GRP Mail - 23 Aug 2021
Ninoy, Pacquiao, and America are not heroes -- only tools of business interests.
Dear GRP Insiders,
Another anniversary of the assassination of former Senator Ninoy Aquino has passed. Was he really the “hero” he continues to be made out to be?
A review of that notion is long-overdue. But there are more important things to discuss amongst the parties that remain relevant in the coming national elections.
Regards,
benign0
In review and in prospect
Senator Manny Pacquiao's defeat in a world title showdown with Cuban Yordenis Ugas was met by a confused Filipino public today. It was markedly different because of the politics that Pacquiao represents and in the way a people looking inward, busy drawing partisan lines in the sand as an important national election looms regard their “hero”. There was no Filipino “nation” rallying behind the champ this time — only political agendas.
Indeed, addressing Pacquiao by his title as a government official only highlights the strangeness of this spectacle — a senator in a boxing match in Las Vegas. This is of course a Philippine senator, one who was elected precisely because he is that boxer.
The humiliating pullout of the United States from Afghanistan leaving it to be re-taken by the Taliban could not have come at a worse time for the Philippine Opposition. The Opposition is, after all, led by a rabidly pro-US partisan bloc — the Yellowtards — that has, over the last several years, looked longingly to the liberal West to “save” the Philippines from the “evil tyrant” they seek to topple. If they had succeeded, President Rodrigo Duterte will have been the third elected president the Yellowtards removed illegally with the first two possibly similarly perpetrated with a bit of help from Uncle Sam. What happened to Afghanistan demonstrated yet again that there are no such things as good intentions in politics whether global or national — only business interests.
With Delta all but changing the pandemic response game across the globe, the use of COVID-19 as a political tool is becoming less and less effective for the Opposition and the remaining partisans and “influencers” who spend their days “highlighting” the “incompetence” of the government in dealing with the crisis come across more and more like mere whiners who offer no alternative pathways.
Last week's blog posts
Politics
#NinoyIsNOTaHero trends as Commission on Audit (COA) “flagging” campaign mounted by Opposition FAILS
August 22, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"The Opposition’s reason is if they were able to topple a powerful dictator then using this method, it should work again this time against a less powerful President. This is stupid doing what stupid does."
A theory on why Leni Robredo was smiling during the funeral of her husband Jesse Robredo
August 19, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Recall how Leni had to seek the intervention of then Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to prevent Undersecretary Puno from opening and entering Jesse’s office at the penthouse of the Landsbergh Place condominium..."
What REALLY motivates Antonio Contreras whenever he defends Isko Moreno in his Manila Times column?
August 18, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Contreras himself has a predilection for good-looking men whom he praises to high heavens such as Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar and Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla."
August 16, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Isko is in the top five in the Presidential surveys but, at this point, high numbers are actually a disadvantage in his case. His weaknesses will only start showing in the debates and there is also the issue if being identified with the Yellows and Reds."
Society
August 21, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Monsod obviously favors De Lima and Robredo because they are in the opposition. If there is any female deserving of Monsod’s accolades, it should be Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo."
Business
Century Peak Tests President Duterte’s Resolve on Reclamation Ban
August 19, 2021 by Paul Farol
"It was also claimed that Century Peak’s gargantuan reclamation project will destroy mangrove areas vital not only to the marine ecology in the area but also comprises one of the area’s main defenses against storm surges as well as flooding."
History
US unilateral pullout from Afghanistan a warning to its “allies”: Americans are NOT the good guys
August 17, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"Afghanistan is a warning to all 'American allies.' The US defers to no interests other than its own. This was the case in Vietnam. In the Philippines, the ugly truth was after World War II, the US didn’t give a rat’s ass about its only colony."
The United States’ humiliating retreat from Afghanistan is a colossal but UNSURPRISING disaster
August 16, 2021 by benign0
"Perhaps the world should not look away from the 'hell' that is about to unfold in Afghanistan. But should the world intervene? The world’s mightiest nations did and failed. So for now we can only watch in horror..."
Media
Opposition “journalists” dishonestly liken situation in Afghanistan to that of the Philippines
August 18, 2021 by Ramon Ortoll
"It’s about time the public realizes that these leftist-militants are no different from termites that infest houses and slowly eat away from within. It is about time they are permanently eradicated from society."
Lifestyle
Proud To Be Pinoy Because Of The Achievements Of An Assistant Coach !!!
August 21, 2021 by Gogs
"Basketball is the only team sport that resonates. Where must all this pinoy pride go?? Why not to an assistant coach who is in a tournament even less relevant than the exhibition season?"
Congresswoman Claudine Bautista should SUE Enchong Dee and Inquirer “reporter” Dana Cruz for LIBEL
August 18, 2021 by benign0
"But it was Enchong Dee’s statement that stood out because he directly accused Rep. Bautista of criminal activity. That statement was clearly done with malice intended and was aimed to smear the reputation of a member of Philippine Congress."
Important dates
30 Aug 2021 - National Press Freedom Day
01 to 08 Oct 2021 - Filing of Certificates of Candidacy (COC)