it would be “very difficult to pay them (Russians) because of the U.S. sanctions”.
We have the US$240 million, don’t we? Won’t the Russians accept dollars as payment? Shouldn’t we ask them first? We’ll be saving a lot of money. And better quality choppers?
Or have we been told US sanctions will definitely be imposed on us if we bought Russian helicopters or other military equipment? I thought she’s a “true friend”, a trusted ally?
Another question is are we assured of US Congress’ approval of the sale?
LORENZANA’S NAIVETE
When asked at a recent forum what his take is on Digong’s statement that we could not go to war with China over the disputed areas in the West Philippine Sea, Lorenzana said we have two “options” that we could bank on, namely, our “alliances with other Asean nations and the Philippines’ mutual defense treaty with the United States.”
Duh?
First, we do not have any sort of military alliance with any ASEAN member. Nor is the Association a military alliance. It is mainly economic in nature although it has inexorably taken on political and security matters that affect the region. But a military alliance it is not and never will be.
Second, the mutual defense treaty with the US already failed miserably its first test, i.e., when the US did not help us stop China from seizing Panatag Shoal, saying she is “neutral” on territorial disputes.
She wouldn’t even defend her own interests when she did not make a serious attempt to stop China from reclaiming isles and reefs in the disputed areas of the South China Sea and constructing military installations on them. She did demand that China put an “immediate and lasting halt” to the reclamation activity, but that was it! That alone should tell us that the US values her relations with China more than her relations with us.
And Lorenzana believes the US will defend us from possible Chinese armed aggression on account of the mutual defense treaty with the US? That is the height of naivete!
To begin with, I do not for one moment believe that China will want to go to war with us over what she already took from us. Nor would we, definitely, for obvious reasons.
It seems Lorenzana chose to forget that the treaty does not call for instant retaliation by the US against any power that attacks us. Such retaliation has to go through the US Congress for approval which conceivably could come too late for us.
We should likewise always bear in mind that in case of an armed conflict between China and the US, we become a primary target of the former (aside from South Korea, Japan and possibly Australia) due to the presence of US troops, bases and prepositioned military arsenal here on account of the VFA and the EDCA.
This, I like to believe, is the principal reason Digong uttered his famous words on the US military presence in the country, to wit: “I really hate it. I don’t want it. We don’t need it. The US should not treat the Philippines like a ‘dog with a leash’.”
The P64-question now is when will Digong give substance and meaning to his unforgettable words?
REMINDERS
This segment is intended to remind the Duterte administration of some of its yet unfulfilled promises and matters that need attention and/or follow-up action. More importantly, the people are entitled to know what’s being done about them.
1. Digong’s promise to rid the country of foreign troops. This, of course,
necessitates abrogating the lopsided and constitutionally infirm VFA and the EDCA.
necessitates abrogating the lopsided and constitutionally infirm VFA and the EDCA.
2. Reciprocal visa arrangements with the US and other countries. (What is the DFA doing about this? Our embassy in Washington?)
3. The return of the Canadian waste. Sources say the DOJ has filed a motion before the proper court for the importer to return the waste to Canada. Apparently no decision yet. In the meantime, I think it is incumbent upon the DFA to issue a statement on the status of this matter.
Also, if Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu could order the return of the South Korean waste to that country, why couldn’t he do the same with respect to the Canadian garbage?
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Today is the 234th day of the twelfth year of the enforced disappearance of Jonas Burgos, son of the late press icon and founder of this newspaper, Joe Burgos.
After the acquittal of Major Harry Baliaga, Jr., the only person formally charged with Jonas’ kidnapping, I guess what happens next is now up to Divine Providence.
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From an internet friend:
Q: Why are politicians proof of reincarnation?
A: You just can’t get that screwed up in one lifetime.
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