Paghahanda

ODIONGAN, ROMBLON – TUMITIKAS ang oposisyon. Mukhang inihahanda si Bise Presidente Leni Robredo bilang pangunahing kandidato sa halalang pampanguluhan sa 2022. Mukhang hindi gobernador ng Camarines Sur ang hahabulin kundi ang pinakamataas na puwesto. Nakita ng puwersang maka-demokrasya ang hudyat sa Estados Unidos na bumabalik sa Asya.

Mukhang nakahanda isabak ng oposisyon si Sonny Trillanes bilang kanyang pangalawang pangulo. Kung hindi umubra si Trillanes at hindi piliin ni VP Leni, baka bumalik na lang sa pagka-senador. Bata pa si Trillanes; nasa edad 50 anyos lamang. Kainitan ng kanyang political career. Kinakatakutan siya ng maraming pulitiko dahil diretso ang bituka.

Nakahanda ang mga kasama sa political opposition – sina Bam Aquino, Kiko Pangilinan, Risa Hontiveros, Frank Drilon, at iba pa. Kailangan bigyan ng ningning ang demokrasya – ang pangingibaw ng Saligang Batas at mga batas, tamang proseso, karapatang pantao, climate change, at childen’s welfare. Sila ang puwersa ng demokrasya.

Hindi namin alam kung may ganitong paghahanda sa naghaharing koalisyon. Alam namin nag-uusap sila ngunit hindi pa malaman kung sino sa kani-kanilang manok sa 2022. Hindi pa malinaw kung si Sara Duterte o Bong Go ang isasabak ng Davao Group. Kanya-kanyang ambisyon. Mukhang naggasgasan sila-sila.

Hindi pa nagpapahayag si Bongbong Marcos kung isasabak siya ng grupong Ilocano. Hindi namin alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa mga Marcos, Arroyo, at Duterte at ibang malalaking pamilyang pulitikal. Mukhang magkakanya-kanya sa 2022. Kanya-kanyang ambisyonkasi.

Hindi pa rin alam kung magkakasama ang Nacionalista Party, National Unity Party, Lakas-NUCD, at ibang lapiang pulitikal. Maaari humiwalay sila at maglayag ng malayo sa naghaharing koalisyon. Nakikta namin ang pagsabog ng grupo. Sila ang mga puwersang kontra sa demokrasya at kakampi ng China.

Abangan ang mga susunod na mangyayari. Maaaring sumama sila sa grupo ng oposisyon. Lalo na ngayon nag-iba ang ihip ng hangin. Lalo na ngayon na bumalik sa Estados Unidos sa Asya upang lupigin ang China. Ang alam namin ay kokontrahin ng oposisyon ang sinuman sa mga kandidato ng susuportahan ng China.

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MARAMI ang nagulat sa aming isinulat tungkol sa posibilidad ng isang kudeta na ilalatag ng China at mga puwersang militar ng nahikayat ng China na ipagtanggol ang kanilang interes. Tinatanong kami kung makapangyarihan ang paksyon na pro-China sa AFP.

Hindi namin alam kung gaano kalawak. Ngunit kaunti lang sila at pipigilan sila ng mga batang opisyales. Hindi papayag na mapailalim tayo sa China. Sagad sa napakaraming problema ang China. Isang malayang bansa tayo at hindi sila papayag sa China.

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Isinulat ito ng aming kaibigan na si Roly Eclevia. Nilinaw lang niya ang pagkakahirang kay Lloyd Austin III bilang kalihim ng Tanggulan ng Estados Unidos:

The danger of appointing
retired generals to civilian posts

Gen. Lloyd Austin was confirmed U.S. Defense secretary. The first black man ever to occupy that very powerful position, he broke the “brass ceiling” in the process, as one observer puts it.
Its historic significance aside, the appointment creates grave policy implications for the doctrine of civilian primacy over the military, so sacrosanct in U.S. democracy.

Appointing newly retired military (and police) officers—to civilian positions is particularly problematic in the Philippines, where the practice is so pervasive. This thread will be taken up later. The U.S. National Security Act of 1947 imposes a ten-year ban on uniformed officers serving as secretary of Defense. The ban has since been shortened to seven years.

Gen. Austin clearly falls within the ambit of the prohibition. He retired only five years ago, in April 2016, which was why President Joe Biden had to ask Congress—the House and the Senate—to issue a waiver. They complied but only with misgivings. That kind of waiver has rarely been requested and granted, for Gen. George Marshall after the outbreak of the Korean War, and four years ago, for Gen. George Mattis.

Why the reluctance?

In an article that appears in the National Review on Jan. 22, Dan McLaughlin explains, “The theory of the ban was to ensure civilian control of the military, both to avoid capture of Pentagon leadership by military industrial interests and, more gravely, to prevent the growth of an unsupervised standing military that might threaten civilian government.”

Marybeth Ulrich, professor of government at the Army War College, and Noah Fisher, political science instructor at the Air Force Academy, elaborate on the issue, writing that the practice “may incentivize senior officers to align themselves politically with particular politicians or political parties to gain favor.”

In fact, they add, “A problem already exists with retired generals and flag officers endorsing political candidates. Some have indeed been rewarded with prestigious ambassadorship or administration posts. The two academics also argue that “tapping retired generals precludes the possibility of filling the post with qualified civilian with political expertise relevant to the role.”

In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte promptly appoints newly retired generals to lucrative GOCC (governmnt owned and controlled corporations) posts for which they are clearly unqualified by education, experience, and temperament. The American leadership adopted the ban out of an abundance of caution to protect democracy. Mr. Duterte has a sinister, totally self-serving motive. He is trying to prevent the military and the national police from staging a coup d’ etat against his unpopular government by tacitly promising the officers still in active service that they too will have their turn at the feeding trough if they remain loyal to him.

Incidentally, that is also the reason why he has bankrupted the government just to be able to double the salaries of soldiers and cops, while keeping teachers and other government workers, doctors and nurses in public hospitals on starvation wages.

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QUOTE UNQUOTE: “NADUTERTE – When you’re expecting a LION, but got a GOAT instead.” – Hermie Mendoza, netizen

“China is kidding us. It does not know what it is was saying. The ‘historical presence’ China was insisting referred to the Chinese pirates, who marauded our coastal towns, murdered our men, raped our women, and stole our children, whom they sold as slaves in parts unknown. China never established a foothold in our country. It’ was a big bitter joke to say China had a historical presence in our country.” – Ba Ipe

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Source: Police Files Tonite