Impeachment Part II

[athlon XP-M]

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WHERE?.....

It's nonsense to me....

[patsadahon]

Refute them first.Â* Make sure your arguments will make sense to me. . .

10 reasons to doubt the 2004 election results

1. Unusual jump in number of registered voters: The country’s population increases by roughly 2.3 percent each year. This means about five percent between 2002 and 2004. Yet, the Commission on Elections listed 43.5 million registered voters in the 2004 elections, or a 15-percent jump over the 2002 figure. The Comelec has justified the unusual trend, saying there appeared to be a “heightened awareness/enthusiasm of voters to exercise suffrage

2. Number of registered voters exceeds Comelec projections: In the provinces of Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo, and Bohol, which delivered the largest chunks of the president’s winning margin over Poe, the number of registered voters in the end far exceeded the number of voters that Comelec expected to register.

3. Votes cast for all presidential candidates exceed actual voters.

3. Votes cast for all presidential candidates exceed actual voters.

4. Number of actual voters exceeds number of registered voters

5. Too popular outside bailiwick: For every Kapampangan who voted for Poe, 7.5 voted for Arroyo. For every Cebuano who voted for Poe, 7.8 voted for Arroyo. Historically, says Philippine Daily Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros, “(not) one of the past presidents has shown himself to be as popular, if not more so, in a province other than his own.� He cited as examples the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos who was strongest in the Ilocos and Arroyo’s own father, the late Diosdado Macapagal, who showed himself strongest in Pampanga.

6. Zero vote for highly popular candidate: A 1966 Supreme Court ruling says a zero vote is statistically improbable. But the highly popular Poe failed to garner a single vote in a lot of places, including Sto. Tomas town in his home province of Pangasinan and in several Maguindanao municipalities where rival Arroyo’s total votes equaled the number of actual voters (another statistical improbability). Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos Sr. has argued that while a zero vote may be highly improbable, it is still possible, and cited several factors like “Church influence, patriarchal dominance, guns, and gold� that could make it so. Asked about zero votes in last year’s elections, Garcillano told newsmen, “If there is a zero, that is possible because they could buy the watcher of the opposite side.�


7. Votes for presidential candidate exceed votes for No. 1 senatorial candidate: Voters almost always write down names for senatorial and local posts on their ballots, but not necessarily make a selection for president. Also, voters can choose only one presidential candidate but can pick a dozen senatorial candidates at most. This makes it extremely rare for a presidential candidate to obtain more votes than the leading senatorial candidate. In Bohol, however, Arroyo garnered more votes than the leading senatorial candidate, including former Bohol representative Ernesto Herrera and Manuel Roxas III (who eventually topped the senatorial race), in 30 of 48 municipalities (60 percent). Ditto for Pampanga, bailiwick of both the president and Sen. Lito Lapid. Even in his hometown, Lapid had fewer votes than Arroyo. Similar patterns were detected in Iloilo, Siquijor, and Leyte provinces.


8. Presidential candidate more popular than local candidate: In the South district of Cebu City, Arroyo turned out to be more popular than the local candidate, Rep. Antonio Cuenco.

9. Unusually high winning ratio: Popularity-wise, Arroyo did not hold a candle to Poe. But in areas where she posted her biggest winning margins like Cebu, Arroyo led Poe by as much as 22 to one. By comparison, Poe’s lead over Arroyo was at most five times in places where he got his biggest winning margins. Election officials recall that Joseph Estrada, the runaway winner in the 1998 elections, led his closest opponent, Jose de Venecia, by five to one. Arroyo’s running mate, the extremely popular Noli de Castro, led Loren Legarda by only two to eight times in areas like Pampanga, Cebu, Iloilo, Bohol, Bukidnon, and Southern Leyte

10. Padding and shaving: New-media pioneer Roberto Verzola believes Arroyo did not win by 1.1 million votes. Using the Namfrel tally (based on elections returns) and the official count of Congress (based on Certificates of Canvass), he calculated Arroyo could have won by 156,000 votes at most, or Poe by 84,000 votes. He said the Namfrel tally is “probably closer to the truth� because it is harder to tamper with 216,000-plus election returns than with 180 COCs. Congress said Arroyo posted a 3.5-percent margin over Poe, while the Namfrel tally placed this at 2.6 percent. The biggest discrepancies between the Namfrel and congressional counts were in Basilan, Sultan Kudarat, Lanao del Norte, Tawi-Tawi, Lanao del Sur, and Maguindanao

[patsadahon]

A President apologized but never showed accountability.
GMA called who?
GMA did what?
I ask myself why we can’t put her to justice.
The point is she did something wrong and a simple sorry wont suffice it.
A simple sorry wont change a corrupted ballot.
A simple sorry wont change a cheated majority.
A simple sorry wont heal a wounded land.
And the more that she puts her back on accountability the more robust the criminals become.
The bolder the corrupt politicians become.
Because they see a society that bows down to a “Flawed leader by virtue of keeping the status-quo.�
Eventually her philandering continued.
By virtue of poverty and paranoia and sheer lack of viable alternatives she stepped on our civil liberties.
She issued E.O. 464
She decreed P.D. 1017
She puts to jail anyone who’s against her and asked them to be arrested without a warrant.
She puts media to a watch list and continues to harass its employees and supporters.
She silences the dissenters and brands them as communists and destabilizers.
And now she wants to change our system of government.
I say “ENOUGH�
Clearly there is no reason for me to stay silent and not do anything.
I don’t want another generation that is conditioned to learned helplessness.
I don’t want another wave of poverty that would throw the best and the brightest out of the country.
I don’t want us to not do anything.
I don’t want the next generation to blame me for another mistake that the older generation did—to remain complacent and just live their lives.
I also want to have a better life for all Filipinos but not like what you say Mr. Austero.
I see a justice system that is not friendly with the masses because of language gap.
I see an educational system that is flawed and backward because of lack of funds.
I see all the basic services like healthcare and access to food and water being eaten whole by graft and corruption.
And I see the taxes I pay going nowhere but to a “Flawed Presidents’ Government�
So let me remind you Mr. Austero that the President is not the Government, the people is the Government.
The President is not the economy, the people is the economy.
And I will never tire reminding you of that.
You have every right to protect your vote.
To not just let anyone take it from you.
You have every right to voice out your opinion and not agree with the governments’ policies and never be put to jail.
You have every right to question a leader’s credibility because you placed him/her in that position of power.
It is even a privilege that they are there.
Because they didn’t earn it, they asked us to give it to them.
So I find it justified to answer your letter.
And share my two cents of the matter.
That while you have presented your alternative of complacency I present my alternative of social responsibility.
That while your answer is “we are prepared to lose our freedoms and our rights just to move this country forward�
My answer is “I am always prepared to defend our freedoms and our rights that we so hardly fought for hundreds of years and move this country forward�
And if it needs be id fight nail and tooth for it.

http://upoytao.wordpress.com/2006/03/

[patsadahon]

An eerie resemblance of Marcos...


Gloria glorifies mom, dad, kin in gov’t projects


05/30/2006

A boulevard or port by any other name other than “Diosdado� or “Evangelina� will hardly ring a bell if “Jose Miguel Arroyo� is not added to the virtual alphabet soup of govern-ment projects that are named after the parents of President Arroyo — former President Diosdado Macapagal and former First Lady Evangelina Macapagal.

Press Secretary and concurrent presidential

spokesman Ignacio Bunye yesterday said other projects could be named after Mrs. Arroyo’s husband Jose Miguel “Mike� Arroyo, or “Mike,� if project proponents so wish.

“Whoever... (whatever) the project proponents decide... it is the decision of the project proponents� whether to immortalize the names of the Macapagals and the Arroyos on airports or bridges, Bunye added.

The project proponents are usually government agencies.

Malacañang was defending moves of the proponents to name their contracted projects after Mrs. Arroyo’s parents, both deceased, the more recent of which was the builders calling a P33.5-million port in Orion, Bataan, north of Manila, the Diosdado Macapagal Cruise Terminal.

According to Bunye, there is nothing wrong if the administration’s pet projects are named after Mrs. Arroyo’s parents or relatives.

“What is important is that such projects have been inaugurated and the fact that they are named after a particular person is just probably incidental,� the Arroyo aide said during a press briefing when asked if the naming game has the blessing of the President.

When pressed if the game is just incidental, Bunye said, “Yes, I believe so.�

He warned against comparing Mrs. Arroyo with the late strongman President Ferdinand Marcos who also named projects after himself and his wife Imelda Marcos.

Bunye said naming projects after certain individuals is not as important as the completion of the projects.

“I don’t think that’s the interest of the President (Mrs. Arroyo)... that’s not our main consideration. What’s important is that we have this (Bataan) terminal and this is what’s important. That there’s already a facility and we’re glad that this was accomplished,� he added.

“I don’t think that this (naming the terminal after her late father) was a decision of the President. I would rather take this as a decision, an option of the projects proponents,� Bunye said without naming the proponents.

When also asked if Mrs. Arroyo was flattered, Bunye skirted this, saying, “The fact that we have such an important terminal already operating is something we should be happy about.�

Already, there are a President Diosdado Macapagal Boulevard in Pasay City, Metro Manila; a Diosdado Macapagal Airport (formerly Clark International Airport) in Pampanga, also north of Manila; and an Evangelina Macapagal Port Area in Manila.

In leading the groundbreaking of the Diosdado Macapagal Cruise Terminal also yesterday in Orion, Mrs. Arroyo said the port will spur development not only of the Bataan but also Central Luzon and Northern Luzon.

[wanderlust]

Working overtime, patsadahon? Well, not much different from what the opposition are doing, at the expense of their work as legislators.

The country has more important problems and it's about time they focus on that. With an impending oil crisis, they would serve the people better by working on those biofuel bills.

[heavenearth]

Mao ni latest news ay!!!

Paras quits House minority, scores Escudero


Negros Oriental Rep. Jacinto Paras on Tuesday announced his resignation from the minority in the House of Representatives due to differences with Minority Leader Francis Escudero, DZMM reported.

The report said Paras was disappointed at the way Escudero has handled issues affecting the minority.

Paras was also reportedly irked by Escudero's announcement that minority members who would dillydally in supporting the new impeachment complaint against President Arroyo in July would be disciplined.

Last week the maverick lawmaker from Negros Oriental predicted the new complaint "won’t likely prosper with the members of the minority now fighting among themselves."

Paras said a revamp in the minority leadership is needed, adding that the opposition is suffering from credibility problems and this imperils the new impeachment case against the President.

Paras said the minority should have established a "policy of attraction" to muster enough signatures and ensure victory against its move to unseat Mrs. Arroyo.

The Manila Times also reported last week a brewing revolt in the ranks of the opposition in the House could see the ouster of Escudero.

An opposition leader who asked not to be named told The Manila Times that more and more opposition congressmen would want a change in leadership and have Escudero replaced by House assistant deputy minority leader, Rep. Allan Peter Cayetano of Taguig-Pateros. Cayetano would act as spokesman for the impeachment team.

"There is indeed a clamor to replace Escudero from some members of the minority," the source said.

The lawmakers said Escudero was employing "shotgun policy" when he said those not signing the complaint will be automatically booted out from the minority.

"That is unfair, that is so dictatorial. Who is he to speak on our behalf? Escudero does not speak for us. He doesn’t have the right to dictate on us on what to do. We will vote on the impeachment complaint based on our conscience and principle," the source said.

Escudero’s ultimatum to his allies also irked Rep. Imee Marcos who was stripped of her representation in the powerful Commission on Appointment for not showing up when the first impeachment complaint against the President was submitted to the plenary last year.

Allies of the President in the House said the squabble among the opposition is a sign that it has a weak case.

"I don’t think the opposition will get the required number… the widening gap within their ranks obviously turns off those who want to join their advocacy and support the impeachment this time around," a pro-administration lawmaker said.

[patsadahon]

I pity Paras.

I pity people who sow intrigues on the opposition. Thats the only thing they can do because they have no defense for the impeachment.

IMee Marcos, well it doesnt make any difference if she is irked. She is a no show anyway in last year's impechment. As for Paras, he is supporter of Edong Angara who by the way is recently jumping to Dona Gloria's ship.

[patsadahon]

Paras resigns from opposition bloc
‘Opposing views’ on Charter change cited


First posted 06:11pm (Mla time) May 30, 2006
By Maila Ager
INQ7.net




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CITING differences on the issue of Charter change, Negros Oriental Representative Jacinto Paras has resigned as a member of the opposition bloc at the House of Representatives.

“I resigned from the opposition because of our opposing views on Cha-cha. I'm an advocate of Cha-cha and they are against it,� Paras said in a telephone interview Tuesday.

Paras also cited his “disenchantment� with the opposition leadership as another reason why he left the group.

“It also came to a point that I'm disenchanted with our leadership so before it becomes a personal issue, I decided to get out of the organization,� he said.

Paras said he had informed some of his colleagues in the opposition about his decision although Minority Floor Leader Francis Escudero had yet to be formally notified of his decision.

Escudero is out of the country and is expected to be back within the week.

For the meantime, Paras said he would be independent and would continue to express his thoughts against the administration.

“I want to be free. I want to speak freely on the issue of Cha-cha,� he said.

At the same time, Paras floated the name of Senator Manuel Villar as a contender for prime minister if the government would shift to a parliamentary system of government.

Paras said Villar, a former Speaker, could also be a "unifying force" between the opposition and the administration, citing his statesmanship and consistency in his political positions.

"Senator Villar is definitely a force to reckon with because of his ability to build a coalition and his solid relationship with members of both chambers. Even members of the opposition like me see him as a unifying force for this country," Paras said in a statement issued earlier on Tuesday.

Villar will help build a consensus-driven Congress once he takes over the Senate presidency under a power-sharing scheme with Senate President Franklin Drilon, and a unifying force once he gets elected as Prime Minister, Paras said.

Aside from Villar, Paras said businessman Eduardo �Danding" Cojuangco and former president Fidel Ramos were also potential candidates as prime minister.

"I don't believe in what anti-Cha-cha advocates are peddling that this present administration will have a monopoly of power once we shift to a parliamentary system of government," he said.

"It will be an entirely different ballgame. The possibility of having a head of State from the opposition so a lot higher if we shift to a parliamentary system of government," he stressed.

House Majority Floor Leader Prospero Nograles agreed with the opposition congressman.

"He [Paras] is correct. Cha-cha was not conceived only to make Speaker [Jose] de Venecia the Prime Minister," Nograles said in a text message.

"The Speaker has no monopoly or vested right to that position and even the Speaker acknowledges that fact. It's a toss up. Ball in the air," he said.

Nograles echoed Paras' statement that even Cojuangco, Ramos, and opposition personalities like Drilon, Senate Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel, and Senator Edgardo Angara could run for the post.


There you are Rep. Paras. He is for Cha cha. Not because he doesnt like Escudero. Paras is just being honest to himself , a political butterfly and an opportunist.

I support Cong Chiz Escudero. Its high time to weed out who are the true opposition nd those who are not.

[FK]

no matter how bad or corrupt a president you are... as long as these crocodiles have their share. They will support that president.

tsk... tsk... tsk...

[lalakingbisdak]

I actually cannot wait for this impeachment. I cant wait to see the peso to fall to 80/ US dollar. After all this is what the opposition wants. Lets give them a chance hehe.