FINAL REPORT - Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

quashed the impeachment complaints against her by sheer technicality, but this time,
absolutely free of a counterchecking Senate. Such a parliament can then legislate to
the maximum in its and President Arroyo’s favor, and even amend the Constitution in
any way and as often as it may wish by simply converting itself into a constituent
assembly. Other countries and nation-states may have survived in this manner, but
the recent example of Thailand drives home the difference. 84
Insofar as any danger might be intuited given these premises, even New Yorkers
have felt the time ripe to call the modern world's attention to our plight.
"Filipinos thought they had put an end to electoral chicanery and
governmental intimidation when they overthrew the Marcos dictatorship
two decades ago.
xxx xxx xxx
Mrs. Arroyo is no Ferdinand Marcos, at least not yet. But this one-time
reformer is reviving bad memories of crony corruption, presidential voterigging
and intimidation of critical journalists. Unless the Philippine
Congress and courts find ways to rein in her increasingly
authoritarian tendencies, democracy itself may be in danger." ("New
York Times editorial: Dark Days for RP Democracy," published online
April 5, 2006; Philippine Daily Inquirer, April 6, 2006, p. A1 & p. A17;
emphasis supplied)
On top of this dark cloud overhanging the legitimacy per se of President
Arroyo’s assumption of the post of Chief Executive, further brood the overwhelming
evidences of plunder on two counts -- with official documents splayed before the
Senate, as regards the Ginintuang Masagang Ani funds, and before the CCTA, as
regards the OWWA funds – as well as culpable violation of the Constitution, in the
execution of the Venable contract.
And of course, there is the unconscionable, unpardonable violation of the most
significant of recognized developments in modern civilization – human rights.
But more than the depredation and pillage of the human, financial and natural
resources of this country, certainly the most mortal of this present administration's
sins is its unrepentant, almost gleeful espousal of spiritual decay in its abetting of a
values system that extols evil over good, turns our historical nobility and innate
morality as a people on its head, debases and exploits the materially and intellectually
poor majority as grovelling subjects – in violation of their rights and dignity as
sovereign citizenry – and sanctions in lieu of basic human decency a culture that
considers as perfectly acceptable any practice and technique of survival no matter how
base, such that lying, cheating, stealing, bribery, opportunism, corruption, power
play, blackmail, harassment, and violation of constitutional and human rights and
outright persecution and crime are normal and simply par for the course.
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A deep sense of national identity and national self-respect that includes a reverence for the country’s institutions,
a national values system in which preservation of country is a priority above all else, political and cultural maturity, all
translating to a genuine love of country – these were key to Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s self-sacrificing
resignation. In our country’s situation today, we have no doubt that it is the opposite that obtains.
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