The corrupt leadership and dangerous ambitions of tunnel-vision Pres. Gloria Arroyo have deteriorated so much to the frightening point of scandalous disarray and hell-bottom repulsiveness that her own former presidential legal counsel and defense secretary, Atty. Avelino Cruz Jr., has urged Filipino lawyers, in a recent speech before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, to unite and courageously oppose the evil designs of Pres. Arroyo and her cliques of government bureaucrats, military and police officers, and economic oligarchs to perpetuate themselves in power beyond the end of her term next year. See a recent editorial of the Philippine Daily Inquirer below.
Inquirer Opinion/ Editorial
Fair warning
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 01:49:00 07/24/2009
For every Romulo Neri or Ignacio Bunye, senior administration officials who kept their mouths shut or flapped their lips to protect President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the worst effects of self-inflicted scandals, there is an Avelino Cruz Jr., who resigned rather than betray the public trust. Once one of the President’s favorite lawyers, Cruz quit one of the most powerful portfolios in the Cabinet, the Department of National Defense, in 2006, over the issue of the obviously fabricated people’s initiative.
Last Wednesday, the resolutely low-profile Cruz once again placed public interest ahead of personal considerations when he warned the nation against what he called a “disturbing pattern” in the actions of the administration.
Pointing to several troubling indicators, such as the worrisome fact that at least 50 retired generals from the Armed Forces and the Philippine National Police now occupy key posts in the government, Cruz asked: “Is this indicative of an administration consolidating its grip on our country’s security apparatus?”
Cruz raised at least three significant concerns in wide-ranging remarks at a forum organized by the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting and the Legal Network for Truthful Elections.
He said that, based on what he knew of the fake people’s initiative campaign in 2006 that the Supreme Court ruled unconstitutional and called “a grand deception,” the President was also likely behind the continuing attempts to revise the Constitution, including controversial House Resolution 1109. Now this is nothing new, of course—except for the fact that a former member of the President’s inner circle said it.
This is additional confirmation of a special sort; it tells us, yet again, that the attempt to create a legal framework that would allow Ms Arroyo to stay in power has a long history. It goes back to immediately after the “Hello, Garci” scandal and the first impeachment complaint.
Cruz also said that he believes former Speaker Jose de Venecia, once a close ally and now, after the ZTE scandal, a political enemy of the President’s, was telling the truth about Malacañang’s attempt to obtain American support for emergency rule. “What I can say is that indeed Speaker Joe de Venecia has intimate knowledge of these events. I have also heard our former ambassador to the United States, Alberto del Rosario, narrate on television a similar version of events taking place in the last quarter of 2005. I have no reason to doubt the veracity of his narration.”
Indeed, as defense chief at the time, Cruz must have been privy to more inside information than he would, or could, or was ready to, reveal.
He also said, or implied, that the Arroyo administration was preparing a military option. He expressed confidence that any attempt by the Armed Forces of the Philippines to extend the President’s tenure would fail—but the attempt would necessarily entail “bloodshed.” He said: “I fear more for the consequences that our nation will have to suffer for the failed ambitions of a powerful few.”
It was in this context that Cruz issued the impassioned call to the men and women he used to serve as defense secretary. “It is for this reason that I renew my call to our professional men and women in uniform to remain faithful to the flag and the Constitution and to disobey patently unlawful orders that only serve selfish political ends.”
Patently unlawful orders. By that Cruz can only mean any attempt by President Arroyo or her key officials to use the country’s soldiers to create an emergency situation (such as the bombs-designed-to-be-discovered which De Venecia had earlier described as the hallmark of government “special operations”); or to manipulate the May 2010 elections (in a repeat of the interventionist role played by key military officials in the 2004 elections, as exposed by the Garcillano wiretaps); or to engineer a form of transition government (such as the latest wild-eyed idea from National Security Adviser Norberto Gonzales) through sheer force.
The country should consider itself warned. We should not let the undeniable build-up in anticipation for next year’s elections lead us to a false sense of security. “Can we trust her word this time? Or is the country again being lulled into complacency? Is she creating the lull before the storm?” Cruz’s questions must be raised again, and again, and again.
See:
http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/editorial/view/20090724-216943/Fair-warning