Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Palace reminds Erap, Binay they are not above the law

(Kasi sila sa Palace eh above the law?)

SAN JUAN, Batangas , Philippines – Malacañang yesterday reminded pardoned former President Joseph Estrada and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay that they are not above the law and that they should be responsible for their actions.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was commenting on the complaints of Estrada and Binay that they are being harassed after Philippine National Police (PNP) officials said they would be investigated for violating a law banning the display and possession of real-looking firearms.
The two opposition leaders were seen riding a restored World War II US army jeep with a mounted .30 caliber machine gun replica during their “Lakbay Pasasalamat” tour in Cebu last March 4. “Officials in the administration of President Arroyo, the sitting President, when going around the provinces, do not ride vehicles with a .50 caliber machine gun mounted on them,” Remonde said in a radio interview.

He said Binay and Estrada should explain their actions instead of crying political harassment.
PNP Director General Jesus Verzosa has said that authorities are investigating if charges can be filed against the two. Verzosa said the Central Visayas Police Office (Region 7) in Cebu had confiscated the machine gun replica. Police revealed that the restored army jeep is owned by the husband of Carmen Mayor Sonia Pua and had recently won in a vintage car show in Cebu.
Verzosa directed PNP-Civil Security Group director Chief Superintendent Ireneo Bacolod to monitor the investigation of the incident. Bacolod said Estrada’s group might have violated Letter of Instruction (LOI) 1264, signed by former President Ferdinand Marcos in 1982, that bans the import, sale and public display of gun replicas.

He said a technical working group would discuss the issue of gun replicas as part of the effort to amend the law on controlling firearms. The PNP has decided to regulate the proliferation of gun replicas, which are sometimes used by criminals in carrying out illegal activities, including bank robbery.

A case of ‘serious sunstroke’

However, Binay said Malacañang is just suffering from “serious sunstroke” and that it is not in a position to give him a lecture on respect for the law. “There are far larger violations of the law that have been committed right inside Malacañang. Yet they choose to hang us for riding a jeep with a replica machine gun,” he said. The feisty local executive said he is ready to face the charges in court, and even dared Mrs. Arroyo, her husband Jose Miguel and other Palace allies to do the same for violations of the law. Binay had earlier dismissed the “gun toting” charges as absurd and ridiculous. “These allegations should be ignored but under Mrs. Arroyo, the absurd and ridiculous are used as evidence in court cases against the opposition,” he said, adding the administration has started its demolition job on them.Estrada, on the other hand, challenged the PNP to file the charges in court, saying its officials are “a bunch of ignoramus.”

(Comments: Hay naku, nag-away ang dalawang grupo ng mga corrupt! Nagtapunan ng parehong baho ang mga kulugo! Waste of ime, money, and effort lang ito. Kapag ang dalawang parehong me baho ay nagsalubong, siguradong wala bangong maibibigay ang mga ito sa mga tao. I suggest na huwag na nating botohan ang lahat na mga kandidatong nanggagaling sa malalaking partido at oposisyon (kuno) since pareho namang mga corrupt ang mga ito. Vote for independent candidates who have no parties, no huge amount to bribe the voters, at saka dahil lamang sa kilala at sikat ang mga ito (dating mga artista). Putulin na rin natin ang pagboboto sa mga kandidatong anak ng dating politiko at galing sa pamilya ng mga politiko dahil wala rin namang plano ang mga ito sa mga Pilipino. Inuuna pa nila ang pansariling interes bago ang mamayan. For more than 40 years, ganito na ng ganito sa bansa. Hindi pa rin ba tayo nagsasawa? Hindi na ba natin mahal ang puturo ng mga anak natin ngayon sa mga magigi nilang mga anak? Kung ang sagot n'yo ay "Oo", then botohan 'nyo ang mga ito.

Hindi pa ba natin napapansin na kahit na sinong politiko ang umupo sa puwesto, wala pa rin tayong asenso. For so many years now, political dynasties had brought no richness and development to the country except corruption, extortion, cheating, embarassment to the people, killings of media practitioners, bad image to the country, insensitivity to the real needs of the poor, unemployment, widening war and misunderstanding in Mindanao, loss of respect of the people to the government (so, the government people just steal their money), illiteracy of the masses, cultural and religious divisions, high prices and inflation, and countless sufferings of the people. Four decades ago, the Philippines is the envy of Asians. Hong Kong, Singapore, Macau, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, and even China were all looking up to us as the future competitor of Japan. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, and South Korea were just pieces of rocks. Isang malaking pantalan lang ang Hong Kong at Singapore. Pero dahil binigyan nila ng halaga ang kanilang puturo, ang kanilang boto, naging maunlad silang pareho. Ngayon, tayo ang mga alila nito. Now, all these countries (and even other western and eastern countries are looking down at us like shit (and these "S.O.Bs" in the government (and many of their cohorts don't even give a damn about it! As long as they can squeeze zillions of cash from the people - including OFWs - they are happy and can sleep well at night. What if we, OFWs, exchange positions with these dirty politicians? Let them come to Hong Kong or Saudi or America to work as amahs and engineers or musicians working 12-18 hours a day with no protection or securities or being paid less than what they are supposed to earn? Or being kicked, slapped or dumped in jails because their employers do not like their smell? Can you imagine Mrs. Arroyo being kicked or spat upon in her face by her Chinese employer here in Hong Kong because she can't iron their clothings well? Or Erap, Mar Roxas, Nograles, or Chiz Escudero receiving 12 lashes per day for 4 weeks in a Saudi jail because they're being accused of stealing from their employers? Can we imagine Mr. Enrile or Manny Villar working in Hong Kong as drivers and are asked to clean their employers' swimming pools, scrubbing their toilet bowls or washing their cars or being insulted by their "amos" calling them stupid because their government cannot provide decent jobs for them in the country? Can we imagine Meriam Defensor being scolded and hout upon while removing the shit-filled bed pan of her senile employer? Ano kaya kung sila ang magtrabaho sa abroad and mga OFWs ang umupo sa kanilang puwesto? Finally, siguradong lilinis ang gobyerno natin! Kung talagang nasa puso ng mga lider natin na tawagin tayong mga bagong bayani, sana matagal na nilang binigyang pansin kung papaano tayo makakauwi sa ating mga mahal sa buhay dahil mas mahalaga sa ating mga Pilipino ang pamilya kaysa kita sa malalayong bansa.

Sana matagal na nilang ginamit ang kinurakot na pera sa pagbukas ng mga negosyo para magbigay ng trabaho sa mga OFWs. Ilang milyong kabataan ngayon sa bansa ang nagsilaking walang ama at ina? Marami ang naging mga drug addict, prostitutes, walang natapos at nalulong sa mga sindikato. Sa Hong Kong lang ako nakakita ng tatlong henerasyong lahat naging katulong: yung lola, ina, at babaing anak puro katulong ang kinahitnan dito. Sigurado akong ang magiging anak ng babaing anak na ito ay magiging katulong din pagkatapos nitong mag-aral. Kailan pa natin puputulin ang katarantaduhang ito dahil walang magawang solusyon ang gobyerno ngayon--- at ang magiging kapalit nito kung hindi natin ihahalal ang may tama at tunay na hangarin para sa 88 milyong Pilipino? Gising na, kababayan ko!

Ano nga ba talaga ang nagawa ng maraming politikong naka-upo ngayon sa ating mga Pilipino at sa mga politkong nakaraan na sa ating ekonomiya? Sa ating image sa abroad? Sa ating employment? Sa ating security? Sa ating environment? Sa ating health protections? Sa ating mga paaralan na delapidated na? Sa ating mga public infrastructures? Basura pa lamang sa Metro Manila eh hindi nila mabigyan ng tamang solusyon! Kidnapping na walang katapusan! Gutom! Marami ang namamatay dahil mahal ang hospital at medisina! Maraming kababayan natin ang pumapatol na lamang sa kung sino-sinong banyaga makaahon lamang sa gutom. Marami ang inililibing na walang tamang respeto dahil walang pambayad? Maraming Pilipino ang mistulang tulala at magpakumbaba dahil lumaki silang "sir" at "mam" ang tawag sa mga taong umaabuso naman sa kanilang kahinaan. Tingnan na lamang natin ang simpleng problema sa mga "casual" workers sa bansa. Dahil marami ang walang trabaho, tyaga na lamang sila sa pagiging "casual" kahit college graduate naman ang mga ito. Kaso, inaabuso naman sila ng mga malalaking shopping malls at ibang negosyo sa bansa. Bakit hindi natin baguhin ang sistemang ito? Lalong yumayaman ang mga mayayaman at lalong naghihirap ang maraming mahihirap.

Nasaan na ang ating national pride, mga kapatid? Where is our diginity? Matuto na tayo, mga kababayan ko! Let's clean and make good changes in the country for the benefit of our posterity!

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