Just My Opinion

For a moment, I want look beyond the electoral fraud controversy and take a look at the turn of events that could end the hopes of the Philippines becoming a stable democracy. In a press conference this morning, nine former cabinet secretaries joined the bandwagon calling for President Arroyo’s resignation. They were already planning to resign and make their public announcement before the president jumped the gun on them and asked the whole cabinet to tender their resignations. Before we praise these 9 ex-secretaries to high heavens for supposedly taking an “ethical” stand, let’s not forget that these same officials gave GMA their wholehearted support and sang “If we hold on” to her shortly after she admitted speaking to a COMELEC official. Let’s not forget that as cabinet secretaries, they were supposed to be doing their jobs instead of conspiring behind the scenes to promote their political agenda. Let’s not forget that one year ago, one of their ringleaders cried on TV when it appeared that she would lose her job to Noli de Castro. The president had a change of heart and re-appointed her to the same job. The Philippines has become a country where elected positions have become unstable and where issues are settled in the streets and on media, instead of in the ballot boxes. It is a country where officials flip-flop on their positions and institutions give in to popular whims. If those cabinet members can flip-flop and connive to unseat the president under whose pleasure they serve today, they can do the same to the presidents they will serve in the future, paving the way to never-ending cabinet instability. This pattern started in 1986, when JP Enrile and FVR defected from the Marcos cabinet, and was repeated in 2001 when a few of Erap’s cabinet members left his administration one-by-one. Now some of the present cabinet members have taken things one level higher by defecting as one group. The middle class and civil society tolerated and encouraged this behavior without realizing that this was gradually eroding public officials’ sense of conviction.

This is why I’ve been averse to those public statements from “concerned faculty and staff” of various universities and church leaders calling for GMA’s immediate resignation. Such actions betrayed their short-sightedness and weakness of critical judgement. By recklessly sinking its credibility into a politically volatile issue, civil society opened the door for opportunistic quarters to hijack the moral high ground and seize power for themselves. EDSA-1 was excusable because Filipinos were standing up for their individual freedoms. EDSA-2 was a mistake, but it was one where we should have learned an important lesson. One more people power revolution instigated by power usurpers is inexcusable and will lead to the deterioration of our democracy.

With our institutions in tatters and the country ungovernable, will civil society, the academe and the church help the country clean up the mess? Or will they continue to dictate from an armchair at the top of an ivory tower?

Now Tita Cory has joined the game.

rabbadal, we get the government we deserve. a people who have no regard to the rule of law deserves lawlessness in return.

i just hope the people who called for her resignation are ready for even more turbulent days ahead. panagutan nyo ang mahihirap na walang laban sa ganitong masalimuot na pagbabago ng pamamahala.

That's the problem. Civil society is never around to clean up afterwards. When all this is done, Tita Cory will go back to retirement, Oscar Cruz will run off to Pangasinan and the Lopezes bailed out of their financial problems at the expense of Filipino taxpayers. We have one of the noisiest civil societies in the world, but also one of the least productive. At least Bangladesh can boast of Grameen.

To rephrase something from joescounrel:

Thank you, civil society and Tita Cory, for upholding the best interests of Philippine democracy. There's a special place somewhere in the list of banana republics for all you highly patriotic promoters of national progress. Where would our country be without you guys?

When will the noise end?

Pakiulit. People are asking GMA to resign because she admitted it was her voice in the tape and she tried to protect her vote? So we are making all this noise because she was honest and brave enough to admit something that is not even established to be a consitutional violation or impeachable offense yet?
Uhmmm. nag-iingay tayo kasi ngayon lang tayo nakakita ng matapat na pangulo na handang humingi ng paumanhin sa taong bayan.
Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Teka, teka; ulit. People are asking GMA to resign because she has no moral ground. And the people who said she should resign are people who are so morally upright themselves? Ah, GMA should resign because the guardians of morality said the Presidency is the seat of morality? Ah, wala na palang separation of church and state.
Laos na siguro ang mga pari pag dating sa morality.
So ang issue natin ngayon ay morality.
Masarap bang kainin 'yun?

Ano ulit? Nagkakagulo ang mga pulitiko, dating pulitiko, big tax evaders, unemployed professional rallyist, mga negosyanteng hindi nakakuha ng kontrata, mga kandidatong laos na . . . para lahat sa bayan.
Isali mo pa dyan ang naghihimutok na biyuda, suspended na abogado, at dating senador na sarat ang ilong.
Galing ah!
Sige, manggulo kayo, maghusgahan kayo para makita natin ang pinakamagaling at pinaka moral sa inyong lahat.
Bakit?
Nag-uunahan ba kayong makarating sa langit?

Paano ulit nagsimula ang gulo?
Binanatan ni GMA ang huweteng. Bilang ganti, binanatan ng huweteng lords ang pamilya niya.
Pumapel ang maiingay. Tapos, biglang lumabas ang tape at inilabas ito ng mga . . . . tapos ingay.
Ahhh.
Kasi naman, pabayaan na ang huweteng kundi aalisin ka sa pagka presidente. Ahhh.

Ano?!? Gusto niyo kaming isali sa pang gugulo niyo para kayo naman ang mag hariharian?!?
Naku, huwag muna kaya. Medyo pagod na kami sa rally rally. Kailangan pa naming magtrabaho para may pambayad kami ng buwis. Para naman mayroon katututuran pag kayo na ang nakaupo sa poder. Meron na kayong kukurakutin.
Si Boyong na lang ang isama niyo sa rally. Tutal wala naman siyang trabaho at nauubos lang ang kinikita ng binubugbog niyang asawa
sa pagbili ni Boyong ng toma.
Isama niyo na rin si Ikmo. Tamad kasi mag-aral yan eh. Pero magaling gumawa ng slogan. Aba, kung marining niyo 'yan, mula imperyalismo hanggang kilay ng bading ay kaya niyang ibagsak.
Isama niyo na rin si Sandrang kubrador ng hueteng,
mahilig din kasing mag emote 'yan eh!

Huwag kayong mag-alala. Nandito pa rin naman kami pag natapos na ang gulo. Kami pa rin ang tahimik na nagtratrabaho para sa bayan.
Ayun, mahirap at payak pa rin. Pero sigurado, sa unti unti naming pagtitiyaga, uunlad din ang bayan natin.
'Yun nga lang, kayo ang sikat at hindi kami.
OK lang 'yun.
Simple lang naman ang aming kaligayahan.

ah basta. akala mo naman kung sinong mahuhusay itong mga genius na ito. wala din namang maitulong.

one word for all these people..BWISIT! kayo ang magulo at nagpapagulo ng bansa natin. kayo na lang ang lumayas.

one question for all of them: AT SINO NAMAN ANG GUSTO NILANG IPALIT?!

now it seems the opposition and the civil society groups who called for GMA's resignation were taken aback when the president took on a defiant stance and dared them to bring their grievances--the basis of which essentially consists of a piece of evidence that is inadmissible in any court of law--to congress. how will they fund daily street protests? where will they get the financial and logistical resources? and how long can they continue rallying in the streets before the public's patience wears thin?

hindi lahat ng tao kayang-kaya nyong duruin. puro kayo mga pabigat sa bayan!!!

Another thing that's disconcerting is the utter hypocrisy that these civil society groups, including tita Cory, have displayed in calling for the president's voluntary resignation. Some of these public announcements have come out after the president clearly said that she would not resign. By lending their perceived credibility and public stature, they are trying to turn the clamor into a self-fulfilling prophecy forcing the president to resign whether she likes it or not. If that's the case, would GMA be resigning voluntarily?

Now that the president has once again refused to step down, will these so-called cause-oriented groups, university administrators, concerned faculty and staff, religious organizations and tita Cory issue a follow-up public announcement asking the people to respect the president's decision, and instead accept impeachment as the only remaining lawful solution? Or will they remain silent and let the resentment build up until it leads to civil unrest?

That's the problem when we let these non-accountable groups influence governance. They can make noise but they're never around to fix things up afterwards.

Another casualty in this whole turn of events is the case for appointing professionals and technocrats to cabinet positions (As it turned out, some of these technocrats had politician tendencies as well. Sec. Purisima, for example, took considerable time out of his very busy business schedule to travel to HongKong and meet with potential political kingmakers like Noli instead of attending to his job like what a real professional ought to have done). The defection of those 9 cabinet members will only encourage future presidents to appoint only loyal political allies to sensitive gov't positions. From now on, it would be stupid to appoint those who could stab you in the back later on.



In fairness, if the president did break the law, then she should be made accountable for her actions and punished for what she did. What's important here is to do it in a way that is lawful and in a way that would not condemn Philippine democracy to generations of instability. The Philippines cannot have a real democracy if greivances are solved by taking to the streets or grandstanding in mass media. Given that the president has re-iterated that she would not resign, then the only other option is impeachment. If that's the case, why does civil society keep publicly asking her to voluntarily resign? Why don't they follow-up their earlier announcement with a call to the people to respect the president's decision and accept impeachment as the only other alternative? The problem with all these cause-oriented know-it-alls is that they are intelligent enough to know what they are doing is insidious and could cause permanent damage. It's no wonder that Lee Kwan Yew has judged our country to be a basketcase that is truly unfit for democracy.

I read the column of Winnie Monsod about the cabinet resignations. She was disappointed about Soliman and Purisima turning their backs on GMA but she tried not to sound angry.

I agree with you. And i don't know what civil society 'wants' or if they really know what they are asking for.

And i also think that the congress may have difficulty doing an impeachment because in the process they would need to play and listen to the tape as evidence, and more likely than not, they themselves may be involved in the whole scandal as well. So they'd really want the president to resign, rather than have her impeached and themselves accused in the process. I dunno. eh?

Now They Say It

For days, it plastered its precious and highly-visible front page space with stories of calls for President Arroyo’s voluntary-daw resignation, and her impending downfall. The Philippine Daily Inquirer now provides some level-headed and objective insight in a front-page article. What’s preposterous here is that many quarters have been saying this all along yet they were ignored by mass media as the hysteria was building up. Isn’t it a coincidence that this thought angle was finally printed after the CBCP’s announcement diffused the snowballing quick resignation movement. Ang media talaga…

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ANALYSIS: Bishops' decision enhances chances of impeachment option
First posted 01:35am (Mla time) July 11, 2005
By Amando Doronila
Inquirer News Service

[EDITED]

The Constitution provides four modes for the removal of a president from office -- death, permanent disability, resignation and impeachment. Of these modes, two options are available in this state of the crisis -- resignation and impeachment.

Although resignation is theoretically a voluntary act, the political reality is that the President is under duress by pressure from the middle-class battlements to resign, thereby making the voluntary nature of resignation a political fiction.

Not only that. The middle class, which disdains the disorder and mayhem in streets because of fear being hurt in the melee, seeks to fast-track the resignation option as a bloodless route to the transfer of power.

The fast-tracking of resignation is fraught with dangers and does not provide a painless formula for a "smooth transition." First of all, this option is being pushed by the middle class, to the exclusion of another constitutional option, impeachment.

There is no institutional channel to make this option orderly and to make it conform to the principle of the rule of law and elementary fairness. Public clamor for resignation, whether coming from the middle or poor classes, is a thin disguise for disregarding this principle.

The resignation call harnesses public opinion as the tribunal which tries the fitness of a president to stay in office.

In impeachment, there is an institutional framework and process in which guilt or innocence of an impeached official is determined by fair and orderly procedures. In an impeachment, an official is given a venue to defend himself/herself from charges.

The resignation stampede violates the fundamental principle of giving an indicted official a chance to reply. It denies the official such a forum.

Lynch mob

It cannot be denied, and indeed it is a fact, that the mounting calls are made, metaphorically speaking, against the background of a lynch mob mood fueled by perception of wrongdoing of constitutional violation based on flimsy evidence, such as the tapes.

In people power and in middle-class generated demands for summary execution without trial, democracy and a constitutional order based on institutional procedures of rule of law are thrown to the wind. This is where the danger of the collapse of the constitutional order lies -- in the hands of the capricious, self-righteous and sanctimonious lynch mob, whether composed of the middle or poor classes.

The lynching of the Arroyo presidency, which is not given a chance to defend itself in the forum of impeachment, will represent the ultimate triumph of mob justice.

The fate of the Arroyo administration is less important than preserving constitutional institutions, such as impeachment. When these institutions are destroyed, there will be no more sanctuary for those whose turn will come next to face the fury of a howling lynch mob, screaming, "Resign! Resign!"

The next administration cannot be safe from this procedure.

I totally agree with Max Soliven and Jarius Bondoc. There are two questions which need to be answered. Question of fact and question of values. The CBCP statement considered both.

The hypocrites, the conspirators and the naive are going to bring all of us down.

As wrong as it may seem to think this, I’m starting to lose hope for the country as long as those hypocrites with vested interests remain in power. I’m sick and tired of all the scandals, the conspiracies, the deceptions. Damn! The system sucks and the system has failed for us!

All the blood that our forefathers spilled has been in vain for we’re not really free, no; we’re still under the control of our own political demons. Sometimes I wish a developed nation like the Spain, Japan, or US just invade us again and submit to their rule. At least they can clean up the political mess here.

We should really just get into the parliamentary system and weed out all the incompetent morons (probably 90% of the government officials) and start anew.

It’s really an embarrassment for other countries. If this keeps up, I wouldn’t be surprised if nations like Vietnam or Laos surpass us.

The Other Side

This is more or less the justification of the Cabinet 10 for what they did, which is to call for the President's resignation. Granted they were sincere and their fears are correct, I don't think it is right to compromise democratic processes for the sake of short-term gain. This will only encourage Filipinos to continue their urong-sulong mentality of always taking short cuts for the sake of expediency. They will never learn to stand up and make themselves individually accountable and bear the cross for their political behavior.

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Can the economy survive Ate Glo?
DEMAND AND SUPPLY By Boo Chanco
The Philippine Star 07/13/2005

At the sidelines of Ate Glo’s hurried Hong Kong business trip the other week, major bankers and investors sidled up to the now resigned economic managers to remind them that their money in the Philippines is basically in hot money stock market investments and ROP bonds, both easily liquidated. They said they will be carefully watching two things in deciding to stay with us: First, if Ate Glo is politically stable and willing to use political capital to implement tough but needed economic reform measures and second, the stability of the economic team itself.

Well, the second item is a goner with the resignation of the key members of Ate Glo’s economic team. While no one is indispensable, Ate Glo would be hard pressed to quickly form a new team with as much credibility as Cesar Purisima, Johnny Santos and Emy Boncodin. The first item is also now subject to doubt, given Ate Glo’s precarious political situation and her own inclination to sacrifice the EVAT, which precipitated the resignation of the economic team.

Ate Glo was effectively surviving on the borrowed international credibility of her economic managers for a while now. The all important ratings agencies turned somewhat positive early this year, based on the assurance of Purisima and company that the government means business in turning the fiscal situation around. Reading between the lines of their assessments, Ate Glo does not, herself, enjoy the same high credibility as her resigned economic managers.

In fact, the reaction was pretty quick. Fitch Ratings said last Monday it had cut the outlook on the Philippines’ BB long-term foreign currency rating to negative from stable, citing heightened political uncertainty as President Arroyo faces mounting calls to resign. According to Bloomberg, the outlook change suggests Fitch is more inclined to cut the Philippines’ long-term foreign-currency rating of BB and local-currency rating of BB+. Both ratings are junk grade. It was only last January when it raised the outlook from negative to stable. Standard and Poor’s followed a similar downgrade later in the day.

I imagine, appointing the senior undersecretaries in place of the resigned Cabinet members is not going to do it. But with what happened to well respected private sector superstars like Purisima and Santos, it would now be near impossible to attract people of their caliber to the Cabinet.

Ate Glo can perhaps appoint Donald Dee to DTI and Sergio Luis Ortiz to DOF and formalize the sycophantic relationship that exists between them and the Palace. But Dee and Ortiz do not have the same credibility that the resigned Cabinet members had. Investors’ creditors and ratings agencies will not take them as seriously, if at all. That would make the short term one tough time for Ate Glo and the country as well. (As I was finalizing this column, I got word that Land Bank president Gary Teves was appointed Finance Secretary. This is a good appointment but even then, it takes the aura of a holdover assignment unless the political crisis is decisively resolved.)

Of course, a lot also hinges on what happens to the EVAT Law now pending at the Supreme Court. If the Court upholds it, or only invalidates the portion which looks like undue delegation of legislative powers, maybe we could be given the benefit of the doubt. The ratings agencies are not likely to give us an upgrade but it is possible that they won’t further downgrade us either, provided the political situation does not get any worse than it is now.

With a lot of talk about impeachment as the remedy of choice, even by such Palace defenders as Joey Salceda, it is also possible that things would spiral irretrievably out of control. Ate Glo would hesitate to take the tough measures needed, even if the High Court validates the EVAT. That would result in massive loss of confidence in the economic sector with hot money in the stock market quickly evaporating. There would also be significant peso depreciation and capital flight. It would be difficult or expensive to raise additional credit from the international market, something we have to do later this year. It would be difficult to survive such economic pressures.

That’s why the resigned economic managers acted as if they were running out of time. They summed up the danger: "The longer the President stays in office under a cloud of doubt and mistrust, and with her style of decision-making, the greater the damage on the economy and the more vulnerable the fragile political situation becomes to extremists seeking to undermine our democratic life."

One of them lamented to me that people are wrong to think that their action had anything to do with jueteng or the Garci tapes. They acted the way they did because they saw a president so beleaguered and made so desperate by the threats to her political survival that she has instinctively set aside the business of governance. She has turned her back on her avowed commitment to fiscal health. They saw a president whose credibility was so heavily compromised that there was no way she could push the reform agenda, an observation also cited last Monday by Fitch.

They acted the way they did out of fear... of the dire consequences once the international financial community writes us off, for loss of confidence. They feel time is not our side. This was probably why they miscalculated the politics of it all, when they hurriedly opted for resignation as a solution that was quick and not as painful to the economy. They honestly thought that was in the nation’s interest. I think that was also the primary concern of Tita Cory and the business community.

In a sense, those economic managers were rather politically naive. They were thinking too much like results-oriented private sector managers. She was worried about her survival, they were worried if the economy can survive her.

In fairness, it is obvious that she is worried about that too. And she was conscious of her negative effect on the people. Notice that in her last two addresses, probably among the most important in her political career, she chose to use a media approach that is so 1940s.

She chose to do a radio address (ala Roosevelt declaring war on Japan). That forced the television stations (in this age of LIVE full color broadcasts from across the world), to use her still photo on the screen over her distinctive voice. I got a text message that tried to explain why she decided to hide her face as she spoke: wala na kasi siyang mukhang ipakita sa bayan.

If that’s true, at least nahihiya na siya and that’s progress in my book.

rab,

youre right. everybody is saying oh cory is this or that. but it is pure hypocrisy. cory implemented agrarian reform but shielded her 6000 hectare hacienda luisita.she shielded her family from hocus pocus deals in her govt. parang nagmamalinis.does she have a moral right to ask GMA to resign considering her track record?

personally, i agree w/ the ramos proposal to make a radical step thru a change of constitution . there is a silver lining to this. and no matter what, there is always hope .

the politicians are the bane of this country. they have done so much damage and plundered this country long enough.

i also agree. if the system doesn't work anymore, there is a need to fix it. otherwise this country will just cointinue going through a downward spiral. changes in the constitution is the way to go.

It's our duty as citizens to

1. Pay our taxes.
2. Watch how taxes are spent by government.
3. Act in groups to punish or remove errant civil servants.

A. Most Ateneans are middle class or upper income class.
B. Ateneans, naturally, are afraid of endangering their families and losing their assets and livelihoods.
C. Most Anteneans just spout platitudes and do nothing to solve the problem.
D. Older generations of Ateneans participate in patronage politics or big business.

I am one of the noise incompetent.

It has been said that, "In politics, there are no permanent friends and enemies, only permanent interests." For a long time, it seemed that Former President Cory Aquino was not a typical politician -- that she served a higher purpose for this country. Some even went so far as to call her "the Joan of Arc of the Philippines".

But after failing to achieve what she wanted -- unlike in EDSA I and EDSA II -- we now see her linking arms with the people she supposedly detested in the past. What a disappointment!!!

And what has led her to become like this? Personal interest ... to keep Hacienda Luisita!!!

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Cory Aquino, Estrada hold meeting

First posted 03:01am (Mla time) Feb 06, 2006
By Edson C. Tandoc Jr., TJ Burgonio
Inquirer



Editor's Note: Published on page A2 of the Feb. 6, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


A BREWING ALLIANCE?

Speculations of an emerging alliance flew thick and fast yesterday after two former Presidents, who used to be on the opposite sides of the political fence, finally met and talked yesterday.

Former Presidents Corazon Aquino and Joseph Estrada met behind closed doors yesterday at the San Juan Medical Center after attending a thanksgiving Mass for the recovery of Estrada who underwent eye surgery on Wednesday.

The two former leaders talked for more than an hour. But details of the discussions were not disclosed.

It was the first time since Estrada's ouster five years ago, where Aquino played a key role, that the two former Presidents met face to face. Both smiled and posed for the cameras after the closed-door meeting.

The thanksgiving Mass, which started at 4:30 p.m., was also attended by Senate President Franklin Drilon, movie actress Susan Roces, Senator Luisa "Loi" Ejercito, Senator Jinggoy Estrada, Tarlac Representative Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III and several opposition leaders.

This was the first time Aquino, Estrada, Drilon and Roces, widow of the late actor Fernando Poe Jr. -- key personalities in the broad alliance that has been calling for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's resignation -- heard Mass together.

After about an hour, Aquino, Estrada, Roces and the other opposition leaders went inside an adjacent room for snacks.

Aquino sat on the center, with Estrada on her right side and Roces on her left side. Estrada was wearing a beige jacket and a pair of black shades to conceal his eyes.

But nobody dared to talk about the details of the rare meeting.

"We did not talk politics," Drilon said in a phone interview. "There was a little merienda after the Mass, and we exchanged pleasantries. There was no talk of politics."

Speculations that politics, particularly the current political crisis, topped the agenda of the huge gathering of the country's opposition leaders were "an expected conclusion," Drilon said.

"Nothing happened. It was just a thanksgiving Mass to pray for the speedy recovery of Estrada as well as for the victims of the Ultra tragedy," he insisted.

Drilon said Aquino asked him to accompany her to the thanksgiving Mass after Estrada invited her.

Aquino herself said she came "to pray for the victims of yesterday's tragedy," referring to the stampede at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City, where 74 persons were killed, after rushing to watch and join a popular noontime game show.

"I just came here to pray and attend the thanksgiving Mass for the successful operation of President Estrada," Aquino told reporters. "I am glad that we are all here to pray," Aquino, who arrived with her son Noynoy, said.

In an interview over radio dzBB as the guests were leaving the hospital, Senator Estrada mouthed the same line: "We did not talk politics."

But the grin on the face of Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay, when asked the same question, tells otherwise.

"The thing speaks for itself," Binay said.

"The fact that two widows and a womanizer are here together is a statement on itself," Estrada's lawyer Rene Saguisag also said.

But Saguisag quickly said the meeting was purely "a religious social event."

After their meeting, Estrada went out of the hospital and escorted Aquino to her car.

... I don't know if this is the right place to say this but can we just keep away from politics and all the other
issues for a while?

... A number of people were killed over the weekend and a lot more hurt during saturday's affair at Ultra.

... There are people pointing fingers all over the place, forgetting that the real issue here is not who is
at fault but how we can help those who need help NOW.

... For those who can not offer their time and/or otherwise to help, then at least pray for those who are
grieving and those who have died.

... I will also ask for prayers for Gabby Lopez, a fellow Atenean who, I am sure, is also a victim of this
tragic event.

AMDG

KA,

ok lang naman to express your sentiments as long as it is done with respect & good taste. i'm sure there are millions of us praying for the families of the victims. no one wanted this tragedy to happen. let's hope for best.

if i may add wala naman siguro namumulitika. minungkahi lamang ni LE yun kanyang opinion sa mga isyu of late. talaga naman kasi napagtataka.

LE,

like you i am disappointed with cory. only god knows what's in her heart. abangan ang susunod na kabanata

Thanks, randy, but I really didn't take offense at what King Arthur said. In fact, when I first read it, I didn't see it as a commentary to my earlier post, but one which was a bit off-topic but needed to be said anyway that's why it was posted. But if it was meant as a reaction to my post, OK lang din -- it goes with the territory when you give your views in public fora like this one.

But speaking of politicizing the tragedy in ULTRA, some of out politicians are really so predictable -- as I told the other A.Net regulars who were with me over the weekend -- the government of GMA will again be blamed for this tragedy (i.e. because of poverty people cast their lot on gameshows like wowowee) -- and lo and behold, statements to this effect were all over this morning's papers. Eto ang talagang sickening! They are like vultures who can't wait for their prey to fall and die. Minsan tuloy one can't help but wish that God, for a change, will rid us of all these lousy politicans once and for all.

Legal, kung ako lang hahayaan ko lang ang mga politico natin. Of course at some point the government must take some responsibility for the poverty we find our country in.

Ang akin lang naman ganire:

1) May nagtutuok ba ng punyal sa leeg nung mga tao na pumila sa ULTRA at maki-Wowowee? Kasi kung wala then all of those people made a decision on their own. Saying they were mainly driven by desperation and poverty is stretching it a bit. If anything they were driven by either greed or the typical "one time - big time" mentality of Pinoys.

2) If anyone or anything at all should be blamed it should be the media network and the show itself. I am so sick and tired of hearing variety and game shows promising thousands or millions in prizes and then passing it off as some kind of altruism or philanthropy. Bullshit! Its always about the ratings and the bottomline. They prey on the aspirations and hopes of the common tao.

I cannot for the life of me understand this whole mendicant mentality of the Pinoy. Nananahimik na sa lalawigan, awa ni bathala nabubuhay pa naman ng matiwasay, nagpupumilit at nagsusumiksik dito sa madumi at masikip na Kamaynilaan. Ayan, na-stampede tuloy. Am I being insensitive? I hope so, kasi sa tigas ng ulo ng karamihan sa mga bacteria na kababayan natin hindi pwedeng parating dinadaan sa bait-baitan at diplomasya e.

Joe, shouldn't we thank the network for making Iya Villana dance, prance and flirt around on TV? Siguro, in light of what happened, they should revamp the chicks lineup. I recommend Joyce So, Diana Zubiri and Ana Leah Javier.

not a bad idea, rabbaddal, not at all

i've been following the news about the wowowee stampede with great interest, and the various spins that have since been issued in reaction to this unfortunate tragedy reflect the contending interests in society today. here's one: the network insists the stampede was the result of ULTRA's negligent and ill-prepared security preparations. ok, granted they are liable in that end, still i would like to ask: who was responsible for organizing and drumming up publicity for this event anyway? who enticed our unfortunate masa with unrealistic expectations of easy money and instant riches if they come to wowowee's first anniversary bash? now if you figure out the answers to my first two questions, here's my last: why didn't they just make provisions to accommodate the swelling hordes right inside the ULTRA stadium as early as thursday night?

There were no less than 12 ABSCBN security guards behind the barricade placed in the street in front of the gate where the stampede occurred resulting in so many deaths/injuries. Yet, none of them was even injured! Did they leave their stations when the crowd started to push against the barriers?

Hmmm... Justice must be served. Justice must be done.



As what the Inquirer reporter asked Chairman Gabby Lopez, President Cito Alejandro, EVP Charo Santos and Director Tina Monzon-Palma, why does ABSCBN promote mendicancy and resort to dole-outs in producing shows?

Answer is: ratings!

In Mega-Manila, the rating of Wowowee is just 1/2 of Eat Bulaga. ABSCBN staff knew that there were just too many people waiting outside. It was on purpose to show the swelling crowd at the ULTRA vicinity. On purpose, my friends. It is an ABSCBN formula. Question is, why do they do this?

Answer is: perception!

And I heard from ANC this afternoon, ABSCBN can lose its license to operate if found guilty of negligence resulting to homicide.

Moral of the story: Geny Lopez should have not died yet. What a shame for Gabby Lopez to do his statement infront of the portrait of his great dad.

A rather straightforward commentary by Mr. Tony Lopez here.

VIRTUAL BUSINESS
By Tony Lopez


When dreams are crushed
http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/f...60208bus12.html



ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. mishandled its gravest crisis in years and what to me so far is the most important news event of the year. (The only thing that will beat it is a change of government.)

The network was slow to assess early on that a crisis was brewing at Ultra. It was slow to respond to help the victims when the stampede erupted. And it was slow to give an accounting of the tragedy. Some 74 died and more than 500 were injured in Saturday’s stampede. It was not ABS-CBN’s finest hour.

At the sidelight, the network failed to deploy promptly and efficiently what it touts as the best news-gathering team in the land whose leaders are veterans of foreign wars and crises—Charie Villa, Luchie Cruz Valdez and Maria Ressa—both to cover the event and to inform the public.

Only three ambulance crews were fielded. The management took more than 12 hours after the stampede to inform the public about its version of what happened. Instead of the company’s security chief admitting to lapses in security and apologizing, he even managed to obfuscate, using highfalutin English and tiny visuals to explain how and why the stampede happened.

The least the security official could have done was apologize for the lapse in judgment. Better else, he should have resigned.

“People in the crowd were manipulated, exploited and treated like animals,” declared the task force formed by President Arroyo. People in the crowd were doing their thing—eat, urinate, move their bowels—right at the queue. More than a poverty story, the stampede is a spillover of a vicious network ratings war between Channel 7, the current leader, and Channel 2.

“There was no contingency plan,” concluded DILG Undersecretary Marius P. Corpus, head of the three-man probe body which interviewed 40 witnesses, minuscule, out of a possible 30,000. Corpus stopped short of naming what he called “at least three” persons to be held responsible for the homicidal negligence.

The crowd had built up to an unmanageable size as early as Wednesday when some 20,000 had camped out around the stadium. By Friday afternoon, the throng had ballooned to 30,000. Yet, ABS-CBN, according to its own reports, had fielded only three ambulances and 21 of its security guards, the Ultra less than two dozen guards, and the PNP claims it had about 100 policemen in the area (not to cordon off the crowd but to guard against pickpockets.)

The stampede will surely affect the bottom line of the publicly listed ABS-CBN, which is owned 57.23 percent by the Lopez family holding company Lopez Inc.

“Wowowee was the nearest thing to a blockbuster show that could put a real challenge to GMA Network Channel 7’s noontime dominance with its long-running Eat Bulaga. In December 2005, Eat Bulaga enjoyed an audience rating of 22.4 percent against the 14.8 percent and 16.2 percent two rival programs mounted by ABS-CBN.

Wowowee was hugely popular overseas and has been the strongest performer for ABS-CBN in terms of revenue, revenue growth and profit potential, with its formidable global viewership of 1.9 million.

In the first nine months of 2005, ABS-CBN net fell 53 percent to P344 million on the crest of a 5-percent drop in gross airtime revenues to P8,014 million. Parent company revenues declined 6 percent as its ratings in Mega Manila (Metro Manila plus nearby provinces) slid to 14 percent from 16 percent.

Only the 8-percent growth in UHF and cable channels mitigated the nose-diving of network revenues. ABS-CBN Global was up 28 percent in the nine months to end-September 2005.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

E-mail tonylopez@biznews-asia.com

from conrad de quiros.

"One might argue that [the distribution of the relief goods in Infanta town in Quezon province after the killer storm and landslide] was a different case, that was a matter of survival, that was a matter of life and death. But look at the faces of the women, children and men (in that order) that queued at Ultra and later sent their lamentations to the heavens and see if that wasn't a matter of survival, if that wasn't a matter of life and death."

There's The Rub : What dreams may come

Let me add the last part of Mr. De Quiros' column in today's Inquirer:

"That is what the people's dreams are now made of. "To sleep: perchance to dream: ay, there's the rub; For in that sleep of death what dreams may come." That is part of Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" soliloquy, which used to be recited by high school kids in declamation contests.

What dreams may come indeed in the sleep of death."

How tragic.

The tragedy that happened last 4 Feb in Pasig is a result of a great many things. True, the ratings war may have prodded ABSCBN management to make sure people had the perception of the swollen crowd outside of the ULTRA and they do share some blame in the stampede that happened. However, I would want to point out several things that may have been missed by certain sectors:

1. The "magulang" nature of the Pinoy in jumping queues and disregarding rules has been shown in its full splendour last Saturday. As Dick Gordon put it in his ANC interview, we do not have a sense of "common good". Our bayanihan spirit aside, in everyday lives, it is "me, myself and I and damn everyone else".

2. Where is the accountability of the local government and police? When a paltry 50 rallyists show up near the US embassy, Manila riot police come in full force to repel the crowd in the guise of "keeping the peace". Where was the Pasig city police when the crowd swelled to the tens of thousands? The so-called fact finding body of the DILG sure looked more like a witch hunt rather than an impartial body. The lack of coordination that Corpus mentioned is a lot of hogwash. Did the militants who dared defy the CPR programme coordinate with riot police who met them head on at Mendiola? Isn't it the job, nay, the duty of the police force to keep the peace whether it is formally asked of them or not? Ano sila, kailangan pang pakiusapan para gawin ang trabahong iniatas sa kanila?

I don't think it should be just Gabby Lopez doing a mea culpa. What do you think, Messrs. Eusebio and Valenzuela?

---------------------------------

The First Push

First posted 11:45pm (Mla time) Feb 07, 2006
By Bud Tomas
Inquirer


Editor's Note: Published on Page A13 of the February 8, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


"ONE death is a tragedy; a thousand, a statistic."

It is 1 a.m. as I write this, and the events of the early morning are still roiling in my head, preventing me from sleeping. The death toll from the stampede at the "Wowowee" TV program's anniversary stands at 73, with hundreds injured.

I watched the coverage by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. on the aftermath of the stampede. I heard the wails of grief from bereaved relatives who identified the bodies of their loved ones. I looked at the chaos left behind, after the dead and injured had been taken away. I saw "Wowowee" host Willie Revillame in tears. I saw the survivors weeping and trembling from the ordeal.

I saw the battered bodies lying on the streets. Children were numbered among the dead, children who may have just tagged along on what should've been a fun outing. Families were torn apart, some child losing a parent, someone else losing a sister, or a grandmother. I saw people hugging body bags, some screaming, some silent.

I looked on as they showed Revillame, in tears, announcing the cancellation of the show to the audience already inside the Ultra (now named PhilSports Arena), and winced as the mob hooted and cheered, not really listening to what he was telling them.

I saw the cameramen and reporters doing their jobs, intruding into people's grief and letting all the human drama play out on TV screens across the nation.

I saw crowds watching as the faces of the dead were shown on a screen in hopes that someone would come forth to identify them.

I counted the numbers from the hospitals, then the funeral parlors.

I looked on as ABS-CBN, through its executives and talents, promised aid and succor to those affected.

As with all tragedies, after the initial tears, we'll look to fix blame, for someone to take responsibility for all this.

ABS-CBN chairman Gabby Lopez said that the network would take care of all the costs, for the dead and those injured. It was their show, after all, that all these people came to see, and that some of them died for. The security measures they took to control the crowd will be investigated.

And, of course, those with an axe to grind against President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo would place the bodies at the gates of Malacañang, saying this was all brought about by the desperate attempt to escape the poverty this administration has inflicted on the masses, that people would clutch at winning in a game show as their ticket out.

But while poor crowd management or desperation may have had some part in this, I think greater blame lays elsewhere.

I blame the mob.

This may not be the most politically correct statement to make, since all the victims were part of the mob. I am saddened by the deaths and injuries, but I cannot say that the network was wholly to blame. Neither can I blithely lay the corpses at President Arroyo's feet.

When the thousands of people started pushing and shoving, what kind of crowd control would've worked? Cattle prods? Tear gas? Riot police with truncheons?

Or was ABS-CBN at fault for giving people this game show to pin their hopes and dreams on? Should all contests offering money or prizes be banned? Perhaps.

To say that desperation moved these thousands of people to flock to Ultra may be too sweeping a statement. Were all the people in the crowds jobless? Underemployed? To say that poverty made all this happen and thus the government is to blame, one would have to prove first that these people were all impoverished, and that their poverty is really the government's fault. These are not statements I will accept without proof. And a rabid hatred for Ms Arroyo is definitely not proof.

It strikes me how undisciplined Filipinos are. Simple rules just aren't followed. Look at the traffic jams, or even the traffic that moves. See buses swerving maniacally, jeepneys picking up or dropping off passengers in the middle of the road, and illegal counter-flows. Look at pedestrians crossing under a pedestrian overpass, and watch them give dagger looks when motorists honk their horns at them.

I've found that even getting into the mall at lunchtime is a struggle, as people crowd around to squeeze into one small doorway, instead of lining up single file and proceeding in an orderly fashion. Or in the supermarket, when people line up carts filled to the brim at the express lane, blissfully ignoring the sign that says "12 items or less." In the theaters, there is always one boor who will not turn off his cell phone or put it on silent mode.

Too many people are just trying to get ahead of the pack, without consideration for those around them, without considering the consequences of their actions. If it benefits them, they do it, without looking back.

Desperation is one thing. Becoming uncivilized is another. We do not excuse criminals who do the things they do because of poverty. Neither should poverty and desperation be used as an excuse to let chaos run rampant. Poverty is not an excuse to trample upon your fellow man in order to grab that brass ring.

The chaos started because someone would not wait, someone was afraid he might not get in, and that someone started pushing. And the person he pushed, pushed the one in front of him. And as the flap of a butterfly's wings can cause a hurricane, the human tidal wave was started, with all the innocents caught in its wake.

I am sure the investigators will look into the measures ABS-CBN took to control the crowd. And I am sure plenty of people will want the network executives' heads on spikes for this tragedy, blaming them for negligence and corporate greed. I am sure the government will get its share of blows for the poverty and desperation that drove this mob on.

That blame would be misplaced.

The hands that are soiled with the blood of children are those of the person who gave the fatal first push.


Bud Tomas is a young lawyer working at the Supreme Court.

radonc, as indicated in tony lopez's article, a total of 100 policemen were deployed in the immediate vicinity of ULTRA-philsports arena. they were there not really to enforce crowd control but rather to watch out for any criminal activity that may arise from a crowd of that magnitude.

if, on the other hand, they should have acted more proactively as you suggested, then the police would have had no other recourse but to exercise their prerogative to disperse the mammoth crowd, which we think is plain unfeasible given the nature of the revelers, di ba? di naman sila mga armed partisans na may nakatagong mga de-sabog o balisong na gagamitin pag nagkagipitan. yan kasi ang mga lookout ng mga pulis.

in cases like this, the standing arrangement is that ULTRA security shall be responsible for crowd safety inside their premises, while ABS-CBN shall look after crowd security outside. so the stampede occurred outside the ULTRA gate, after a member of the wowowee production staff announced to the crowd early saturday morning that only the first 300 people allowed through the gate will be able to join the hotly-contested "pera o bayong" portion. that's why i agree that if there's any group responsible for the stampede, it's the people in the crowd who surged forward for that fatal first rush.

Cubao, I think our perception of law enforcers' duties have been lumped in together with security guards'. To say they were there only to watch out for criminal activity as claimed by the Lopez article is rather lame. Is that their only mandate? The swelling of the crowd in the days approaching 4 Feb should have already alerted the police and local government whether they were included in the emergency meeting or not. To say they did not act because they were excluded from the latter can never be used as an excuse for the people assigned to guard public safety. In fact, if I may play devil's advocate, it should have been the police who would have first detected the possibility of something going awry. )Hell, they have a detachment within spitting distance of the place where the incident happened. Ano ang ginagawa ng mga nakaduty doon?). Once detected, shouldn't it be they who should have called the attention of the organisers of the possible threat to public safety? Hindsight is always 20/20 and we can argue this until kingdom come or until Joseph Yeo develops some semblance of a cerebrum, but I still stand on my perception that the DILG fact finding probe was put together to perform a witch hunt and absolve blame from the local government and the police (both of whom, incidentally are under their wing).

May nagsabi sa akin na isang barkada ko, "Malaking kawalan ba 'yung mga natepok?" That's a harsh but nonetheless valid question. Sa akin basta mabawasan ang mga bacteria sa mundo, less organisms simply wasting the planet's oxygen. Tsaka sa mga wala ng magawa sa media gaya nina De Quiros at Neal Cruz kundi manisi ng manisi sa gobyerno, saksak niyo sa baga niyo.

kasalanan din yan ng mga tao. nag uunahan. i saw an anc interview where general querol almost cried when he uttered , "people still expected to proceed into the gameshow and play the game when there were already dead bodies littered around them...there is something very wrong w/ that."

it is a reflection of society that this tragedy happened. is abs cbn to blame? yes. is the police and pasig govt to blame ? yes. are the people who died to blame? yes.


nasaan na ba ang mga atenista who are in govt? arent they in a position to change our system. we need a systemic change and reform to combat this creeping malaise.

some people may laugh, but to a certain extent, i think joe de venecia has the formula to do it. i listen to all the politicians, and he has the best platform/strategy among them. the politicians better move fast and w/ a sense of urgency , or else the volcano erupting might bite them in the @$$

the people who died are the victims of this country's politicians. they should be jailed not abs cbn. hindi naman abs yung reason for this poverty.

marami namang ngos seeking a better future. there's pagbabago, the group of nick perlas, there's pondo pinoy by the church. there's a group of good citizens run by the salesians where members avail of medical insurance(members are ordinary people who live w/ dignity). change is happening. and let us not wait for govt to do it. we can see it in corners of this country.

... Thank you Iceman.

... I guess it simply means that if we want to bring about CHANGE we have to be prepared to do it ourselves.

... Lets put into practice what our Jesuit education taught us as early as when we were in the Grade Schoo:
TO BE MEN FOR OTHERS!!!

... Maybe.... we can really make a difference and make this a better place for our our children.

AMDG



... Thank you Iceman.

... I guess it simply means that if we want to bring about CHANGE we have to be prepared to do it ourselves.

... Lets put into practice what our Jesuit education taught us as early as when we were in the Grade Schoo:
TO BE MEN FOR OTHERS!!!

... Maybe.... we can really make a difference and make this a better place for our our children.

AMDG

A company in crisis
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/2006/0214...rs%20abscbn.php
Published, February 14, 2006. Page A9 of the BusinessMirror


By Dennis D. Estopace
Reporter

RATHER than point fingers and have heads rolling, ABS-CBN Broadcasting Network Inc.'s management would be better off solidifying its team after the February 4 stampede at the Ultra that killed 71 fans of the noontime game show Wowowee, experts told BusinessMirror when asked on how the country's largest broadcast firm could rise up.

"It's a wake-up call essentially for ABS-CBN management to tap their internal resources and institute wide and far-reaching changes in how they would manage such events in the future," Ricardo Lim, the associate dean of one of Asia 's top management and business schools, said in an interview.

Lim, a professor at the Asian Institute of Management Graduate School of Business, said blaming individuals, especially within the company, wouldn't do any good to a firm that has opted to go into the business of public service.

According to Lim, who has compiled 67 pages of data about the tragedy-including contents from blogs-the incident is a good point for case discussion of crisis management at the AIM.

"Everybody could cull deep lessons about it, especially what could have been done and should be done to avoid a repeat of the tragedy," Lim said outside the school's conference room named after the Manila Electric Co., the Lopez-controlled power distribution firm.

"In hindsight," Lim said, "ABS-CBN could have issued immediately-aside from just an apology-an indemnification of P1 million each to the family of the victims or even the prizes at stake or reserved for the game show. That could have mitigated the situation."

However, aside from being water under the bridge, an industry source told BusinessMirror that ABS-CBN should realize the gamut of elements clutching crises such as this: emotional, physical and financial.

"They need to address these wounds. The company should realize the feeling or emotions of the victims' families by expressing the sincerity to help. They should send a message that the firm is trying its best to soothe these feelings," the source, a long-time practitioner in the media industry, said.

After the dead have been laid to rest, ABS-CBN would now face legal issues and graduate from issue management to focusing on indemnification matters and possible legal cases, the source said.

Hence, the source added, ABS-CBN's crisis team should be agile enough to address whatever issues may crop up to preempt additional problems "and, hopefully, don't break out into bigger headaches."

"So, aside from the lawyers, the top management should always be there and I mean always since decisions have to be very, very, very fast," the source said.

Lim agrees and considers ABS-CBN chairman and chief executive Gabby Lopez as courageous in accepting responsibility for the tragedy and fully cooperating with the government.

"I don't mean to lick their boots but you don't see that kind of act in the country these days," Lim added.

However, the source said that emotional needs of the victims are also as diverse and as complex as the situation remains fluid.

"What would Lopez and his team do to address these needs?" the source said, noting that those who died are not breadwinners who, when killed in such disasters, elicit a different kind of response. "The ones who died were women, mothers. In the Filipino setting, they perform a role in the family very, very different from the male wage earners and hence, would require meeting different needs."

Nevertheless, both experts agree that they expect ABS-CBN to recover after emotion levels have settled.

"They will be more circumspect, I expect," Lim said, adding that the entertainment division should do more risk management, forward planning, simulation and drills when planning large gatherings in the future. Lim stressed this should apply not only to the Wowowee production unit but even to other divisions of the firm. Since the broadcast and media business is cyclical, they should expect to rise again, he added.

For his part, Astro del Castillo, First Grade Holdings managing director, said that ABS-CBN would take a tough financial beating in the first quarter. Although the stock analyst said that the listed firm's current stock price has already bottomed out, the stampede would "spook ABS-CBN in the meantime," raising the possibility that its current advertisers may choose to move to rival GMA Network Inc.

"Fundamentally, advertisers would rather not be affiliated at all with ABS-CBN,"del Castillo said, even if it comes out with a newly reformatted program to replace Wowowee. "Gabby Lopez's admission will soften the blow but a dark cloud will continue to hang over their heads for a long time."

Nevertheless, del Castillo predicted that the second quarter will be a different ball game for the beleaguered network.

"After all, Filipinos easily forget," the analyst said.

This optimism is shared by the industry source, who noted that the scenarios even point to bringing golden opportunities for the network to be bigger and better.

"The company should look at this as a wake-up call that will jolt them to look at their business from another perspective," the source said.

However, Lim said the Lopezes should recognize that because they are in the business of utilities, ergo public service, "they're in an untenable position."

"It's easy to blame them and become the whipping boys of the public," Lim added.

"Even government is trying to slice a pound of ABS-CBN's flesh," the industry source noted, recommending that the firm take note of this situation. Likewise, the source added that ABS-CBN should also address the tragedy on a long-term framework "since this will be commemorated every year" and that some victims or their relatives would bend litigation longer.

While Lim recommended that the Lopez broadcast firm should plan for the worst and give their best, the source said that ABS-CBN should brace for the worst-case scenarios. With Robert JA Basilio Jr.

A very good tool for learnings in PR, in Communications, in Crisis Management. Some of the things written by Honey, I have already discussed with Legal Eagle, Cubao Fleahouse and U2 in one of our shindigs last week. Remember the thing I said about ABSCBN not having a single spokesperson for the tragedy? They should either task Fr. Caluag, Ms. Monzon-Palma or Ms. Espinosa.




Ultra incident highlights the
importance of crisis PR communications
http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/2006/0214...ers%20ultra.php
Published, February 14, 2006. Page A9 of the BusinessMirror

By Honey Madrilejos-Reyes
Correspondent

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp., the oldest media empire controlled by the influential Lopez clan, is battling its biggest struggle ever.

It is no longer the ratings war but the fight to redeem the public trust that was lost when the stampede incident in Ultra happened during the first anniversary of the game show Wowowee on February 4, killing 74 people and hurting nearly 500.

The battle doesn't stop there. The media outfit also faces the possible threat of losing its license to operate should authorities confirm that there is really negligence on the part of the network on that fateful day.

No doubt, ABS-CBN is in crisis. And when an enterprise, big or small, is in a predicament, a system must immediately be put in place to oversee the situation.

Experienced public-relations practitioner Milen de Quiros said the mantra is to always anticipate that a crisis could happen anytime, anyplace.

"It is not really the incident that causes the crisis but how you react on the situation. It can happen anytime. Even fire, you can anticipate it to happen. A company should react immediately to the crisis because people have to know what's happening and what is being done to address the problem," de Quiros said in an interview.

In the case of ABS-CBN, the network held its first press briefing nearly five hours after the stampede happened.

"They could have issued a statement right away," an observer said. "Ang nangyari, wala silang plano . I remember how Cebu Pacific dealt with the plane crash situation. The PR was handled very well. The company's CEO Lance Gokongwei made himself available right away and he did not hesitate to face the media for questions."

The top-level officials of ABS-CBN led by its chairman Eugenio "Gabby" Lopez III, Charo Santos-Concio, Wowowee host Willie Revillame and ABS-CBN Foundation chairman Gina Lopez held a press conference in which they pledged to help the victims of the stampede. Employees and volunteers were mobilized to facilitate the rescue operations as well as to man the help desks.

But it was Gabby Lopez who assumed the biggest responsibility.

"I am responsible and I will hold myself accountable should our justice system so determine in the future. There will be no whitewash. We will continue to work with the government and all its agencies," he said in his statement.

In the succeeding days after the incident, ABS-CBN's vice president for government, corporate affairs and PR Maloli K. Espinosa issued daily advisories to update the other media practitioners of what the company has done and is doing so far to address the situation.

The BusinessMirror has been receiving copies of press statements from Espinosa via e-mail and one of them goes like this:

ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. disclosed plans to help victims of the Ultra tragedy for the long term.

Fr. Carmelo Caluag, member of the ABS-CBN board of directors and officer-in-charge of rehabilitation, said the program will begin with the families left behind by those who died in the incident.

"The program will be a way for those who want to help our less fortunate Filipino countrymen improve their lives. It will be a way for all of us to share in the hopes and dreams of the needy," said Caluag.

The program will run for a period of three years and provide holistic support, including financial, psychological and emotional assistance.

"Because each bereaved family has a unique need, ABS-CBN continues to study appropriate interventions to ensure that its assistance will lead to long-term benefits for each family."

Caluag assures the public that help for the victims will not end with the burial of the dead. Assistance will continue in cooperation with partner institutions.

What's surprising, however, was when BusinessMirror requested for a one-on-one interview with Espinosa, she declined saying she's very mobile the past few days and was not available for an interview.

Pressed for deadline, the paper tried its luck again with Espinosa and sent her text messages. Her reply, however, was laced with irritation even as she sought for understanding.

The paper consulted another PR expert and asked if that was a proper gesture.

"There should be an effort to make yourself available especially if that will give you the venue to air your side. It is a way of reaching out to the public," the expert said.

ABS-CBN, the expert added, should appoint a single spokesman credible enough to speak on behalf of the entire organization.

"We see different faces on TV every time they conduct a presscon. Why not settle with Tina Monzon-Palma whom I think got the persona and integrity," he said.

Some quarters would claim that, in certain cases, progressive efforts driven by independent / private organizations do more harm to the prospects of a developing country. The potential problem with this approach is that it could encourage the fragmentation of society as people get used to affiliating themselves with their respective factions instead of the state. A monolithic entity such as the gov't – even if it may be corrupt and oppressive – might be easier to reform than a collection of fragmented groups.

Basta bacteria pa din ang masang Pilipino. Galit kuno sa mundo ayaw namang kumilos para mahango ang mga sarili sa kanilang kapobrehan.

yes, but there has to be a check and balance for the abuses of power and corruption in govt. we cannot just let governance be left to politicians. on the other hand, people power and coup attempts are so passe . it just worsens the plight of the poor when the economy takes a nosedive w/ these useless power changes.

govt must remain but it must reform itself. reform all institutions. implement the rule of law. it's not going to be easy but filipinos dont really have a choice. quick fixes like the opposition grabbing power, young soldiers blinded by a false sense of idealism are doomed to fail. govt must make it possible for the decent people of this country to run for public office and win. i think joe de venecia has the most pragmatic and realistic formula for this.

meron mga ngos working to help govt computerize the elections. meron din mga ngos looking at govt contracts and helping computerize all govt biddings. hindi lang naman yung mga communist affiliated groups or maiingay na black and white movement resign movement ang nandyan. there are groups w/ sincere advocacies in the quixotic quest to uplift this country. if you dont act institutionally, our one voice will just disappear in the wilderness.

yes, the filipino always shoots themselves on the foot. its a combination of a damaged culture, a rotten system and lack of sense of country. pangit talaga ugali sometimes ng masa. due to the lack of education, parang out of this civilized world yung iba.

there are no tyrants where ther are no slaves. we as a country must be willing to sacrifice for the long-term benefit; yet we cannot do this without moral leadership, which is sorely lacking at this current state.

the reason we do not get ourselves out of a bind it every time we are given a chance for a do over, it's only the people who change - corruption and wheeling and dealing remains the same. and yet, for the life of me, the democratic roots of the 1st world countries must have been as turbulent as this. what have they done right during their early years that we need to learn from ? the say history is a great teacher, and those that do not learn from that are fools - what are we missing ? my sense of despair grows, seeing what kind of country i am leaving to my children. and yet, i cannot accept that there is nothing i can do about it, in my own may. otherwise, it would be useless to stay.

The problem with “moral leadership” is that it really hasn’t been precisely defined. It is a vague concept that is vulnerable to being abused by those who want to further their own interests.



Up to the mid-80s, Korea ranked lower than the Philippines in the World Corruption Index even if it was by most tangible measures a more prosperous country back then. Today, its ranking has improved but still remains low by global standards. Even in Singapore which prides itself with being tough on corruption, nepotism is demonstrated when a popular and well-performing prime minister “voluntarily” stepped down to give way to Lee Kwan Yew’s son. Bottomline is that corruption per se does not have to lead to economic backwardness



There aren’t that many developed countries that can conclusively claim to have had democratic roots though, maybe except for the United States. Even Western European countries developed their people’s national identities under absolute monarchies. Especially post WWII, the roster of countries that have reached first world status (excluding those who have rebuilt their economies after the war) are dominated by formerly authoritarian states – Chile, South Korea, Malaysia. India just might be another rare case of a country that could prosper in a democratic environment, but that remains to be seen.

.... I guess it will all comes down to what we as individuals are willing to sacrifice to give our children a
better place( country??) to live in.

.... I believe that if we truly embrace the spirit of St Ignatius ( we somehow learned to do this when we
were little boys) we can muster the courage and strength to do what we know is RIGHT.

.... We should be so fortunate that we can at least look back at the proper values that we were taught
to keep us grounded and be in a position to recognize right from wrong. The TRUTH shall set us FREE?

.... God Bless us all..... A M D G.

im just sad that good people like colonel querubin and general lim are drawn to mutiny. these are honorable people drawn to the dark side by anger and frustration. but they have to consider that people power is not the solution to the problem. no matter how right or wrong their way is, it will worsen the plight of our poor when the economy dives. less taxes, less money, less benefits for our brave military men. no matter what happens, the AFP has to act as one or civil war will happen. i would rather have a dishonest president than sink the country to the likes of somalia, uganda, etc... anyway, we will just try to change the system or the leadership in referendums or elections. on the other hand, the govt should really get its act together and please uplift the lives of our military men and officers. basic things such as salary increases, housing benefits. they deserve it.

i think the solution is people power in our everyday lives. a paradigm shift to do good. to act as one. to follow simple rules. it sounds so quixotic but at least we can start w/ a few filipinos to start this moral/cultural revolution. of course , i think a parliamentary system will help us a bit in easily changing a spineless leader.

i'm moved..