Creeping Martial Law

Is Noynoy a dictator in the making?

This week is proving to be an exciting one. For the first time, a possibility of a full-blown Constitutional crisis is looming. It starting with the expressed desire of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to seek medical services outside the country after three bone surgeries. Legally there's no impediment to her right to travel.

The Supreme Court decided to grant the Arroyo couples a temporary restraining order against their inclusion in the watch list order (WLO), thereby barring them to leave the country. Despite the SC TRO, de Lima stood firm on her decision that the WLO stands.

Sec. de Lima is at the risk of facing contempt charges (and even disbarment). But we all know that she is merely following Noynoy Aquino's strict and specific orders. If there's one thing Aquino wants to get done, it is seeing the former president behind bars. The marching orders have been given and are being followed to the letter.

Reply to a Raissa Robles' blog post

Earlier my attention was called on a post on Raissa Robles' blog. You can view the said post here.

In the interest of fairness and setting some things straight I made a comment on the post. As of the writing of this blog post my comment is still awaiting moderation. As a staunch advocate of press freedom, I believe that Raissa will have my comment approved for posting.

Below is more or less my comment on Raissa's blog post:

The title of this blog post is utterly misleading. Let me point out why.

a. You imputed that GMA stopped someone from leaving the country by issuing her WLO.

But didn't your interview with former Sec. Gonzales says otherwise? It was clear from his answer that it is the Justice secretary who exercise discretion on who to place under WLO. Atty. Yogie Martirizar was placed under WLO during the time of Sec. Gonzales. Isn't it conspicuous that you did not ask him the case of that former election officer?

b. You gave an impression that GMA used Circular No. 18 (as Circular No. 41 is non-existent then) to persecute someone. You gave your readers the impression that GMA or at least her DOJ used the power to place someone under WLO arbitrarily especially against her political enemies (though this inference of yours is discrete and implicit).

But who exactly is Atty. Yogie Martirizar? She was an election officer in Maguindanao that was charged by Sen. Koko Pimentel as among those involved in dagdag-bawas. Now tell me who between Koko Pimentel and Atty. Martirizar do you consider as GMA ally? Certainly not the former and yet the senator was the beneficiary of the latter being placed under WLO.

If GMA made an attempt to bail out Atty. Martirizar from the WLO so that she can escape from the complaint that then-opposition leader Koko Pimentel filed against her that would be the only time that GMA can be accused of favoring against her political enemy.

c. You tried to draw the similarity between of the circumstances of GMA and Atty. Martirizar being placed under WLO.

Aren't you guilty of intellectual dishonesty on this regard? As one of those interested in uncovering the so called election fraud of 2007 you ought to know that there is a pending complaint against Atty. Martirizar filed by Sen. Pimentel before the COMELEC- EO Case No. 07-138.

Atty. Martirizar is expected to appear before the COMELEC to answer the complaint against her. But since COMELEC even as it convenes en banc as a quasi-judicial body still does not wield the power to issue WLO as this only resides on competent courts like the RTC.

It is in this case that Dept. Circular No. 18 was applied to ensure that tnere will be no miscarriage of justice and that the electoral complaint against Atty. Martirizar will proceed.

The fact that not many are not familiar with this case means that GMA did not intervene. Otherwise we'd be hearing lot of noises from the opposition.

Yes, both GMA and Atty. Martirizar are under WLO but that's where the similarity ends. The latter has a pending case before the COMELEC but not a single case was filed against GMA.

d. Another similarity that GMA and Atty. Martirizar you tried to infer is the nature of their disease.

This one I so doubt. I will only believe that Yogie is suffering from the same illness that of GMA if I can take a look at her medical abstract. I'm sure that doctor-patient confidentiality will not be entered as an excuse because they've already presented such medical abstract to the Bureau of Immigration as part of the evidence of her petition to be taken out of the WLO as she has to undergo a medical procedure that can only be done abroad

If Yogie is suffering from the delibitating illness then how come she looks fine when she and Radam appeared before the media when they were presented as new state witnesses on the election fraud issue?

Aquino Cojuangco: Facts They Don’t Want You To Know video

Gen. Antonio Luna

Around the same time that cyber rally dubbed as "Rally ng Bayan" was in progress a video on the Aquino and Cojuangco clanss circulated in the Internet. And in no time at all the Youtube video went viral in Facebook, particularly in the numerous anti-Noynoy Aquino groups and pages. Bloggers went frantic and featured the video in their sites. And the video found its way into popular online communities.

The video entitled "Aquino Cojuangco: Facts They Don’t Want You To Know" was produced and uploaded to Youtube by PinoyMonkeyPride Productions. Opening credit states that the video was created by one Baron Buchokoy.

First Cyber Rally Against Noynoy Aquino

A logo used by cyber rallyists

Earlier today hundreds of Netizens participated in the first ever cyber rally against Noynoy Aquino. The cyber rally coincided with Aquino's live online interview that was arranged by Youtube in cooperation with local media outfit ANC.,

Particpants in the cyber rally "occupied" official pages of Noynoy Aquino and ANC 24/7 posted non-stop reacting and commenting on Aquino's answers in the interview. Some pro-Aquino Facebook users tried to answered back but the number of the cyber rallyists simply overwhelmed them.

Among the issues that were brought up by the cyber rallyists are justice for soldiers that were killed in Al-Barka, agrarian reform and distribution of Hacienda Luisita to farmers, massacres under the two Aquino regimes, deterioration of peace and order and rising poverty.

Rally ng Bayan

Invitation poster for virtual rally of anti-Noynoy Aquino forces

On Krissy's Appointment

Presidential sister Kris Aquino

Now it's official - Kris Aquino is the newest honorary patron of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) after she accepted and signed her appointment.

The much-hyped appointment started when Presidential Adviser Sec. Ronald Llamas mentioned it during his press conference concerning the issue on the high-powered gun seen in his van that figured in an accident somewhere along Commonwealth Avenue. Of course, when Llamas enthusiastically volunteered the information regarding the appointment many thought that it was a feeble and shameless attempt to cover-up his ass.