Revolt premature but coming soon

It spells trouble. The Comelec is to award Smartmatic-TIM this week the poll automation deal. But the consortium has still to meet the basic bid condition of having previously contracted at least half the Comelec’s P11.3-billion budget. Also yet to be explained convincingly is why its “too thin” wire between the battery pack and the ballot counter caught fire on test-run. Clearly the election agency is bent on signing the contract even though some losers complain of being disqualified for similar or lesser faults. If so, doubts will linger about bias for Smartmatic-TIM.

A way to dispel suspicion is to make the bid papers public. After all, the bidders were required by rules to submit a “consent to publication”, to wit: “2.2.6.1.1.6 Consent executed by its President, under the authority of its Board, that after an award has been made and the corresponding contract has been executed, it will allow the procuring entity to publish its bid, and to post the same in the Comelec website, regardless of whether or not the award has been made and the contract was executed in its favor....”

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Outrage is the shared reaction to the midnight attempt of Lakas-Kampi porch-climbers to steal our democracy. In any available means Filipinos are conveying revulsion with Gloria Arroyo and congressmen-stooges. Where the protest slogan against martial law was “Marcos-Hitler-diktador-tuta,” today’s battle cry is “Cha-Cha, Gloria ibasura.” Citizens object to House Resolution 1109’s aim to hold a Con-Ass of congressmen alone sans the co-equal Senate. It’s a ruse to amend the Constitution (say, a parliamentary shift) to prolong Arroyo and themselves in power. With the brazenness by which the Lakas-Kampi gang rammed the scheme through, people sense strife. Talk is rife of military coup or civilian uprising — maybe civil war if the Arroyo resists. From jail rebel Gen. Danny Lim is urging officers and men of the Armed Forces to “follow your conscience, do what is right: protect the people and the state.” Civil society leaders are mobilizing people to “buy a whistle, wear a red ribbon, sign a manifesto of indignation, and hit the streets” in simultaneous demos in major cities on June 10. Sen. Rodolfo Biazon, one-time Armed Forces chief, says disgruntled soldiers are itching to join Wednesday’s big one in Makati. Even Arroyo’s Economic Sec. Ralph Recto is worrying about the market effects of his party mates’ misdeed.

But calm down, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile advises. The masa need not rise up just yet. After all, once transmitted to them, senators can just sit on 1109 till it chokes. And only in the unlikely event the Supreme Court acts on Oliver Lozano’s baiting suit on 1109 will senators respond.

In the view of Fr. Joaquin Bernas, a framer of the Charter that Lakas-Kampi is fiddling with, the hoods are a long way off from staying in power. They have yet to actually convene a Con-Ass, and swing an SC ruling for their mangled constitutional construal. Then they need to get the Comelec to hold a plebiscite again without Senate consent, and goad the AFP to enforce their extended rule. Only if Arroyo et al are able to bribe the SC, Comelec and AFP into compliance should the populace have to revolt. At the moment it’s premature, but can come soon.

Rep. Rodolfo Antonino, one of 1109’s four sponsorship speakers, just might be the trigger. Lakas-Kampi cohorts will use the Congress recess, he says, to get senators to go along with 1109. Then they’ll open the Con-Ass as a gift to Arroyo on her last State of the Nation on July 27. Let’s see.

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His undercover PR claims that Malacañang is forcing Raul Gonzalez out as justice secretary. This, allegedly because the poor guy resisted orders to make Ted Failon’s wife’s suicide a parricide. Bah, Gonzalez never defied his boss(es) on anything. If they told him to jump off the building, he’d only ask from what storey. But assuming they’re really getting back at him for insubordination, shouldn’t he in turn be exposing them for illegal orders? Isn’t it the duty of a justice secretary, or any regular lawyer, to fight crime, including unjust prosecution? If he’s not talking, then his being eased out is a farce. His PR is only making it look like he’s a victim like popular Ted.

In parallel, her spokesmen are saying that Gloria Arroyo has nothing to do with despicable HR 1109. If so, shouldn’t she be telling her legislative stooges to stop it? They claim she cannot order co-equal Congress what to do. But the perpetrator of 1109 is not Congress, but her Lakas-Kampi party mates in the House. She has moral and political suasion over them. She is their only officer so far in the merger, and among them are her sons, in-laws, and usual coterie in foreign junkets. She can tell them to stop if she wants, the same way she directs them to save her from impeachment cases. If she doesn’t, then she’s in on the scheme to stay in power. She can’t even deny promising them P20 million extra pork barrel each to pass 1109, lest they stop doing her bidding.

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