Far From Neutral Notions - Philippine politics, culture and stuff

A look at the current landscape after high noon at Fort Bonifacio

Presidential brownnoser - er Chief of Staff - Michael Defensor appealed to the media yesterday not to cover the standoff in the Marine headquarters in Fort Bonifacio, ostensibly so as not to aggravate the situation. Apparently, their scare tactics weren’t working well enough, so it’s santong dasalan time.

Well, with the primetime anchors of Studio 23 showcasing their vaugely American accents and ability to pose ridiculously wordy or leading questions - at the expense of journalistic integrity and impartiality, mind you - I can’t really blame the guy, as much as it pisses me off to take his side for once. If only the big local media networks showed the same zeal in actually finding out what’s going on instead of coming up with a juicy angle to spike their ratings, we’d probably already know what’s going on, and I probably wouldn’t have had to take Defensor’s side.

Just an example, right now there’s a poll being held in one of the morning news shows asking viewers to SMS in their opinions about whether or not they’re in favor of GMA’s declaration of a state of national emergency. Oddly enough, they didn’t even read through the text of the declaration, much less go into detail into the nuances of the proclamation, like those pointed out here and here. Though hardly incompetent; these stations have other priorities - ratings being tops on that list. That Time beat them to this scoop is telling, to say the least.

Now I’m not too sure about the veracity of the report implicating sugar baron Peping Cojuanco and certifiable loon Pastor Saycon to General Danny Lim, but Saycon’s been prophesying coup d’etat(s) and armageddon for so long that I wouldn’t put it past him. According to the Time report, more than a dozen middle-level officials and businessmen were at the meeting discussing what one of the ringleaders called a “withdrawal of support” from President Arroyo. It true, this piece of news couldn’t come at a more convenient time for GMA. Maybe too convenient? We’ll see.

Diliman Commune part deux

In early 1971, the country was in crisis. Oil prices were skyrocketing, Marcos was being accused of electoral fraud, and to counteract this, was playing the communist card. After a massive transport strike, UP students flocked to the Diliman campus to show their support. Then things went horribly wrong: a totally unrelated shooting incident led to the death of a protester, which led to the campus being barricaded by the students and establishing the “Diliman Commune”, which in turn led to the police laying siege.

In early 2006, the country is in crisis. Oil prices are skyrocketing, GMA is still neck (forehead?) deep in allegations of electoral fraud, and to counteract this, she’s been playing the communist, terrorist, and military adventurist cards. After a tense standoff in Fort Bonifacio, where a Marine General and Colonel are (allegedly) being oppressed, UP students flocked to the Diliman campus to show their support. I’m praying fo the day to be over, but it’s only 8:30 AM and a lot can still happen.

Carlos Romulo said of Marcos: “(he) read the Filipino psychology well; never underestimate the power of the communist bogey.” Well, with GMA making triple sure that people are paranoid enough, can you say flashpoint?

Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of dimunitive power hungry *******?

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