Category: personal AnGoL

If, say, 500 MILF rebels join the BIFF in rejecting the final shape of the Bangsamoro, that would still leave some 11,500 of the MILF ready to join the Philippine mainstream for the first time. That would make the deaths, not only of the SAF 44, but of the 120,000 killed in the conflict since the 1970s, worth the sacrifice.
via Ignorant, or arrogant, in the Senate | Inquirer Opinion.

There is much more to this issue than the bluster of Santiago, the opportunistic emotionalism of the Cayetanos, or the insidious obtuseness of Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr.When Marcos pretends to be shocked! shocked! that the MILF still considers itself a revolutionary movement, before the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro takes full effect, does he even remember that his own mother negotiated with the Moro National Liberation Front when it was still an insurrectionary movement? Of course something remains what it is until change is complete; to think otherwise is to raise impossible expectations.
via Ignorant, or arrogant, in the Senate | Inquirer Opinion.

But isn’t the Ombusdman’s suspension enough, you would probably ask.
The problem is that in the Philippines even if a court has already detained or convicted certain public officials, they are still allowed to function. Take the case of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, former Congressman Romeo Jalosjos and even Senator Antonio Trillanes when he was under military detention. Instead of clarifying things, our laws have created a fog of uncertainty that enables high public officials to continue to function even while under preventive suspension or detention.
In this case, the results were tragic. There was no one, operationally on top of Oplan Exodus, who could deal directly with the military chief when urgent help was needed.
The President had earlier ordered Napenas to “coordinate” with the military but Napenas said he decided to forego prior coordination and took Purisima’s advice to inform the military about the operation when it was underway.
Why DILG Secretary Mar Roxas was also not informed beforehand was obvious. It was Roxas who had implemented Purisima’s suspension order.
As for Espina, operationally he did not have to know about Oplan Exodus because he was a mere OIC.
via raissa robles | A dangerous power vacuum helped cause Mamasapano disaster.

Robert Tiglao never answered the call of the Senate.

It is perhaps for this reason that PNoy gave Purisima a gentle exit.
I have asked around about how PNoy deals with his friends in his official family.
I learned from highly reliable sources that it was PNoy who had ordered Purisima to face the music at the Senate inquiry of Senator Grace Poe over his alleged mansions. He told Purisima, despite their long-standing friendship, that he had to go and defend himself publicly from such allegations.
I can’t recall any other post-Marcos president who did the same thing to a friend. If you recall, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo even issued Executive Order 464 banning all executive officials from appearing at the Senate without her prior consent. So if my  former Business Day newspaper colleague Bobi Tiglao is going to rail at the way PNoy gave Purisima a gentle heave-ho, whisper into his ear “EO 464.”
via raissa robles | PNoy and Binay on broken friendships.

A Few Cases
Bus Massacre: The rescue was botched. Follow-up was handled well. I recently blogged on that: “Why Mayor Estrada Is Wrong On Hong Kong”
Gloria Arroyo: He jailed her immediately. No pardon. But let’s criticize the glacial pace of justice.
Appointing Chief Justice Sereno: He had the courage to extract Chief Justice Corona from position then defy convention by selecting a junior justice who will seal the Court to integrity for many years.
Ampatuan Massacre: He immediately confronted and jailed a powerful warlord. Another ding for glacial justice.  Arroyo, my bad. JoeAm
The Sultan’s Foray into Malaysia: He was firm. He controlled the outcome without derailing the Mindanao Agreement.
American Ship Reefed in Tabataha: He was calm and firm about restitution.
Taiwan Fisherman’s Shooting: He kept his perspective in the face of the Taiwan President’s undiplomatic rant, and subdued a potentially volatile incident.
China In Philippine Territory: He has taken the high road, one of laws, and has not been provoked by China’s relentless taunts.
Puno and Other Loyalists: He was loyal back. He did not wilt under the pressure of the media sensationalist glare.
Reluctance to Back FOI: I’m not understanding why he does not enthusiastically see FOI as hand-in-hand with good governance. FOI should not have to swim upriver. Ding on the issue.
Zamboanga: He was on scene, firm on not negotiating, and handled VP Binay’s out-of-line stab at a peace agreement quietly.
Negotiations with America on Basing: He insists on staying firmly within Philippine laws.
Typhoon Yolanda and a Confrontational Mayor: He did not accede to the Mayor’s game-playing and refuses to back incompetence.
Take any one of these issues and put yourself at the helm.
Wow. Any one is a potential back-breaker. In the limelight. Dealing with powerful people. Dealing with explosive issues. Every decision, to speak or not to speak, to decide or not to decide, comes under the spotlight of crooks and others who carry about their personal bitterness or agendas. This is not tiddly-winks folks.
via Why I Respect President Aquino | The Society of Honor by Joe America.

People ask perfection when there is no such thing in this world. They criticize in hindsight but lack the mental elasticity to put themselves in other people’s shoes. To see or try to feel what they were feeling. Filipinos ask perfection but ask it from them and they squirm. They declare something but fail to think things through. Any evidence against their opinion is not considered. Any unsubstantiated rumor weighs heavier than verified truth. If Binay is elected president or if this call for PNoys resignation gains steam, I am fucking leaving this hell of a country. You people dont fucking know how lucky we are right now with this damn stupid inconsiderate distant insensitive President we have.
 

Take these critics for example:
Organizations like Bayan Muna simply do not recognize good deeds unless they smack of 1950’s anti-capitalist rhetoric and total destruction of wealth-building mechanisms. They sharpshoot at every opportunity and they are loud out of proportion to their authority.
The mayor of Tacloban. My son would call him a “Whimpy Doodle”. If you listen to that mayor, he is accountable for exactly nothing that went wrong in his city during and after Typhoon Yolanda.
And the newspapers, which intoxicate themselves by thinking that shallow sensationalism is a profound finding and any slander is worth printing.
And the plunderers and crooks who are intent upon making the accuser the guilty party. They are another bunch that knows no accountability. Nor shame.
Those critics are worth ignoring.
I respect President Aquino because he has stuck to a responsible path for four years. He has been serious and sincere and honest.
He has held to a path of integrity.
He demands a lot of others. I respect him for that. He demands a lot from his cabinet, from his staff, from those who serve the public, and from you and me. And you know what, most of the time:
It is not he who fails us.
It is we who fail him.
Is our need for personal justification more important than the Philippines? Have we lost touch with the meaning of sacrifice? I’m not talking about throwing our bodies on a grenade, just allowing others some wiggle room if they take a different decision than we would.
Is that so hard?
via Why I Respect President Aquino | The Society of Honor by Joe America.

“It was mission accomplished,” said the father of one of the 44 members of the police Special Action Force (SAF) who were killed in an encounter with Moro rebels on Jan. 25 in Maguindanao province.
Former Army MSgt. Perlito Agabon said the death of his son PO2 Chump Agabon and of the others had become more meaningful in the wake of reports that top Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist Zulkifli bin Hir, alias “Marwan,” had been confirmed dead by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The father’s statement is in sharp contrast to the sentiments of critics of President Aquino who are calling for his resignation for what they call was a botched police operation to arrest two international terrorists in Mamasapano town.
via ‘Aquino absolved’ as SAF mission succeeds | Inquirer News.