Economists to Arroyo: Resign Now!

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PUBLISHED ON February 13, 2008 AT 4:44 PM

GMA: Resign NOW!

11 February 2008

He was on good terms with the authorities, agile, flexible, and even audacious when it came to speculating with other people’s property. He was the only rival, and a frightening one at that, of a man named Pérez when it came to rents and auctions of merchandise or jobs that the Philippine Government entrusts to private individuals.
Jose Rizal, Noli Me Tangere, Chapter 6: Captain Tiago (Harold Augenbraum Translation)

Criminal justice will come, but now is the time to take political action. The testimony of Rodolfo Lozada, Jr., made under oath before the Senate, gives us the moral certainty to condemn the massive corruption in the ZTE-NBN deal. With the suggestion that a similar anomaly most likely attended the South Rail project, along with other previous scandals, the ZTE-NBN is not an isolated case of unbridled corruption.

And at what scale! For the ordinary Filipino families, 50% of whom earn a meager income of less than Php 300 per day, the kickback amounting to US$130 million-which Lozada said “Commission” Chairman Benjamin Abalos asked him to protect-is mind boggling.

Very revolting, too, was the abduction of Mr. Lozada abduction, upon the order of Malacañang. Here is an instance in which the Palace micromanaged, and mangled, a kidnapping to silence a whistleblower.

What was plunder by a colonial government in Rizal’s time is now plunder by a Mafia occupying Malacañang. The first family is the capo di tutti capi, the boss of all bosses. The Macapagal-Arroyo family has turned the Philippine government into a mafia family, with Cabinet men, congressmen, and other functionaries as their mob lieutenants. We have state capture not by the elite but by a Filipino mafia headed by the first family.

The Philippines is not lacking in laws and institutions against corruption and plunder. The 1987 Constitution devotes an entire article of 18 sections (Article XI) to provisions on accountability of public officers. The Revised Penal Code punishes malfeasance and misfeasance in office of public officers, including bribery, frauds against the public treasury, and malversation of public funds. The Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, expands the punishable corrupt practices even further. Republic Act 7080 defines and penalizes the crime of plunder. We have a powerful Office of the Ombudsman, with the duty to investigate and prosecute illegal acts or omissions by public officers and employees. We also have a special court, the Sandiganbayan, with jurisdiction to try high-ranking public officials for graft and corruption. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) has created the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission to investigate and hear administrative cases and complaints against erring Presidential Appointees, and to assist the President in the campaign against graft and corruption.

Much effort has been undertaken to address chronic corruption. Multilateral and bilateral donors, economists and policy analysts, and non-government organizations have studied the problem and proposed anti-corruption strategies and programs. The measures adopted have been comprehensive and deep. These include regulatory reforms, agency-level reforms and capacity building, judicial reforms, changes in the procurement law, strengthening of the anti-corruption lead agencies, and introduction of various anti-corruption activities such as lifestyle checks and values formation.

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3 Responses to “Economists to Arroyo: Resign Now!”

reynalyn millena, III-A Says:
February 20th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Mrs. President should need to resign because she’s only using her power to cover herself like the anomally on the ZTE-NBN deal with LOZADA.
Jennifer De Chavez,BSIT III-A Says:
February 20th, 2008 at 10:31 am
I want our president to resign because she did not handle our country well and because of the issues happening today the Zte scandal.Our president is a liar and corrupt president because she did not give attention of what is the condition of our economy today.
pat Says:
March 10th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
The Philippine government has since been shaking because of so many scandals after scandals.. The latest of which is The ZTE-NBN scandal which was exposed by Senator Lacson in the senate. So many questions were raised, but up to this moment, none were aswered.

Filipinos are angered by the cover-ups done by people in power who, out of desperation, do everything just to fix the problem. But it seems that they (The Government), every move they make, makes them even more in a deeper situation. All their lies and alibies are not good enough for Filipinos to believe. Their “script” are so weak and not well written. Even peopple who lacks education or otherwise can easily tell they are lying. GMA even used people who are dignified and “good people” to make statements for them but to no avail. Filipinos feel poty to those being used by this government, since they suffer the worst. Destroying their own good credibility for the sake of their sets. (just wondering how much money this government is dpending for the cover-ups).

Last night, I ran over one TV station that was airing interviews from Atienza, Razon, and other wanabes who desperately wants media attention (Rose Bud, et all). They were airing alledged anomalies of Lozada and Lacson. Orly Mercado was one of the host of the said program. I brought this up, since it made me alarmed that maybe some media people and a network at that, can easily be bought? They were trying desperately to demolish the credibility of the two person without even inviting to air their side. (That’s my presumption) Because theor were no airing of the other side and even no text message or comments being ask from viewers, and to think that it was live!

Im not for Lacson and Lozada, I even hate them. But do criminals have the right to chamge? That includes GLORIA ARROYO, et all!

I just believe that News network when airing some sides should and will always get the other side of the story. News anchor, or commentators are required to do just that in aid of truth and fairness. Thats True Journalism! Now again, “HOW MUCH WAS GIVEN?”

Its about time that we Filipinos should be very vigilants in our present Govenment. Our voice should be heard even of they pretend to be deft with all of this. We should think of our own little way to awaken fellow filipinos if we are all for truth and accountability. Thjis Government officials should be serving us! We are the one paying them, we were the one who had put them in their sets. (eventhough it was a big mistake!) We deserve no less! other than GOOD GOVERNANCE!

Get involve my fellow Filipino… It is in our hands if we really want change.Help and make a stand for our country. All the corruption and lies of this regime had reached it’s peak! Time to cut it off!

Please forward this message to anyone you know. If you are one true FILIPINO and who LOVE our country! We will TRIUMPH! GOD BLESS the PHILIPPINES!

MABUHAY!

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THE NEWS IN PICTURES

Spawn. This photo, taken by photojournalist Sonny Espiritu, won the Best Single Photo award in the recent annual PopDev Awards. The photo was first published by the Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project with this caption: "An urban poor woman feeds her youngest child while washing clothes for a living and looking after other children. Modern contraception advocates say having fewer children would help fight poverty and hunger, but the predominent Catholic Church says there is no link between poverty and population, of which the Philippines has now almost 90 million."

End The Violence. Members of the women's group Gabriela make known their sentiments about violence against women. They commemorated yesterday, Nov. 25, the "International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. (Photo courtesy of arkibongbayan.org)

Anti-GMA Protest in LA. Members of GABNet, the progressive Filipino women's group in the United States, outside the LAX Sheraton in Los Angeles last week to protest the persecution and killing of political activists in the Philippines. The protest was timed for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo stopover en route to Peru for the Apec summit. (Photo courtesy of Ninotchka Rosca/GABNet)

Tagaytay on a Sunday. Kite-flying has become a favorite activity at the Picnic Grove in Tagaytay. On an overcast but generally pleasant afternoon last Sunday, dozens of kites colored the skies, complementing the view of Taal Volcano in the background. (Photo by Ayi Muallam)

Downed. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front released Friday this photo of some of its members playing with what the group claimed was an unmanned spy plane that crashed earlier this month. The front said the alleged drone was a property of the US military. More details here.

Hunger Amid War. This child refugee is one of the thousands affected by the war in Mindanao. The situation in North Cotabato and Maguindanao has deteriorated since renewed fighting between government forces and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) broke out in Aleosan and Midsayap, North Cotabato last Aug. 8, according to groups that held last month the National Interfaith Humanitarian Mission in North Cotabato and Maguindanao. (Photo courtesy of Kalinaw Mindanao/arkibongbayan.org)

Another Bayan Muna Leader Killed. Danny Qualbar, an officer of the Compostela Farmers' Association and coordinator of Bayan Muna was on his way to Compostela town Thursday afternoon to buy fish for his family when assassins in motorcycles shot him. Qualbar was the second Bayan Muna member killed this year in Compostela Valley. Top photo shows Qualbar’s eldest child grieving his death. (Photo by Jonald Mahinay/davaotoday.com)

Stairway to Heaven. Found in the middle of the forest, the cascading waters of Aliwagwag waterfalls in Cateel, Davao Oriental, looks like a descending stairway. No wonder it is considered one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Mindanao. (Photo by Grace S. Uddin / davaotoday.com)

Stop Militarizing Communities! Members of farmer's group Kilusang Magbubukid sa Pilipinas in Southern Mindanao Region held a rally October 8 in front of the headquarters of the Eastern Mindanao Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines in Camp Panacan, Davao City. The group called for the pullout of troops conducting massive military operations in Tamayong in Davao City, Talaingod in Davao del Norte, Monkayo in Compostela Valley and in the towns of Baganga, Cateel, Boston in Davao Oriental and Lingig Surigao Del Sur. (Photo by Jonald Mahinay/davaotoday.com)

Land and Peace Concert. Students from Tribung Bayanga National High School perform before the crowd at Gaston Park in Cagayan De Oro City on October 23 night during the Yuta ug Kalinaw Concert. The two-hour concert was part of the Integrity of Creation Solidarity week that kicked-off last October 19. The week-long activity was a gathering of mining affected communities and support groups to discuss the issues affecting their communities. (Photo by AKP Images / Keith Bacongco)

Full Capacity. Normally, passenger vans are allowed to carry 14 people. But this one is apparently beyond its carrying limit as it negotiates the zigzag road in Sulop, Davao del Sur, a known accident- and landslide-prone area. (Photo by Keith Bacongco / AKP Images)

The Child as Vigilante. A 10-year-old boy carries a firearm and joins members of the Ilaga, an infamous anti-Moro militia, in its camp in Aleosan, North Cotabato. The child's father leads the dreaded vigilante group in the area. (Photo by Romy Elusfa/Philippine Human Rights Reporting Project)

Under Repair. A "Skylab," the most common mode of transportation in the Agusan provinces and elsewhere in Mindanao, undergoes a repair at a shop in Butuan City. The motorcycle is fitted with wooden "wings" on both sides -- hence the moniker -- and is capable of carrying up to eight passengers. (Photo by Keith Bacongco / AKP Images)

Free At Last. Pastor Berlin Guerrero of the National Council of Churches of the Philippines, shown above with wife Mylene, was released after 15 months in police detention. He had been abducted and went missing for days before the police came out to say that he was arrested on a murder charge, which his family and colleagues said had been fabricated. A court ordered him released on Sept. 11. (Photo by arkibongbayan.org)

Economists to Arroyo: Resign Now!

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