HERE’S Amando Doronila’s take on the results of the May polls.
Excerpt from his column piece “Acting as if nothing happened“:
MANILA, Philippines — The first thing the opposition did after it appeared certain that the Genuine Opposition (GO) candidates had won 8-2-2 in the Senate election was to talk with deposed president Joseph Estrada, at his detention home in Tanay, Rizal, about the division of spoils. Up for grabs are the Senate presidency and chairmanship of key committees. From newspaper reports, there was nothing to indicate that the victors, in the flush of triumph, thought of overhauling the national policy agenda beyond just carving up the booty.
The celebration with Estrada was symbolic and symptomatic of the opposition’s view of the mandate it received from the people on May 14. When the opposition leaders met at Estrada’s rest house, they offered the GO capture of the Senate as a trophy to Estrada and as an acknowledgment of Estrada’s view that the election was a referendum on the illegitimacy of his overthrow by Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in January 2001 and a vindication of his innocence of plunder charges.
The opposition cannot be more wrong than crediting Estrada for the GO victory in the Senate election. Some of them may like to think the GO team was handpicked by Estrada. But this was not exactly the case: most of the GO candidates were not identified as dyed-in-the-wool Estrada partisans, and presented themselves as independent-minded persons. The only thread shared by members of the team was that all were anti-Arroyo.
The May election was anything but a rerun of the Estrada-Arroyo political vendetta. That feud was not the central election issue. The voters decided on a number of issues that have emerged to define the character of the Arroyo administration since 2001. The nation has traveled a long distance for the past six years. Consequently, Estrada cannot claim credit for influencing the 8-2-2 Senate election result. Much less is he in a position to call the shots in the allocation of power in the next Senate.
June 20th, 2007 at 1:18 pm
TO DRHENRY4
I think many people are not aware of this. Frankly, I only know what is publicized. I suggest you also post them in this web:
http://www.pinoyexchange.com/forums/showthread.php?p=20367331#post20367331
You have to subscribe first.
June 18th, 2007 at 12:35 pm
Monday Lessons
To Monday Lesson,
You mean the GO senators are narrow minded? That’s how they interpreted their victory. They immediately went to their patron “saint� Erap to offer their victory.
Most GO voters claim that they voted for GO not because of Erap but because they are better candidates. Now, they are being contradicted by actions of the very senators they have voted. The GO senators believe they owe their victory to Erap.
From ML:
You may be right, simpleng pinoy. All I said is, Filipinos may not be voting because of Erap or Gloria but because they need to do something about the country’s situation by getting their message accross through their vote. And vote they did for those whom they felt embodied their own thoughts and aspirations. If these senators fail to deliver, we have no one to blame but…
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Actually the reason the filipino people voted for the opposition because that is the only way they can get their message across to Gloria Arroyo. What the filipino people trying to say, Is enough already. Its time to kick her ass out. Its overdue! She don’t deserve to set in Malacanyang Palace a minute longer. Because she don’t have a mandate from the filipino people to begin with. Because she only stole her title from the duly elected President Joseph Estrada. And she stole it again in may 10, 2004. Presidential election from Fernando Poe, Jr. Gloria Arroyo, Nothing but the biggest crooks! Salinas
June 18th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
burningbush07
to vercingetorix
bakit nadawit naman ang pagiging Christian Nation ng Pilipinas sa kahirapang dinanas natin?
going back to the main issue: indeed, this election is more than erap, however it is not less than gloria. i think most GO candidates won because of their anti-admin stant but it does not mean that the voters are pro-erap
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Oh, Yeah. Do you want bet? I’m Erap, Pa rin until the end. But, yes. You’re absulotely right the reason most of the opposition won this election because of what they say. Isang boto laban sa naka upo! meaning the filipino people voted for GO candidates because they’re ANTI-GLORIA ARROYO. The filipino people had enough with her bullshit. Its time to get rid of her. Its overdue! Salinas
June 18th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Bert
To Drhenry4:
Only Gloria has the brain, you said? My goodness, Sir. Pray, please tell us, where have you seen it?
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I agree with him. If Gloria Arroyo, Is no brainer. She well never get away with all the corruption under her stolen administration. Yup! In fact she control the entire corrupt government offices. Especially the AFP/PNP/JUDGES…..
June 18th, 2007 at 10:36 am
At the very least 11 million or roughly 44% (if the total voting turnout then reach 25 million), of the present generation of the Philippine voting population have apparently spoken that Trillanes + 7 or 6 GOs, 2 or 3 TUs and 2 Inds., shall serve as senators for the next 6 years. While only 39% or less voted 10 or 9 TUs for the senate.
Democracy says that in any elections majority rules. So be it. If we position ourselves in a vantage point where we can see the entirety of us, then we can conclude without much biases, that the Filipino voting culture of popularity and soap-opera-like politics rather than believing in principles, visions, upright governance, is still technically tangible and up in the air. Sad to say, that this majority of the population are practically the ones preventing our country’s progress since the time of Marcos.
They are the 2nd generation if not 3rd descendants of the people who were loyalists then of the Marcos regime all the way down to Estrada. Estrada is undeniably a known ‘tuta’ of Marcos of course not to mention, Sonny Escudero the dad of Chiz. That’s why Chiz would have to support Estrada and FPJ (as Campaign manager) to be consistent with ‘birds of same feather flock together’ rule.
Because of his recital vocal rendition, on the other hand, way back 2003 at Oakwood, Trillanes was able to send a simple message to majority of the Filipino people; he wants to bring GMA down. The Oakwood event was way way before the cheating-driven 2004 Presidential elections took place, so he was screaming the corruption hounding the AFP that time as a disguise to capture the hearts of the Erap’s fans with promises for his immediate release from prison and eventual return to Malacanang, in the background.
Look, unless the hearts and minds of the majority of us especially the voters change to a better mind set then we cannot therefore expect improvement and progress of this “one and only” country, the Philippines. We cannot demand for progress and reduction of poverty if people would prefer celebrities than issue-driven leaders during elections.
I strongly agree with Mr. Doronila’s commentary that last elections’ results were not really meant for the winning and losing senatorial candidates, but actually was a play-off for Erap and GMA. We can therefore conclude that GMA’s support of less than 40% is apparent that of Erap’s even over 60%. Last elections were reflective of who we Filipinos are, in so far as culture and issues are concerned. We are indeed unique in our own way. No wonder corruption, criminalities, poverty and misery are all over. Remember: majority rules!
Finally, let’s condemn immorality and plunder. Let’s be educated and intellegent enough to evade celebrity leadership.