ENGLISH EDITORIAL

Sorry for the long wait!!! Here it is.... been away on Christmas shopping duties :D

CRAP... its long...

A Necessary Sacrifice by Isagani Cruz

Save only for the Japanese Occupation Gov't that was imposed upon us not by our own countrymen but by a foreign invader, the most oppressive invader established in the Philippines after the revolution of 1896 was the Marcos despotism that bled the nation white with the avarice of its rulers.

Next only to that evil period is the present administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo that has deliberately foisted upon us a calamity envenomed by unprecedented and insolent corruption that we have tolerantly chosen to to prevent, rectify or penalize.

The first Philippine Republic had little experience in actual government because of the American invasion. The administration of the governor-generals was on the whole honest and hopefully exemplary. During the Commonwealth era and in the early years of the present Republic, rumors of corruption were merely whispered and comparatively minor.

After the Marcos rapine, succeeding administrations under Aquino, Ramos and even the disreputable Estrada, the complaints against governmental venality were not as indignant and demanding as they are now.

In our tattered history, GMA has become the most unpopular Chief Executive, barring all other former tenants of the Palace of the People. The major issue against her is the crookedness of her administration.

When Estrada was ousted by direct action of Edsa 2, there was a widespread feeling of relief and a sense of confidence in VP GMA as his constitutional replacement. Although her public record then was not eminently encouraging, she was at least reputedly honest, let alone her impressive academic credentials.

The first suspicions about her credibility began when she promised in 2003 that she wouldn't run for presidency, which she was then occupying without a direct grant from the electorate. She blandly violated that vow in the last presidential election, claiming she was just responding to what she called the public demand. That excuse was hardly audible, or believable.

Her conduct during the campaign was far from presidential. She sang and danced like Nora Aunor whom many say she resembled. She donned the costumes of the indigenous tribes and ate with her fingers like the rural people to show she was one of them. She was unlike Sergio Osmena Sr. who did not leave his work in Malacanang to campaign in 1946 or Manuel L. Quezon who symbolically planted rice for the photographers but wisely wore botas instead of wading with his bare feet in the muddy farmlands. She was more like present-day politicians in their cheap courtship of the masses.

After her victory, irate reports of poll malefactions cast a shadow on her title as the now elected Pres. of the Phils. The Garci tapes surfaced to reveal secret conversations that suggested the doctoring of election returns in her favor. As her voice was identifiable, she admitted her lapse in judgment: but denied there was any scheme to falsify the election. She then dismissed the inconclusive investigations in Congress and asked the people to forget the tapes so we can move on as she put it. There were other reported anomalies that raised doubts about her election. Money and various goodies flowed liberally from the party in power allegedly from government sources. Still unexplained is the disposition of the P728-million fertilizer fund alleged to have been used to buy votes for her. Equally serious is the suspected role of the admin. in the escape of Undersec. Jocelyn Bolante who was in charge of the fund , to prevent him in making damaging revelations before the Senate blue ribbon committee.

On top of all the many irregularities suspected to directly involve Pres. Arroyo herself and her husband was the malodorous ZTE contract from which hundreds of millions of pesos are said to have been shared sub rosa by the favored gov't officials. And there is also the admitted distribution substantial amounts of crisp cash as gifts or assistance or bribes to selected national and local officials. She has denied any hand in this financial orgy that took place in Malacanang itself, in her own official residence.

The contagion defiling all levels of our gov't, beginning from the Office of the Pres. down to the lowly brgy., remains unchecked and continues to purify like an incurable malignancy. Even the World Bank is investigating our loan applications because of reported frauds in our gov't operations. We are looked down in the international community as a nation of weakling who have no backbone to resist the sordid leadership preying upon us like an unavoidable wraith.

The scandals tarnishing Ms. Arroyo's administration are more than enough to convince her that she is honor-bound to resign and leave the running gov't to leaders who enjoy the people's confidence in their competency and integrity. She may yet redeem her name in history by making this necessary sacrifice for the salvation of our contaminated country.

FINALLY!!!! ONE MORE ARTICLE!!!!