Make up your mind, little girl

It’s difficult to believe Arroyo spokesperson Elena Bautista-Horn’s claims of a plot to murder former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo because she doesn’t seem to know anything about the plot except that it supposedly exists and because she doesn’t know what she wants the government to do about it.

When the Aquino administration played down the alleged murder plot as a work of fiction, Horn got angry at the government’s callousness:

“Mas ma-appreciate namin kung sabihin man lang nila paiimbestigahan ang report na ito. Walang effort to even investigate, (We sould appreciate it if they at least said they will investigate the report. But there’s no effort to investigate),” she told dwIZ radio.

Which, apparently, the police did “even as some sectors were simply laughing off the claim.”

[Philippine National Police chief Nicanor] Bartolome admitted he just learned of the supposed slay plot from a news report Wednesday evening, adding that the PNP has yet to receive details of the alleged assassination plot.

He said that it would be of help if Horn would name her source so that police could go directly to the person to investigate.

And Bautista-Horn, eager to nip any assassination plot in the bud promptly did, giving the police leads that led to the dramatic arrest of a group of disgruntled military officers who had been biding their time to exact vengeance. Or, at least, that’s would have happened in a normal world where people do things that make sense.

What actually happened, apparently, is Bautista-Horn told the police nothing.

 

The Arroyo camp will also not be asking for additional government security since that will mean more risk for the former President since the government itself is trying to kill her.

So basically, Bautista-Horn wants us to take an alleged plan to kill her boss seriously but also not do anything about it (aside from snickering, anyway). People skilled in politics (being politicians) have called the move a red herring and an appeal for sympathy, which it might well be. But really, Bautista-Horn can save herself the trouble of doing the rounds of TV and radio station by just getting on Twitter and sending this message: “The government wants to kill my boss. #justsaying”

 

This hat keeps Them out of my head but I know They are listening.

Wrong As They Are, They Are Right

Infuriating as listening to lawyers Raul Lambino and Ferdinand Topacio wail about their poor oppressed clients Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Jose Miguel Arroyo is, they are fundamentally right.

 

The 1987 Constitution, that pesky litle document, does say the right to travel cannot be impaired “except in the interest of national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.” The Memorandum Circular giving Justice Secretary Leila De Lima the power to put the two of them on a travel watch list, although convenient for us, is not a law.

 

And although it’s true that the Aquino government will be courting riots if it lets Arroyo escape justice*, as lawyers like saying, that has no basis in logic or in law either. And unless the Arroyos suddenly gain the ability to turn into giant mecha-Arroyos, they do not pose much of a threat to national security. If Arroyo plans to go to Europe for an operation to give her that ability, maybe… Otherwise, though, as smarmy suspects like to say on police procedurals, charge them or let them go.

 

NOT a Mecha-Arroyo

 

Sure, Arroyo is probably exaggerating the seriousness of her hyoparathyroidism and her condition can probably treated here as well as it can be abroad. Sure, she’s probably looking for a way out of the plunder and electoral sabotage complaints filed against her. Sure, we probably all want to slap that smug look off her face. But that is of no moment because the Constitution and our set of laws say we cannot keep her from leaving the country unless she’s actually facing a case in court.

 

“But she’s been charged with plunder/cheating/making deals with the devil/the apostasy of claiming to talk to God!,” you might say. And you would be right. But “charged,” in these cases, means accused of. That means people have accused her of all of those things, but that does not mean those complaints have been brought to court.

 

They are in that limbo called “preliminary investigation” that basically means the prosecutor (or fiscal, if you prefer) is still trying to find out if there is enough of a case to bring before a judge.

 

No, that kind of case comes after...

 

No matter what Attorney Topacio says, this is not Martial Law. And one of the things that the oligarchs put into the Constitution to prevent Martial Law-esque abuse is a limit to the power of the executive to do whatever it wants. Hold-Departure Orders, the actual and legal order to keep someone from leaving the country, can only be issued by a court.

 

The Watch List Order issued by the DOJ is, by requiring people on the list to ask permission before leaving, is a sort of freak hold-departure order that could mean the executive branch could keep you from leaving the country just because a complaint has been filed against you. And as we have learned through long years of watching celebrities do it to each other, anybody with money to spare can file a complaint even without basis.

Annabelle Rama alone generates 10-15% of revenues collected each year from filing fees

 

Yes, we want to see the Arroyos behind bars (especially that Mikey, for looking and acting like a douchebag), but not like this. The Arroyos are innocent (except in out hearts) and deserve the same rights that everybody else enjoys even though we hate them. In the meantime, you can head over to the Other Website and look at borderline funny pictures of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo given the DPWH treatment. If nothing else, it will keep your rage going.

 

Fuck you anyway, Mikey

 *”Justice”, in this case, meaning imprisonment.  

(Thx, Indolent reader FreeSince09)

Anti-Social Media: Tiger Blood

"Just the facts, ma'am"

 

Just so you know, fellow indolent indios, Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s first press conference since moving from the House on the River to the House of Representatives was not held just so she could lambaste the Aquino administration for its lack of leadership.

She did not, for example, call her son’s lackey at the House press corps, and say, “Hey, Mr.Sheen*,  the flood situation in Cotabato has caused me much concern and we need to hold a press conference in Lubao to talk about it.”

The press conference was actually planned weeks in advance but had to be rescheduled because a.) Rep. Macapagal-Arroyo had to be rushed to the hospital for a pinched nerve and b.) Mr. Sheen just plain fucked up.

You see, bickering on the beat had gotten so bad that when Mr. Sheen’s principal, another congressman from Pampanga but not necessarily representing Pampanga, tapped him to get the media to attend Mrs. Arroyo’s press conference, he excluded members of the media that his clique was not cool with.

Which, as a dude, is sort of cool, but as an operator, not so much. After all, if you’re going to ask for a Ford Explorer in exchange for selling out your journalistic ethics, you’re expected to deliver as much media mileage as possible. By excluding people you’re not on good terms with, but who are still members of the media, you’re pretty much shooting yourself in the foot.

Given that among those members of the media that Mr. Sheen excluded was a reporter for a conservative national daily with a circulation of thousands, Mrs. Arroyo’s official spokesperson (i.e. not an operator with a press pass) had to step in and invite everybody.

And so, we get what we had last week, which was Mrs. Arroyo slagging her former Economics student for not being a good President. Which she might not actually be wrong about. But the point is, it was planned weeks in advance.

As for Mr. Sheen, we can just call him that because despite all evidence, he still thinks that he is, as his Hollywood counterpart does, that he is winning. When, as an operator, he almost failed.

*Not his real name, obviously.