Jun Lozada has suddenly hit stardom.
Many consider him a hero; the lone jedi knight sworn to tell the truth amidst pressure and threats to his life. I admire the man for coming out to finish what Neri and JDVIII started. He is a better man than Atty. Sergio Apostol who knows nothing than to bully an obviously scared man. It is not easy to pluck the courage and speak out the truth. But it is even harder to continue on telling the truth when no one is there to believe you. Or rather, if there is but a few willing to believe you.
In this country’s political scene, the definition of truth is (1) relative to whichever party uses it. For example, Lozada’s testimony is an outright lie for the administration because (a) it damages the image of the President, (b) it implicates the President’s husband, (c) it gives the government an overall nasty publicity, and (d) because Jun Lozada’s backers (Lacson primarily) are from the opposition. It is clear, that from the administration’s view, Lozada is being used by the opposition to destabilize her reign; a mere plot to dethrown her. For the administration people, I think it is safe to conclude that the truth for them means “to not go against PGMA.”
On the other hand, the opposition considers Lozada’s testimony as true because (a) it creates a great divide between the administration puppets and their bosses, (b) it brings their enemies confusion which results to an ever bigger lie, (c) it forces the administration to make a poor cover-up, and (d) because it gives them the opportunity to gain more popularity for the incoming 2010 Elections. For our so-called oppostionists, the truth means ‘to go against PGMA.“
Another useful definition of the truth is (2) it is relative to which party you believe in. If you’re pro-PGMA, then Lozada is a liar but if you’re anti-PGMA, then Lozada is a saint. That simple.
To be fair, I sympathize more with the opposition because I detest the Arroyo administration. My distaste for PGMA has led me to side more often with a group which, I cannot confidently say, is a pure bunch of anti-PGMA fanatics. Come the eve of the 2010 elections, the opposition, I assume, would undergo another divide. I’d rather not wish for that to come true, but who knows?
I think we are compelled to sympathize with Lozada because we saw a part of us in him. That day on the Senate, when he was crying and pausing every now and then to compose himself, I saw someone who was determined to put his message across, someone troubled because of something he has done wrong and someone weak but tried his best to be strong. Lozada is human but the thing that makes me appreciate him is his courage.
For all we know, Lozada maybe lying or maybe the opposition just wants to discredit the administration. Heck, I don’t know. But what I do know is that I am confident to put my trust in Lozada. I’d rather trust him than Mike Defensor and his shiny retainers.
70 Comments
February 10, 2008 at 5:11 pm
He has a lot of drama when he came to the senate and Miriam was eating him alive….
The thing is that his honesty has really gone though me, and I do believe at any administration in every country has thieves, cheaters, and the occasional liars! XD
February 10, 2008 at 9:36 pm
for all their legal brilliance and political cunning, all these senators are no match when they are confronted with the truth. huwag nga dapat tayo mawalaan ng pag-asa: kapag nagsisilabas na itong mga kapwa nating makasalanan upang ibunyag ang katotohanan na patuloy na sumisira ng ating mahal na Bayan.
February 11, 2008 at 6:22 am
Well with luck he’ll survive the political turmoil unless somebody else thinks his existence is already a nuisance
February 11, 2008 at 8:15 am
Why do I have this sinking feeling that he’s already got a target painted on his back? If those bullets aren’t getting him, they’re going to be burying him with every other indiscretion that he’s ever committed in his life only so that he’d be treated like a pariah.
February 11, 2008 at 11:37 am
arlente2:
sen. miriam santiago was like breathing fire at him. scary. but good thing lozada admitted his fault and explained his side well. that was a plus for lozada.
martin b.:
vigilance! yes, sir that is right.
sargi:
i hope no movie or script will ever come out of this scandal. god forbid producers would make a biograhpical film of lozada would ever be conceived.
johanns:
i hope that after his senate appearances, he’ll have his normal life back. but i doubt that. bnut still, god bless him.
thanks for visiting guys!
February 11, 2008 at 6:06 pm
its very rare for someone to go against and stand up for the truth nowadays. lets face the fact, we rather tolerate and go with the flow. but lozada stand for
truth, hes consistent with his answers. we could see him tired answering those
questions the whole day. i just want to make a comment bout the reaction of sen. arroyo. so OA! hes brought the issue of bad and good faith and trying to
question lozada’s credibility, then when he’s bombarded with an honest statement, he’s pissed! dont ask if you dont want an answer!
lozada’s personal life suffered alot! he has his own family to attend to. but whats going on now? keep the faith!!!
February 11, 2008 at 6:12 pm
grabe I felt sad nung cnigawan ni jpker arroyo si lozada bqt ganUn totoo lng cnbi ni lozada na naksuap niya wife ni joker den ccgaw cia and gaNun! same wid Enrile sbi lng ni lozada na magaling cia na abogada sabi ni enrile wag ciang bobolahin at d cia nakukuha sa bola?! anu ba yan its up to him if papabola siya bt dpt he delivered it in a nice way nkaka offend kc pagsbi ni enrile nun kung akoh nga i feel bad about it panu pa c lozada! hai I really beliv wat lozada sayz and i knw he speakz d truth! sna nman ung mga my alam eh lumatand na para matapos na ang corruption nilang US dollars na yan tpos taong mga mmayan ang mg bbyad! si abalos sasampahan si lozada LIBEL?! eh cia nga ng Threat ng life ni lozada eh dpat cla ipa back ground check eh kc d nman cla ganun kayayaman para mg karon ng bilyon bilyon dman lng nila inisip mga matatanda na cla at maiksi nlng ilalagi nila dto sa mundo and my karama d man cla ang makarma my pamilya cla! Bsta kkay Lozada Suportado k namin
February 12, 2008 at 2:10 am
i won’t completely glorify this man until the senate has said its piece. joker’s remarks yesterday was really true, mr. lozada has already dragged a lot of people into this mess, even people who doesn’t have anything to do with the ZTE mishap. that’s bad news for him. although, for me, there’s a piece of the truth from lozada’s statements, we shouldn’t completely throw rotten tomatoes to the other testimonies just because they’re from malacañang. Lozada isn’t the only one capable of telling the truth.
February 12, 2008 at 4:55 am
the wisdom of men acquired from even known universities combined cannot be compared to what has been given from the above.
Lozada talks about the guava lesson that is…..the man in the truth side does not run out of ammo when discussions arises in things like these…
February 12, 2008 at 6:06 am
Pinagloloko tayo! Magmula pa ng kastila, kano, panahon ni J. Rizal ang Pilipino di na namulat. Tama naman ang sabi ni Jesus Christ “Give is what is due to caesar” Pero dito sa Pilipinas Give is what is due to Gloria and her Clans. Look at Cory anong nangyari sa Land Reform niya buo pa ang hacienda hanggang ngayun. Ang ginawa kay Lozada ay wala sa legal term kasi dito ang tawag diyan binabangketa. term ng pulis. pero with all the 3 stoogies (Gen. Atutubo, Razon nadamay lang, At si Moe Col. Mascariñas) answering the Senate queries they all juggled the facts. What we need is true revolution to the extent maging Italy tayo. Ala mosoulini ba. Di pwede ang bloodless. Yes ang kalaban natin kapwa Pilipino natin.
February 12, 2008 at 9:32 am
my prayers are with you Jun Lozada. i cried when you cried and we believe you. Abalos must go for maximum greed because he is actually carrying on his back several cahoots. we will continue to pray for your safety. take extra care especially your health. neri is now agonizing but we understand as he is surrounded with PSG MEN. akala ni joker arroyo bobo ang taong bayan. he is already bought and fully paid not only advances. Dont give up hindi natutulog ang dios at lalong hindi na natatakot ang taong bayan. You have made your mother proud!
February 12, 2008 at 11:28 am
mary:
i was also baffled with sen. arroyo’s reaction, “don’t mess with my wife” he says. i think he’s afraid lozada might implicate him haha.
loracz:
lifestyle check of the government officials is a bit obsolete but i agree that it must be done. the thing is, like tax, the politicians or the other high and mighty could easily manipulate their earnings so in effect, wala rin. i think what we need is a functioning justice system. and good leaders. (asa pa)
chard:
lozada isn’t the only one capable of telling the truth but right now, he’s the only one with the guts to speak out. but true, i want his statements to be challenged because in that way, we could verify if he’s telling the truth or not.
butiki:
let’s just hope that he is indeed telling the truth. let’s give a margin of error to lozada’s testimony to be statistically fair.
edwin custodio:
i am advocate of rizal and his peaceful revolution. let’s not be harsh in wanting a revolution that may result to bloodshed. besides, i honestly think that the time isn’t right. and you know what happened when bonifacio and aguinaldo pursued an untimely war against spain…
susan balinsungay:
i do pray for lozada’s safety as well as for the truth. they owe the truth to us. god help them.
thanks for dropping by everyone!
February 12, 2008 at 1:20 pm
Basically, what mr. Lozada has been narrating for a while is just but the base in a Rubik’s cube. There are a lot more information that we need to know in order for us to complete the Rubik’s cube that represents the ZTE controversy. This controversy is among the Diosdado Macapagal Highway of contrersies in the regime of Mrs. Arroyo. The truth can never be known if all the people involved will be quiet or if some people will move to silence them. At the end of the day, the “masang Pinoy” suffers while a few officials live luxuriously in their houses. Therefore, the people must act to change the way the government is and change it to serve the best interests of Juan Dela Cruz
February 12, 2008 at 3:23 pm
nasa neutral side ako pero sa ginawa ni jun lozada pabor ako para malaman ng taong bayan kung sino ang mga limatik na sumisipsip ng dugo ng ating bansa na pahorap din sa masa kung hindi tutuo lahat ang sinabi nya hindi nya ilalagay ang sarli nya sa bingit ng alanganin kasama pati pamilya nya lao na isa syang engineer kaya maging mapanuri kyo sino ba ang tunay na nagsasabi ng tutuo nakasalalay dito ang kinabukasan ng ating mga anak at sambayanang pilipino
February 12, 2008 at 10:02 pm
‘yon ang hirap ng mga politicians compared to the thieves. The thieves – they steal first and then they run. The politicians — they run first and then steal.
Pag gagalaw na ang mga galamay ni First Gentleman, malamang mawawala na ang issue na ‘to – it will die by natural death. My sentiments go all to Jun Lozada — he is a jedi knight indeed! Let’s stop selling votes and then we we do the “Bolo rebellion”. For now, kailangan makabawi pa ang mga politicians to pay their patron during the last elections for kurakot all the way. PNP – pahingi-nang-pahingi.
February 13, 2008 at 11:24 am
chyz:
true, true. i don’t think the masa people are the only ones suffering though. i think the middle class are as well.
engr amparo:
wow, i like the term ‘limatik’. is it similar to ‘linta’? i agree as well. let’s be critical and sympathetic at the same time to lozada’s testimony.
romy velasquez:
i do hope that the FG would stay out of this one. it’s enough that, even as a ‘private person’, he’s getting himself involved with so many scandals particularly corruption and bribes. i also hope, that by some form of miracle, the people in the DOJ and the Office of the Ombudsman would turn to the ‘light’ and serve justice rightfully.
guys thanks for dropping by!
February 13, 2008 at 1:36 pm
This is shown in one of the newspapers as profile of Miguel Tuazon-Arroyo. Lozada expose will end-up in FG’s latest profile as another hogwash:
ISSUES
· P50 million telecoms franchise bill ‘payola’
In July 2001, Veronica “Bing” Rodrigo, former correspondence secretary and friend of President Arroyo, accused the first gentleman of receiving a P50-million bribe for the president to recall her veto of the franchise bills of the Philippine Communication Clearinghouse and APC Wireless Interface Network.
Rodrigo retracted her accusations a few days later.
· Alleged use of PCSO funds for the PPC campaign
In October 2001, Robert Rivero, axed consultant of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, claimed Mike Arroyo used PCSO funds in the campaign of certain senatorial candidates and to bribe the media. He said that Arroyo paid P20.5 million to Bombo Radyo and Radio Mindanao Network but the PCSO and lotto draw announcements did not air in these stations. Some commentators, however, aired pro-administration commentary.
The PCSO publicity department denied Rivero’s accusations.
· OFW envoy
In December 2002, President Arroyo designated Mike Arroyo as an OFW envoy so he could represent her in the countries she could not visit. However, critics assailed Arroyo’s announcement when they learned that his activities as OFW envoy could be funded by a proposed overseas workers legal assistance fund. They feared that the Arroyo couple would use the funds for her 2004 campaign.
While the President did not recall her husband’s designation, the first gentleman voluntarily resigned.
· Importation of rotten rice
In a privilege speech in February 2003, Nueva Vizcaya Rep. Carlos Padilla exposed that 600,000 metric tons of rice imported from India were rotten. Kishore Hemlani, an Indian trader allegedly close to Arroyo, reportedly bagged the P9.5 billion contract for the rice importation. Reports say Hemlani met several times before the contact was inked.
· Jose Pidal
In a series of privilege speeches beginning August 2003, Lacson accused Arroyo of having secret bank accounts under the name of Jose Pidal. He allegedly used these accounts to launder money.
· Expensive room in Las Vegas
On March 23, 2005, Recah Trinidad in his Philippine Daily Inquirer column wrote about a “heavyweight backer” of Manny Pacquiao who occupied a luxurious suite at the MGM Grand Villa 1 sa Las Vegas where the Pacquiao-Erik Morales fight occurred. The suit reportedly costs $20,000 or one million pesos per night. After a few days, a spokesperson for the First Gentleman said Arroyo indeed stayed in such a room, but it was given to him for free.
· Jueteng
In April 2005, an official of the Philippine National Police told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that there are people close to high government officials who receive jueteng payola. He gave them codenames: M1, M2 at JS7. Si M1 was the oldest. M2 was a young politician in Luzon, and JS7 was his uncle. The source did not give names and there were speculations that those being referred to were Mike Arroyo, Mikey Arroyo, and Ignacio Arroyo. Mike denied this, while the palace said this was just concoctions by those who want to oust the President.
February 14, 2008 at 1:40 pm
romy velasquez:
wow. thanks for the links and issues about the FG. I only knew a fraction of his intrigues e.g. jose pidal, jueteng payola and that las vegas thing. goodness…save us from the first couple.
thanks!
February 14, 2008 at 6:35 pm
panigurado kampo ni GMA,, me pasasabugin na namang mga mall para ma divert ang scandal nila tsk tsk kawawang mamamayan naghihirap samantalang ang mga nasa pwesto palago ng palago ang pera na galing sa pagnanakaw. I BELIEVE JUN LOZADA, to FG he’s just a small fry but for me he’s a big fish na kaya silang kainin. Poor filipinos.
February 14, 2008 at 9:16 pm
simply lang naman ang gagawin ng may kapangyarihan — bayaran ang media to keep quiet and to justify the payola – to print damaging articles. ‘to yong sabi ni Defensor na pag may issue, malakai ang budget for the media – this is it. In the next few days, dahil wala na tayong mabasa, nobody cares anymore and the bad guys win. To quote Edmund Burke — for evil to succeed, the good needs to do nothing.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US ALL!!!!
February 14, 2008 at 10:37 pm
Wel, the accuser is just gulity as the accused. Who is Jun Lozada? He has his own skeletons to hide too, isn’t it?
They are all the same, government and oppisition. So for Juan dela Cruz, you just work honestly so that ther will be food on the table for junior and ate.
February 15, 2008 at 2:04 am
Rommel :
Don’t you have your own skeletons too? I’d be surprised! And for Juan dela Cruz, even if you work honestly, at mag ka kuba kuba ka na sa trabaho, if your government steals money that should go for healthcare, education and social security, binigay mo lang sa mga tulad nila Arroyo, Abalos, Atienza, joker , Assperon, ang lahat ng pinag paguran mo buong buhay! Di ba nagbabayad ka ng taxes? Ano ang ibinabalik sayo ng gobyerno mo para sa taxes mo? Don’t you know that we, as taxpayers are entitled to FREE education, and healthcare ( na maganda) from our government? Look at the quality of public schools and government hospitals? Puro under staffed! Do you know what 6 billion pesos can do for the ordinary Filipino? Kung ilang bata and pwede mapa aral ng maayos ng pera na yan? At kung ilang may sakit na nasa government hospitals ang mapapagaling niyan? That’s only ONE deal for Mike Arroyo! Yan ba ang gusto mo para kila Junior at Ate na mag aral ng mag aral para umalis lang ng Pilipinas at mamasukan sa ibang bansa para lang kumita ng maganda? Na iwan ang lahat ng malapit sa puso niya sa Pilipinas at para ibang bansa ang manginabang sa talento nila Junior at Ate? Dahil walang opprtunidad na maibibigay ang Pinas dahil nauubos ang budget sa kurakot kesa sa paglikha ng mga trabaho para sa mamamayan? That is why, if you work honestly, you deserve to get something back for it from the government that collects taxes from you every month! Ano ka ba???
February 15, 2008 at 12:19 pm
i hate thieves:
FG, the private person that he is, has always been implicated with tons of anomalies since his wife became president. he’s not even in politics but why in hell does his name continuous pop out? i agree, poor us.
romy velasquez:
hhmmm…gma 7, mga kapuso…pinatatamaan po kayo ni mr. romy velasquez haha. joke lang po. pero i hope none of that sh*t happens.
rommel:
let’s not generalize too fast. but true, lozada should be critiqued as well. he isn’t innocent but he had the guts to say what he knows (unlike neri tsktsk). whoever’s telling the truth, may the force be with us indeed.
ate:
hinay-hinay lang po ate. i think rommel was just being sarcastic of our situation. what rommel is saying is that we should be discriminate of lozada as well. let’s give him a margin of error so as to be fair.
but what you said is true. the money that should have gone to us goes into the wrong hands for the wrong reasons. shame on them. and shame on us for voting these politicians.
thanks for dropping by guys!
February 18, 2008 at 10:09 am
‘ve been desperately wanting to believe lozada. but somehow the inconsistencies are now surfacing. for one, nag-backtrack na si jun lozada re sa sinabi niya na fely arroyo invited him. he now admitted that he arranged the meeting and sought some legal advice that lasted for only a few minutes. sen. joker arroyo was correct all along to react negatively; he doesn’t deserve that backlash (or at least backlash from those who had ulterior motives). if jun lozada wants to be believed he has to stop dragging practically every aida, lorna and fe. also he should stop punctuating his statements with “para ito sa bayan”–let the Filipino people watching him decide that.
February 18, 2008 at 10:12 am
i hope this so-called exposes of FG are not published in Malaya… which is funded by erap and lacson. because i have not seen this published in phil. star and inquirer.
February 18, 2008 at 11:24 am
nathalie tomada:
yes, there are now inconsistencies in lozada’s statements. i hope he remains true to his telling the truth in the senate.
Thanks for dropping by!
February 18, 2008 at 11:45 am
i believe lozada. for, one, what would he gain by lying? fame? what use would that be to him if his own indiscretions are being aired left and right? besides, why would he lie and accuse the administration if he knew his family and life could be in danger? human nature dictates that one protects oneself (in lozada’s case, to shut up and deny) — but lozada is doing exactly the opposite of that.
second, he has been consistent since the start. and you can see it in his reactions (the man couldn’t lie even if his life depended on it…his face just gives him away).
third, he answers every question right away, unlike those in higher positions he named who evade questions they can’t answer. they’re already armed with documents upon documents, and yet when confronted with the truth, they sit there and try not to look guilty.
jeez…i want to say more, but i’m afraid it’ll get too long. anyway, i just want to add that yes, i believe lozada, and may he come out of this alive and successful.
February 18, 2008 at 2:13 pm
Nathalie Tomada,
Here’s the link regarding FG. Check it out. http://www.gmanews.tv/story/61456/Jose-Miguel-Tuason-Arroyo
February 19, 2008 at 11:43 pm
hindi kaya naging whistle-blower is J.LO or Jun Lozada dahil hindi siya kasali sa porsiyento? narinig ko lahat na testimonies from all sides – si joey may $10M or sec may P200M dito or protect my $1300M — wala mang nagsabi na “Jun may P5K ka dito…” nakapagtataka…
February 20, 2008 at 1:56 am
he he he he he amen to u eleuterio…
February 20, 2008 at 8:21 am
if you watched Lozada intently, he has the charisma of pulling out people from their seats.. He knows when to0 cry, pause -deep breath mode, falling and raising of pitch and possessed a tone na talagang kaawaawa.. i am not saying na he is telling lies nor distorted the truth.. but it doesn’t mean he tell the whole truth… we could detect the inconsistencies of his staments…..
February 21, 2008 at 2:08 am
it is very clear that mr. lozada is telling the truth. his statements remain the same while the other side keep on changing their version of what happened. gma should resign! the mere fact that the Philippines was removed from the list of countries enjoying democracy should make all of us filipinos think of how the present administration makes fools out of all of us.
February 21, 2008 at 11:53 am
paola:
ok lang if you want to make your comments long. its free space naman haha. anyway, many of us believe him. but let’s try and be critical even with his statements to be fair.
romy velasquez:
hey! thanks for all the links you’ve posted in my blog. so highly appreciated.
eleuterio:
and another conspiracy theory emerges…;)
decepticon23:
he’s being inconsistent but only to a small extent. i don’t know. the dates mostly and that’s it.
joyce:
agree!
thanks for visiting guys!
February 21, 2008 at 8:52 pm
Nakkss! Erwin Santos tried to be a Jun Lozada wannabe. Cry baby too! WOW!!! Malaking people power ito sa Barangay ni Erwin Santos! Jun L. was only trying to save his soul not knowing he’s saving the soul of the country too. Erwin Santos, not only he’s trying to save his soul, he is trying to save his face too! I expect the PhilForest secretary is next to come out telling the barangay, Erwin Santos is not really a Santos but a Demonyos!!! Afterall, Erwin just awaken the sleeping giant — the mayors who he hit by his statements.
To quote him:
“Ang naging problema na hindi ko matanggap ay hindi nasusunod ‘yung mga bids processes and procedures. May papasok na kaibigan sa opisina namin, sinusunod ko lamang po, o bigyan mo ito ng lupa,” said Santos.
February 22, 2008 at 12:57 am
alleluiah din sa ‘yo decepticon23.
romy v. may tama ka. dahil sa exposey ni E.SA or Erwin Santos baka ma imbestiga din mga mayor at patay hanapbuhay natin. baka i repel ang PD 15/30 na mas matindi pa sa nepotism.
PNP at BIR huli din – PNP (Pahingi-Nang-Pahingi) at BIR (Bigay-Ikaw-Regalo)
nina, conspiracy theory is known as Pirates of Malacanang – ok ka! ikaw pala ang chairman sa iyong Blog Ribbon Committeee.
February 22, 2008 at 8:12 am
romy velasquez:
erwin santos isn’t fit fot t.v. like lozada and joey. wala syang star quality hehe, ang mean.
eleuterio:
i hope that these laws would be better implemented. stricter rules and policies and such.
thanks for visiting again! suki na kayo haha.
p.s.
you both have a lot of steam going on. why not make a blog for yourself? its more fun promise. haha.
February 22, 2008 at 1:50 pm
NINA:
i read thoroughly erwin santos statements and i believed what he said that nobody pushed him to talk but hiw own. imagining myself as atienza, all i can say is SIPSIPPPPPPPPPPP!! TRYING HARD SECOND RATE (not even) POOR COPY CAT!
ELEUTERIO:
nina hopes that your PD 15/30 is better implemented with stricter rules and policies.
NINA;
PD 15/30 are ghost employees getting paid every 15th & 30th of the month.
February 22, 2008 at 3:37 pm
romy v.
i finally had the chance to watch erwin santos in action kanina while watching the news. goodness, like boss like subordinate.
thanks again!
February 25, 2008 at 11:50 am
speaking of jedis…yoda once said that fear is the path to the dark side.fear leads to anger,anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering…and yes, i sense much fear in Lozada but he pulled through it and made yoda eat his words…in this case, fear just might lead to the truth….but the question is…is lozada using the force for good or is he in the dark side with the sith lords like ******,****,******** and ****** just to name a few???
p.s.
-you’ve made great points, i really enjoyed reading your insights…and can i use them for my term paper in my political science class???
p.s. # 2
-mike defensor’s retainers REALLY are shiny even shinnier than a lightsaber
February 25, 2008 at 1:36 pm
gino:
the best way for you to use internet sources is if you put your sources in your references or if you want to directly quote someone, do it correctly. i assume you know how to do that right? [thank god tapos na ko mag eng2 and eng10].
but thats called plagiarism right? haha.
thanks for dropping by!
February 25, 2008 at 5:37 pm
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/topofthehour.aspx?StoryId=110260
This link is about the article “Where Have All the Whistleblowers Gone?”
Be that as it may … Lozada will soon be part of this list.
February 25, 2008 at 6:20 pm
Wag the Dog — let me quote Wikipedia on this phrase:
The title of the movie is taken from the joke:
“Why does a dog wag its tail? Because a dog is smarter than its tail. If the tail was smarter, the tail would wag the dog.”
Interpretations differ as to the meaning of this metaphor. Some suggest the dog is public opinion, and the tail represents the media; the dog is the media, and the tail is political campaigns; or the dog is the people, and the tail is the government.
Or,
when considering the personal relations in the movie,
the dog is the president and
the tail represents his PR assistants, who immediately assume the authority for the damage control.
Moreover, the expression “the tail wagging the dog” refers to any case where something of greater significance is driven by something lesser.
February 26, 2008 at 11:42 am
the reason why jun lozada, cory aquino, et al couldnt muster enough support–in people power proportions–is because gma has the support of the regions or mga “promdi”. sino ba ngayon ang nagbibigay ng suporta para kay PGMA? hindi ba mayors? governors?
the news say it all, there are miniscule, if none at all, anti-arroyo movements in the province, because somehow, PGMA has silently (meaning not covered by the media) but steadily worked on getting the regions’ support. all you have to do is go to the provinces, and begin with the infrastructures–the national highways are paved, there are more international airports, there’s the nautical highway that have benefitted us, and unlike the others, we are appreciative, di gaya ng iba, masagana na nga, ma-reklamo pa. unfortunately, all these good things never make it to the national media, as it has long been manila-centric. kung may news man about us, it’s about war, and other negative things that I wouldn’t wonder maraming taga manila ang di pa nakatungtong sa mindanao sa maling akala.
being from the province, i can say that it was during gma’s time that there has been visible developments that can truly make us say that this is where our taxes are going to. to those who live in imperial manila, manila is not the philippines. we don’t share your sentiments, or at least, we don’t get easily carried away by a media that doesn’t even cover other parts of the country or by politicians that don’t even care about us, except during festivals or election time. being from the province works for us because we look at everything with a grain of salt.
February 26, 2008 at 11:44 am
romy velasquez:
thanks for the link and thanks for the expression. I like it so much. I’ve heard of this too often but this is the first time that ive actually understood it in terms of whats happening now to this country.
Natalie tomada:
i study in UP Los Banos, the UP unit in laguna. Hailing from the city, I chose (this campus was my first choice) to study in a rural area because (1) i wanted a different environment and (2) i happen to like my course; biology which, unlike in UPD and UP manila, is structured for research (we have 6 different majors) and medicine.
Now, for years that ive been going here, its safe to say that i have a taste of both the rural and urban life. I frequently travel to other provinces for school related activities or for medical missions in my org. I see and meet people from all walks of life and prevalently, they say the same things: that the government is not doing enough. I may not be able to feel the economic distress that our less fortunate folks are or have been experiencing but i do understand their sentiments. most UP students do not come from the city; heck we come from all over the country, rural and urban. being in a state university, our profs constantly remind us that our education is subsidized by the people’s taxes so we must and should do our best to study hard and somehow contribute to society after we graduate. we realize the gravity of this responsibility so we do our part.
now, the government should do infrastructure, projects etc because it is its job to provide for the people. we do not question that this government has done wonders too but tell me, does it address the most crucial of needs? education, health, employment, agriculture? can we ignore the increase of poverty and unemployment and the decline of quality education and the demise of our almost non-existent health system? do we feel the economic growth, do we feel the strength of the peso? NO, NO, NO, NO.
I respect your views maam. but i just had to say my piece.
thanks for dropping by guys!
February 26, 2008 at 11:49 am
who has to gain if lozada dies after he has “exposed” it all? if i were the government, let the senate take charge of his protection.
February 26, 2008 at 2:00 pm
For those who clamored for GMA to resign, that is worse than the CBCP statement of “from fying pan to a fire.” By constitutional means, De Cashtro will take over and, of course, what a big opportunity for De Cashtro to be in the reign and then comes 2010 election where he can now use the government’s unlimited resources to become an ‘ELECTED PRESIDENT.’ That my friend is from frying pan to a fire to eternal damnation. By then, the government’s slogan will be “let’s make the people poor, very poor, and very-very poor so they will love us…”
GMA already suspended 11 ODA projects and she already vowed to have all these projects and more investigated.
Nathalie and Nina, yes we saw quite a bit of mini-infrastructure projects all over the country during GMA’s regime but the bottom line is the costs of these infra projects were only a fraction of a percent as compared to the kickbacks the proponents were actually pocketing. If you’d read the COA report on the suspended 11 ODA projects, although still non-existent, yet we already incurred billions of miscellaneous expenses. That shows how corrupt the government we have now as compared to previous administration combined.
GMA already realized that it is high time to save her name – I mean her father’s legacy – Macapagal, it is high time to also save her soul, and by all means, she must have realized now that it is at the highest time to save our country’s soul.
TO ALL THE JEDI KNIGHTS WANNABES, MAY THE FORCE BE WITH US ALL!!
February 27, 2008 at 11:45 am
nathalie:
the pnp wants to volunteer daw . haha. id like to see them try and convince lozada though.
romy velasquez:
the cbcp has issued quite a confusing statement. playing safe.
thanks for dropping by!
February 27, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I don’t blame CBCP playing safe in their statement. Without exception, CBCP’s loyal donors are these corrupt government officials and for them they are their geese that lay the golden eggs.
What we just heard from CBCP is the end of an era of Philippine Catholicism. No wonder El Shaddai is growing, and so us INC, JIL, Buddhism, the Agnostics, UCCP, the Baptists, and any protestantism related religions.
February 28, 2008 at 12:55 am
GLORIA IN EXCELSIS DEO!!!!!!!!!!
LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL. FOR THINE IS THE MALACANANG, AND THE POWER, THE GLORIA…AMEN
GLORIA BE TO THE FATHER (FG), TO THE SONS (DATO & MIKEY), AND TO THE HOLY DAUGHTER (LULI)… AS IT WAS IN THE BEGINNING UNTIL THE TERM IN 2010 WILL END, AMEN…
SGD.
CBCP – CORRUPT BISHOPS CORRUPT PRIESTS
February 28, 2008 at 4:09 am
el shaddai is catholic, and well the leader of jesus is lord has long harbored dreams of becoming president of the country–and it remains an unrealised dream
February 28, 2008 at 4:12 am
thank God for CBCP’s statement! it is unfair and very immature that CBCP will be judged on the basis of the unpopularity of the president. anyway, “Order is the best foundation for us to built a nation, not chaos and constant agitation.”
February 28, 2008 at 4:17 am
cory said, “oust the president, and worry about the consequences later”…what a reckless, unstately statement! wouldn’t wonder why she could no longer gather enough support to realise her drive of ousting the president, i mean she couldn’t even secure the support of family members. peping and tingting cojuangco were at mass/event supporting GMA earlier today, ninoy’s closest sister, lupita kasiwahara et al, has never even left pgma’s side!
February 28, 2008 at 4:19 am
nina: well i hope pnp stop volunteering themselves.
let the senate (and ping academy of witnesses) take care of lozada. although lozada has repeatedly said, he will ask the help of his friends in the military. will he try to bait them again and turn the tables around?
February 28, 2008 at 11:19 am
romy velasquez:
haven’t read the complete cbcp statement though, just parts of it. but i know they didn’t support pgma’s resignation. well, the church and the state should be separate so i guess they have their reasons. well see. i’ll find their complete statement first before i say anything else.
rev. cabornay:
pretty strong sentiments. im not sure i know what to say about that.
nathalie tomada:
cory and erap should just give it a rest. they’ve had their turn. enough already. did mike velarde ran for president before?
thanks for dropping by!
February 28, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Cardinal Sin (may he rest in peace) was a peon of the oligarchs and that’s the reason the country retrogressed instead of moving forward. The oligarchs twice used his influence for the people power for their own agenda. His rewards from these oligarchs were priceless and good thing not everlasting life.
The difference now is while Cardinal Sin played the role of the High Priest, CBCP is doing a Pontius Pilate “I wash my hands” and who cares! The same sentiment showed and stated by the son of Mike Velarde’s El Shaddai.
Literally, as long as GMA will clean her cabinet and get rid with all the dirsts, leaches, boa constrictors, and lots of skeletons, she should stay until her term ends.
February 29, 2008 at 9:05 am
hi nina, mike velarde did not run for president. but eddie villanueva, leader and founder of jesus is lord, did. eddie villanueve has a son who is a congressman (partylist rep) and another who is a mayor.
February 29, 2008 at 1:41 pm
Just a matter of time. Just a matter of time.
PNP said 15,000 rallyist did not represent the 80 million Filipinos.
History will tell, Erap won the presidency by landslide of 17 million votes and yet deposed by mere 3,000 rallyist depriving the 16,997,000 who voted for Erap. By PNP language, if the 3,000 spoke for the 80 million Filipinos, what difference does it make now.
Once the truth is in sight and Gloria is ready to step down, I won’t be surprised if the CBCP and the El Shaddai are in the front line with a big banner “I TOLD YOU SO… TRUTH WILL SET US FREE…”
For sentimental reason, our hundreds of sculptors will create a statue of Gloria, I am sure it will take hundreds of years to finish it – dahil kukulangin ang semento sa “kapal” ng muka. And besides, no face can be seen due to the cover-up.
To all deji knights wannabes, may the force be with us all.
February 29, 2008 at 1:47 pm
romy v.:
i say pgma resign. as for her cabinet and cronies, get em out of the palace as well.
nathalie tomada:
ah okay. i thought si bro mike hehe. thanks.
February 29, 2008 at 2:17 pm
Hi Nina,
UNBELIEVABLE!!! the collateral of all these Chinese ODA loans is the Spratly Islands where a huge oil deposit is. No wonder the projects which are supposed to be the recipient of these loans do not necessarily exist or if it will, just be a fraction of the total amount (i.e., NBN-ZTE $329M when actual cost is only $49.9M).
Once upon a time during F. Ramos term, we received quite a bit of Dutch loans one of which was for Metro Manila sewerage project. Quite a huge amount and yet not much result can be seen. The bottom line, the collateral of that loan was the oil deposit in Palawan. No wonder Hagedorn was crying foul for just getting 1 peso/barrell as royalty.
Same old! same old!
March 4, 2008 at 9:34 am
Lozada doesn’t justify the word Hero!!! He is very much not a hero. He want PGMA to give up her position, does he wish to replace her?? Lozada is such a joke! a big joke! He have anomalies himself, why don’t he clean his mess first!???? President Gloria has done much for this country’s economy, her critics just can’t accept to themselves that they can’t even match on what PGMA can do…. Some people are blaming PGMA for there poverty, well, why won’t they try to ask thier selves what they have done to improve thier living???? OHHH Lazy PIGS……
March 4, 2008 at 10:51 am
romy v:
hear! hear!
jo0186:
so the end justifies the means?
March 8, 2008 at 12:15 pm
so ‘tong lahat na J.LO exposey ay hindi lang pala NBN/ZTE deal kundi isang pain lang para mahuli ang pinakalaking corruption sa history ng Pinas.
ang tanong: NASAAN NA NGAYON SI BRAINDA MIRRIAM DEFENSOR? ang isang pinagaling na mambabatas sa history ng Pinas? isang bantog na constitutionalist!
Jo0186! parekoy! walang hero na buhay. tama ka si J.LO is very much not a hero.
March 8, 2008 at 2:10 pm
eleuterio:
defensor is probably wasting her precious undamaged brain cells to suck up to pgma. sayang ang talino. ;(
March 10, 2008 at 1:40 am
Brainda Mirriam Defensor nag comment sa spratly deal – “A mere scientific or technical cooperation agreement, which does not diminish or threaten Philippine sovereignty or jurisdiction, is constitutional.”
noong unang panahon, ganito din ginawa ng tsina sa northwestern tip ng malaysia. nagkaroon sila ng technical cooperation agreement — hehehe… isang araw paggising nila, singapore ay naging bansa na pala at may constitution na. of course, it is constitutional dahil it did not diminish or threaten the singaporean sovereignty or jurisdiction.
March 10, 2008 at 7:17 pm
Eleut, Singapore is not at the Northwestern tip but in the Southwestern tip closer to Indonesia.
Nina, this tripartite agreement for oil exploration is way better than dealing with U.S. or Australia or Netherlands. Most likely, if there is any oil produced, each country’s share may be 1/3 net (gross minus cost of drilling).
The royalty we’re getting from Palawan oil is only 1 Peso per barrel — and that is ONE PESOS PER BARRELL.
March 11, 2008 at 11:51 am
eleuterio:
ooohhh…that i didn’t know. defensor-santiago is one lost cause. sayang barin cells niya. talino pa man din. tsk tsk tsk.
romy v:
i still have to read on that oil and spratlys deal thinggy. but thanks for updating me.
thanks you everyone!
March 12, 2008 at 8:46 pm
ZTE-NBN: From A to Z
By Atty. Rodel Rodis
Philippine News
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was always considered a loyal ally of the United States until July of 2004 when she acceded to the Iraqi hostage-takers’ demands to withdraw the Philippine government’s 51 soldiers and police officers from Iraq a month early, in exchange for the release of Filipino hostage Angelo De La Cruz.
In becoming the 5th country to withdraw from the U.S.-led “Coalition of the Willing” (after Spain, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras) in 2004, GMA incurred the wrath of the U.S. government resulting in drastic reductions in U.S. military and economic aid and loan assistance from U.S. financial institutions.
Prior to that date, the Philippines, as a loyal U.S. ally, had rallied the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to deal as one bloc to push China out of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea where four Asean allies and China hold competing claims. But after the U.S. sought to punish the Philippines for “caving in” to the Iraqi terrorists, by imposing de facto sanctions on the Philippines and by refusing any face-to-face meetings of GMA with President George Bush, the Philippines changed course.
Barry Wain wrote in the Far Eastern Economic Review: “President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo’s hurried trip to China in late 2004 produced a major surprise. Among the raft of agreements ceremoniously signed by the two countries was one providing for their national oil companies to conduct a joint seismic study in the contentious South China Sea, a prospect that caused consternation in parts of Southeast Asia… The Philippines also made breathtaking concessions in agreeing to the area for study, including parts of its own continental shelf not even claimed by China.”
According to Jarius Bondoc, “There might be a hint of the real reason there. For, soon after R.P. capitulated, China offered to lend $2 billion a year till 2010 for government projects. China wasn’t doing it out of the goodness of its heart, though. It was bursting at the seams with $2 trillion in reserves, and was to collect 4-percent interest, hardly concessional in a period of much lower rates. China was only too willing to look like it was accommodating a new ally.”
These generous Chinese loans may have helped the Philippines reach an unprecedented 7.3 percent growth in 2007, the highest in 30 years. But they laid the ground for the present crisis, which may yet topple the Philippine government. In 2007 alone, the Philippines signed 33 new projects for financing by the China Export-Import Bank. In his Senate testimony in the last month, whistleblower Jun Lozada claimed that 20 percent was the minimum kickback that government officials received for the China projects.
One of the projects was the NBN-ZTE deal which the Philippine government signed in April of 2007 where ZTE, the Chinese telecommunications giant, was awarded a contract worth U.S.$ 329.5 million to set up a national broadband network (NBN) to improve government communications capabilities.
On August 29, 2007, Rep. Carlos Padilla, in a privileged speech in the Philippine House, charged that Philippine Comelec Chair Benjamin Abalos was the broker of the ZTE deal. A week later, the Philippine Senate called for hearings on the ZTE-NBN deal. On September 10, 2007, Joey De Venecia, the son of then Speaker Joe De Venecia testified that he was with Abalos in China when he heard Abalos “demand money” from ZTE officials.
Although Joey De Venecia, as the son of Speaker Joe De Venecia, was prohibited by Philippine law from participating in and obtaining government contracts, he nonetheless, as president of Amsterdam Holdings, had submitted the losing bid for the NBN project. He told the Senate that the president’s husband, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, had counseled him to “back off” from pursuing the NBN project and offered to compensate him for it.
On September 22, 2007, GMA announced that she was suspending the ZTE-NBN contract. On September 26, National Economic and Development Authority (Neda) Chair Romulo Neri and Comelec Chair Abalos appeared at a Senate hearing where Neri claimed that in a golf game earlier in the year, Abalos reportedly offered him $4-M (P200-M) for signing off on the ZTE deal. Abalos denied the charge.
On October 1, Abalos resigned his post as Comelec chair. On October 2, GMA traveled to China to tell Chinese President Hu Jintao of her “difficult decision” to cancel the ZTE contract for the NBN project. On January 30, 2008, the Senate issued warrants of arrest for Neri and Neda consultant Rodolfo “Jun” Lozada, Jr. Neri went into hiding to avoid being served with the warrant while Lozada flew to Hong Kong. For allowing his son to testify against the GMA and the FG, Speaker De Venecia was removed as House Speaker on February 5, 2008.
On February 5, 2008, when Lozada returned from Hong Kong, a Senate team was waiting to arrest him to take him to the Senate to testify about the ZTE-NBN deal. The day after his return, Lozada testified that Abalos and Mike Arroyo were behind the “kickbacks” in the deal charging that they stood to make about $200-M from the $329.5-M contract. He said he warned them that the overcharge was too high that it wouldn’t fly, but they ignored his warnings.
On February 26, 2008 ZTE Engineer Dante Madriaga testified that GMA received $30-M when she visited China in April of 2007 to sign the deal with ZTE. On Friday, February 29, approximately 80,000 people gathered at the Ninoy Aquino monument in Makati for an Inter-Faith Rally to call for the resignation of GMA.
That’s the A to Z of this saga, from Angelo De La Cruz to the ZTE telecom giant, all in less than four years.
March 13, 2008 at 3:46 pm
romy v:
thanks. where did you get this article sir?
March 13, 2008 at 7:28 pm
This is the link Nina.
http://www.philippinenews.com/article.php?id=1946
Now I understand the reality of the sequence of events… what used to be just dots and dotted lines in my mind, now becomes clear and concrete. Without Lozada who created the spark, all these corruptions could have just been swept underneath the rug and we poor Filipinos plainly submit to poverty with a sigh — IT’S GOD’S WILL.
September 22, 2008 at 5:20 am
i wish filipino people shall be watchful again upon learning this horrifying truth from Mr. Jun Lozada..He is a man of courage when he alone faced the gigantic waves of sarcastic critisisms from pro-admin people in the senate.I hate Meriam when she sarcastically lambasted Jun,as in she was eating him “alive”…My personal message is that GOD is always watching us,either you believe it or not,their will be One Holy Judgement to all of us.MABUHAY KA MR. JUN LOZADA!!!…CONTINUE TELL THE TRUTH TO THE PUBLIC!!!…GO BLESS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY ALWAYS!!!