What Goes Around, Comes Around

Verbatim strongly condemns the attacks made to civilian Londoners on July 8th.
Verbatim mourns with the Londoners who have lost their loves ones and those who were injured by such barbaric acts. May the suspects face the full brunt of the law.

On with the show

The hands of time finally made one big stroke.

An overcast Friday morning welcomed my eyes as I woke up. The cloudy skies made the morning rather gloomy. Yet at Manila, the hands of time weaves the fabric we call history.

Earlier that morning, ten Cabinet officials tendered their resignations. The night before, the "President" fired those same ten officials, as they used their right of expression, and asked the president to resign. Majority of those fired/resigned officials came from the economic team of the "President."

A while later, the loyalist Cabinet officials, and some administration Congressmen issued their support to the President.

By early afternoon, the Liberal party asked the "President" to step down.

Late afternoon, former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino asked the "President" to make the ultimate sacrifice. To resign.

Early evening, the Vice-President, the man who will succeed the "President," openly expressed his support and loyalty to the "President."

With all of that happening, former President Fidel V. Ramos went to the Palace, and expressed his support to the "President."

Now can we support a "President" who, for fourteen times made lapses of judgment? How can we support a "President" who is willing to put away the country's stability just for her to remain in office? Can we Filipinos possibly allow that? Are we that stupid? Or are we really stupid?

Problem: Who Will Succeed, and Constitutionalities
One rallying point the Pro-"President" crowd seems to rally around one basic fact: the opposition (the destabilizers), can't get their act together, and they can't find a legal successor.

The supporters of the opposition want a Fernando Poe Jr. presidency. Believing that FPJ was cheated, they want him to lead the country. But due to FPJ's untimely death, they chose the next best thing: rally around his widow, Susan Roces.

But if you ask me, Susan Roces is not the right woman for the job. Can she handle the pressure of being president? I'm not talking about intellectual capacity, since an Economics doctorate did not save the country from fiscal crisis, real or otherwise. I'm asking is her political, psychological, even physical abilities of being president. Can she handle a job that requires a 24/7 watch? I think not.

But then, who is the right man, or woman, for the job?

Legalities point out that we should follow the constitution. Following former President Estrada's extra-legal "resignation," (where the Supreme Court, not him, declared him resigned) the people, want no more kinky stuff that will lead to more controversies.

But following the constitution means that we should allow Vice President Noli de Castro to be the next president, in the event the "President" resigns or is ousted.

But is Noli de Castro the right man for the job?

If you are one of those constitution people, then he is. But, like Susan Roces, can he handle it? And two more nagging questions: can he even make a stand in any issue, and is he not controlled by anybody?

Others look for a "council" of sorts to be the caretaker government in the case the "President" resigns or is ousted. Although this can be helpful, the constitution does not point to this path.

The sanctity of the ballot is the supreme essence of a democracy.

Did she, or didn't she?
Now to another question? Did the "President" cheat?

In a democracy, the ballot is God. No other ideal, ideology or program supersedes it. The elections are a holy event in a democracy. In fact, elections legitimizes democracy.

With that said, several quarters allege that it is better that the "President" beat/cheat FPJ or else we should have to contend with an FPJ presidency.

In ethics, the end does not justify the means. Stealing money to give to the poor is still stealing. Cheating the elections to "save" the nation is still cheating. Your responsibility doesn't lessen even under those circumstances.

But do I want an FPJ presidency? No. However, I believe that the "President" cheated. How did I know? She used every legal, extra-legal and even illegal trick in the book for her to retain the presidency. Even asking the SC to disqualify FPJ on grounds that he is not a Filipino. Even to the point of running ads on government stations repeatedly, even if it is against the election laws (they bent the law so they can continue with the practice). And now, the wiretapped conversations suddenly, out of nowhere, comes into the picture.

It is clear to us that the President will do everything to remain in power. Anything.

Wiretapped Conversations: Evidence or Pure Politics
The pro-"President" further allege that this is just pure politics.

Reminds of Watergate, Monica Lewinsky, Jueteng, Chavit, they were all politics, right?

Politics or not politics, these wiretapped conversations deserve a better look. This is possibly the best piece of "evidence" that can prove that the "President" really did cheat.

Ooops, evidence. This is where the pro-"President" forces tend to do the most damage. Evidence illegally obtained is not evidence. But this illegally obtained evidence shows us another evidence against an illegal act. And that is a very illegal act. It violates the very essence of a democracy. Can we possibly allow this information be withheld from the people. Does the people's right to information ends here?

Politics. The pro-"President" forces further enflamed the fires of truth when they prohibited the various media outfits from airing the wiretapped conversations, and to the august halls of Congress. Their political strategy of keeping the truth sealed equals the previous attempts of sealing the cries of truth. It reminds me of the second envelope, of which they themselves wanted to be known, and now, they prohibit the people to know the truth.

Full circle.

How about the wiretapper? We have an anti-wiretapping law, right? Then prosecute the wiretappers to the fullest extent of the law. The cheater and the wiretapper must go to jail.

The Trump Card: The Church and the Military
The Church, officially neutral, has somewhat deviated its traditional pro-"President"/government stance. The Church, as the moral conscience of the nation, wants the truth to be known, and is willing to help in every moral and legal way possible that will let the truth be known.

However, some elitist sections of the Church still remain blind.

In 2001, at the height of former President Estrada's scandals, one prominent school easily distinguished what was moral and legal. Yet in today's fiascos, they remain mum, and refuse to tell us what is moral and legal.

The military holds the keys to the conclusion of the recent events. Whom they shall support, or not support, hinges on one factor: where the popular support lies. They have failed once before (in 2001), and they're not risking political adventures now that the military's stand will end the empasse.

If they feel that the popular sentiment for the "President" to resign reaches a critical level, they will switch sides and support the anti-"President" forces.

Force the Issue
How will the empasse end?

For me, the best thing that will happen is that the "President" and the Vice President, and the COMELEC commissioners to resign. Then, as the constitution proclaims, we should stage a snap elections. If there;s a while, there's a way. The arguments that there is no budget for a snap election is just a palusot. Where did they get the budget for the previous constitutional commission and referendum in 1987? Let the "President" and the Vice-President run. Make this as open as possible. Make it clean. Or risk another event.

What goes around, comes around. The hands of time prepares to weave the final chapter to this fabric of history. It is us ultimately, who will order them how it shall end. And may it be for the betterment of the people. For the upholding of democracy. For the sanctity of the ballot.