|
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Adaza: Edsa as the battleground
By Guerrero A. Adaza
My Viewpoints
THE pictures of President Arroyo which appear in the national newspapers lately are that of a serious looking leader determined to tackle the challenges of the times and resolute in her desire to provide the appropriate leadership for the nation in this troubled times. This is long overdue.
Seemingly, the majority of the people in Mindanao and the Visayas are not at all that concerned on whether the wiretapping tape proves that she cheated or not in the last election.
And as usual, Visayas and Mindanao reactions do not at all matter to the people of Luzon. That is why People Power I and II are movements of the many in Metro Manila, not even the whole of Luzon.
Metro Manila is the battleground between the Arroyo forces and that of the opposition and who ever captures the hearts and minds of the majority of the Metro Manilans has won the battle.
The legitimate opposition must unite their divided forces if they want to be credible. They have to rally behind a trustworthy and sincere leader.
And frankly there is not one in the opposition, who can fit in the need except probably Congressman Francis Escudero of Sorsogon.
But he does not have yet national exposure. And he does not have the funds. Only the discredited Joseph Estrada has the means to finance a well-oiled organization. But he simply cannot be the rallying point.
He was already kicked out by people power. And he is in fact faced with a plunder case. If the opposition wants to be heard and be believed by the many of our people, it has to build up new leaders.
Presently their bench is shallow and many of their old leaders are simply power hungry. Many people believe that they are wolves in sheepskin's clothing.
God must be pleased still with Mrs. Arroyo, for there is no respected national organization that has come out for her resignation.
The usual loud voices are from the opposition, the militant groups who are few in numbers.
It is noticeable that former President Fidel Ramos is disturbingly silent.
Except his disclaimer on his former secretary of defense call for Mrs. Arroyo's ouster, the former President and his intelligence man General Almonte have not been passionate in his defense of the President.
What are his plans and options if Mrs. Arroyo resigns? Will he do a General Musharaf of Pakistan?
Secretary Angelo Reyes one of the principal actors for the removal of Joseph Estrada from the Presidency is quiet and is very much behind the scene. What advice did he give to the President about this crisis?
The Catholic Bishops are to put up a united position on the controversy.
But can it put up a cohesive front, with the likes of Bishop Oscar Cruz open advocacy for the President's resignation? The bishops should fathom God's will not theirs, so that their decision will be influential and persuasive upon the public.
If the Supreme Court did not issue the temporary restraining order against the E-VAT Law, the ordeal of Mrs. Arroyo would have worsened and the opposition would have enjoyed making the people angry against the President, hoping for her toppling.
Thanks to the many Arroyo appointees to the Highest Court the EVAT is suspended.
Is Malacañang really serious to lift the TRO, for if it is lifted, potent ammunition could then be provided to the opposition, wherein they would claim that Mrs. Arroyo is truly anti-poor and anti-people and she deserves ouster.
Cannot the opposition give Mrs. Arroyo a chance to stabilize the economy, even for a year, so that the nation can survive the upsurge of economic difficulties?
If the opposition says no, then they are but a bunch of rabble-rousers unconcerned whether the nation sinks or not, so long as they capture power.
* * * * *
Atty. Ager Libago is a Filipino lawyer who is based in California, USA, is widely known as a helpful and energetic Cagayanon to a lot of persons from our City and province of Misamis Oriental, even from the provinces of Camiguin and Bukidnon, who look for jobs, in the California area, have been helped by him, where they don't know anyone or have no relatives therein at all.
He is a civic leader and he has his insurance agency. His wife Sarah is a long time nurse in the USA. They have two bright and good-looking kids.
Ager is the nephew of Comelec Regional Director of Region X, Lawyer Bernardita Cabacungan who is married to former City Councilor and now law practitioner Constantino Cabacungan.
Atty. Libago and his wife Sarah will celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary in our City.
Ager is the Charter President of the Golden Lions Club of Los Angeles City and some of the members of the club who are doctors and nurses will conduct a free medical clinic in Dangcagan, Bukidnon from July 4 to 5, 2005.
May God bless them always and protect them from any form of evil. Their group will be back to the USA on July 20, this year.
Atty. Libago was my student in the College of Law at Xavier University way back in the late 70's.
* * * * *
Trivia -- While people in Metro Manila are busy attending to the wiretapped tape and jueteng issues, the Oasis of Love in our City brought to 64 participants in its life in the spirit seminar the last 3-days in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental, the messages of God's Love and Salvation. Monsignor Abelardo Cabillan and Fr. Alex Borres, the priests assigned to Tagoloan by the Bishop, in the absence of the regular priest, gave their support to such spiritual undertaking.
The Divine Mercy Children's Choir of El Salvador, Misamis Oriental will be my featured guest in my program over Bombo Radyo this coming Sunday, July 11, 2005, from 6:30 to 7:00 in the evening.
These young kids 30 of them are our family scholars in St. Joseph Academy in El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.
Next week the sculptor of the Divine Mercy Statue Nick Reyes of Angeles City, Pampanga will come over to complete the statue in 10 months time together with the welders, if there are no hitches, over at Ulaliman, El Salvador, Misamis Oriental.
The call for a Mindanao Republic at this time is misplaced. At this early, some politician backers of Senator Mar Roxas and Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte are pushing them as candidates for President, if a snap election is held.
But a snap election can only be had if Mrs. Arroyo and Mr. de Castro resign. And they do not intend to resign.
Let us continue to pray to God that the leaders of the administration and the opposition will be enlightened that they will decide to have a formula for peace progress and unity arrived at so that the present crisis could be terminated.
A reliable informant told me that a retired top ranking General sold his valuable farm land to a classmate of his for five million pesos when the value of such including improvements is 15 million.
The General was scared that a lifestyle check might subject him to graft case. The farmland is in one of the towns in Bukidnon.
(July 5, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
|
