ALL right. The Comelec has yet to proclaim the winners yet — largely due to the interference of TEAM Unity — but I think it’s safe to say that Genuine Opposition candidates are going to get most of the 12 seats up for grabs in the Senate. 7-3-2 (GO-TU-independent) the last time I checked.
Now what?
I don’t know.
What I do know is that, barring some miraculous turn of events, impeachment is not going to happen. The Congress is unquestionably Arroyo’s; though there are congressmen who oppose her, notably the representatives of party-lists like Bayan Muna and Anakpawis, the grim truth is that they are the minority. Not to mention the fact that Arroyo’s allies in the Congress have demonstrated time and again a lack of delicadeza. They’re not going to shy away from employing underhanded tactics or bulldozing through all opposition (regardless of how legitimate the dissent is) to get what they want.
Which means that though the Senate would probably vote to impeach Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in a trial, the Congress would never let the impeachment case reach the Senate in the first place.
Charter change?
Well, the entire country saw what happened the last time Congress tried shoving that down our throats. Every major faction — the opposition, the activists, the Church, etc. — made its opposition to Cha-cha known, and its proponents hastily backed down. But I seriously doubt that’s the end of that. Cha-cha continues to lurk in the background, waiting for a chance to reenter the political scene.
Unfortunately, there’s not much the Senate can do if or when Congress decides to revive the issue. Besides complaining on national television, that is. That worked last time, helping to sway public opinion against the initiative and the proposed Constitutional Assembly, but Filipinos are quick to forget. They can forget, for example, that a candidate who once hated Erap enough to cry is now hand in hand with him in election ads. They can forget all the reasons they didn’t like Cha-cha and become swayed by the propaganda of the administration.
As I said, I don’t have all the answers. No crystal ball wherein the future reveals itself to me. But I have to hope that GO accomplishes something besides proclaiming their disgust at the current administration, and plotting its demise. The 2007 elections are behind us — now we must hope we voted the right people into their positions.
June 8th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Go wins the Senate then what?
They had a thanksgiving party at Erap’s resthouse. Erap had his “trophy”.
God help the Philippines.
June 8th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Even though I really did not do a solid vote, one thing I noticed in the new Senate composition; they have the potential to really go after the corrupt in government, those who abuse their power, and those who wish to extend their term in office.
This much I expect from the Senate, go after these bastards who have been cause of the fall of moral values in government not to mention the pain and suffering the corrupt and abusive had caused upon the Filipinos.
June 7th, 2007 at 2:59 pm
We’re not under Junta unlike Burma. The government has no control over the judiciary (as attested to by its recent setback with the Batasan 5), certainly not the media (television, radio, newspaper, internet), which is so unlike the Marcos dictatorship where only 2 newspapers are allowed to circulate and their content should be pro-administration, and not the Senate. In spite of our divisiveness, our economy is growing. Let me quote a newspaper article dated 01Jun07 (so this is strictly an unbiased point of view). 6.9% GDP (take note: not GNP so it excludes OFW remittances) growth fastest since ’90. Then it has a reprint from Financial Times, allow me to quote some portions: This month Texas Instruments of the US announced plans for a $1bn assembly test site, while Saudi Arabia to plough $153m in Manila hotel complex.
…Net foreign buying on the $160bn stock market rose 73% year-on-year in the first four months of 2007.
…there are opportunities in infrastructure and mining: the Philippines has extractable mineral wealth worth $840bn, or 10 times GDP … Only a fraction of this is being tapped …
From 05Jun07 – Mining investments seen to hit $10B
World’s largest miner eyes $1B nickel project in RP
…BHP Billiton, the world’s biggest miner, is looking to invest up to $1 billion in a nickel project in the southern Philippines … President Arroyo met mining executives during her brief visit to Australia last week …
Prices have gone up mainly because of E-Vat (which is an unpopular but necessary decision to maintain our credit rating) but this will only be in the beginning for investor confidence is moving back as attested by the above.
The good news is our economy is growing in spite of our divisiveness. But this growth would be used mainly to pay off the country’s extremely huge debt mostly incurred during the Marcos dictatorship (which financed the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant for example), debt-servicing given priority to maintain/increase our credit rating so that in the event we need cash and nothing is available from us, we will have ready creditors who would rely mainly on our credit rating or our ability to pay, so anyone who expects this growth should indicate an immediate reduction of hunger and poverty will certainly not happen overnight. The good news though is we are getting there. I hope the new Senators will not hamper this momentum and solely take the credit for it, because the momentum already began.
So what more if we are united?
June 5th, 2007 at 10:14 pm
EVAT has helped a lot. And I think this is lower compared to the taxes imposed in other countries. With EVAT, the debt of the Philippines has been slowly being paid(debt incurred during the Marcos era). With this, investors are gaining confidence. Look at Russia, they have paid all their debts and has bee speeding up again in reviving its economy. Economic planning presented during GMA’s speeches is now gaining momentum and I guess she has fulfilled some of her agendas, sad to say most filipinos cannot see that.
To anyone skeptic about the economic gains the country is running. Name me a president after Marcos who has created a strong peso. Her economics has produced a 45-1$ rate, an 11 peso value increase.
June 5th, 2007 at 4:44 pm
Manny Pacquiao and Fernando Poe Jr have things in common (and differences). They were both celebrities with ambitions to serve the people, especially the poor. They both were super popular and for others super if not mega heroes although they didnt earn any college degree. Economically, they were both well-to-do.
The apparent differences were one, Pacquiao didnt get so much praise and positive political break from the Philippine media, while FPJ did gain a lot. Two, Pacquiao was branded to be with PGMA while FPJ was a kumpare of Erap. Three, Pacquiao is rather more popular abroad where most of his fights were held, while FPJ’s fights were mostly filmed in the Philippine countryside if not in Tondo. And four, Pacquiao is a barrio mouse (BisDak), as manifested by his accent and FPJ was a city mouse.
What reality reveals is that they both lost in their respective candidacies because the generation of voting people at the time are all sane if not more mature and intellegent than the generation when Erap won the presidency.