“Blood Weighs More than Politics”
There is nothing superficial about the New York Times depiction of the Cojuangcos hogging politics and Hacienda Luisita. The people are not that naïve to not be able to determine just how Malacañang was used by the Cojuangcos to serve their best interest. The clan’s indifference over the distribution of their claimed Hacienda Luisita among its farm workers is as discernible as the insensitivity of the Liberal Party on letting us swallow another Cojuangco minion – Sen. Noynoy Aquino. The part where Noynoy managed to go about the affairs of his cousin –Fernando Cojuangco whom the senator claimed was aggravated by political white wash and misguided journalism is enough proof for the public to rethink LP’s offered “reform”.
The true story beneath the lavish talks of presidentiable Noynoy Aquino on Cojuangco family extending the distribution of land to make sure that the farmers get clean-slate of land titles free from debts is that the Cojuangcos have obviously exploited the land to its inutile state. Don Jose Cojuangco who bought the 6,400 hectare azucarera using loaned public fund from the Central Bank of the Philippines (CBP) and the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) back in 1958 has made quite a hole on the land reform and grants system when he lied about the existence of the 100,000 azucarera residents inside the Luisita estate that should have rightfully owned the land during the 1980s. The only obvious failure of the 1986 Edsa People Power would be the continued land struggle in Hacienda Luisita. Former Pres. Cory Aquino’s administration ended dictatorship but it helped breed deafening abuses against toiling farm workers on the Cojuangcos very backyard.
Noynoy promising Hacienda Luisita in five years right about the time before he steps down the presidency once he get elected is another iconic rundown of Cojuangcos intentional deceit and misuse of authority over the Luisita farmers’ affairs. In fact, others see this as an understatement in which Noynoy is trying to bait the azucarera over votes. He is only making a fool of the Luisita farmers; again; making these farmers’ believe that their only hope of getting their piece of land is by giving Noynoy Malacañang. Just like the rotten power thug between different social classes in the country that involves the well-off and the deprived who are under their paychecks, the Cojuangcos through Noynoy will soon be able to turn the tables once and again on the rightful allocation of Luisita. That is, by taking a look back at how the Cojuangcos managed to stall the division of the azucarera through Cory’s Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) in 1988.
Blood runs thicker than politics, and for Noynoy, blood is foremost valuable than honest and impartisan governance. Philippine politics is so prone to familial dynasty-ism that most of the time families pay interests on running for various public offices for the benefit of either business or control. This is the exact same thing that fuels Noynoy’s presidency. It had always been for the advantage of the Cojuangcos who nearly faced the people’s tribunal after the 2004 Luisita massacre and the persistent prostitution of farm workers’ rights. Furthermore, it is disgusting to see Noynoy being overprotective of his affluent cousins as he himself had not done much in the years he served in the legislature.
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Also, in case you don't have party list yet to vote... you may want to consider ABA.
Spread the news and make ABA known to our extended families, relatives and friends. ABA is
Alyansang Bayanihan ng mga Magsasaka, Manggagawang-Bukid at Mangingisda
ABA is a pro-people, pro-life and pro-family party list. The Catholic church supports ABA.
ABA is an alliance of groups that represent the rural poor, the urban poor, and the traditional natural family.
The nominees of ABA are:
1. 2009-10 party list representative Leonardo Montemayor
2. former ABA party list representative Dioscoro Granada
3. JOSE NEBRAO - founding member/president of Serve Life, founding member/vice-president for Task Force for Family and Life, Proponent of Organic Farming and Small Agri-based Business,
4. Jose Morales
5. Atty. Makilito Mahinay
ABA has been advancing and advocating the following legislations and housing policy reforms within and outside of the halls of Philippine Congress. These are:
• Legislation: Exemptions for cooperatives from EVAT; extension of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program; strengthening of the Crop Insurance Program; Agricultural and Fisheries Modernization Act; Party List Act; Comprehensive Integrated Shelter Financing Act; Indigenous Peoples Rights Act; Fisheries Code; and the Safeguard Measures Act.
• Housing policy reforms: fast-tracking the identification of government lands for social housing projects thru Presidential proclamations; and the just and humane eviction of squatters through EO 152.
• Other advocacies: the creation of a congressional commission on the strengthening of the Filipino Family; the creation of the Omnibus Human Resource Development policy; and the promotion of bio-organic farming.
Here are some priority measures of ABA in Congress:
• To formulate new laws for: a National Land and Water Use Policy; a Magna Carta for the Urban Poor; and the creation of a Department of Housing.
• To properly implement Agrarian, Urban Land, and Natural Resources Reforms so as to attain the true benefits to the people.
• To strengthen: Sustainable Agricultural Modernization; the Cooperative sector; the micro-finance system; organic agriculture and community-based watershed/forest management programs; and the Party-List system.
• To work for the early recovery and proper use of the coconut levy funds.
• To nurture a Culture of Life and reject the death penalty, euthanasia, abortion, and radical fertility control; to defend the natural family as society’s primary unit and oppose divorce and same-sex marriage; and to preserve the primacy of the family in the rearing and education of its own children in all matters.
12 Reasons Why I Won't Vote NOYNOY For President ...
1st reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that if there is no corruption
there will be no poverty.
Reality check:
Corruption certainly contributes to poverty, but corruption is everywhere,
even in the greatest democracy and the richest country in the world, the
USA. President Obama has surrounded himself with many senior appointees who
have been proven to be tax evaders. Large US MNCs give out bribes as a
regular way of doing business. Corruption is a way of life in the USA, but
it is a very rich nation. While reducing corruption certainly is important,
economic progress comes when those at the helm of government know what they
are doing and have political will, like Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore.
Noynoy has no experience and will be quickly overwhelmed by the complexity
of governance.
2nd reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks that since he is not corrupt,
then there will be no corruption.
Reality check:
Corruption is unfortunately deeply ingrained in the Philippine political
system. That is not to say that we should not do something about it. But it
is to recognize that it is not only the President but those around him/her
who matter. Cory was quite saintly, but Kamaganak Inc. rampaged through her
Presidency. Frank Drilon, the President of the Liberal Party, is himself
known as corrupt.
Noynoy has no governance experience, whether in business or politics, and
those close to him can easily run circles around him.
3rd reason why Noynoy is clueless: he believes that poverty would be
eliminated if only there is clean governance.
Reality check:
There is widespread poverty in the Philippines not because of corruption,
but because of social injustice. That is, the rich grow richer, and so the
poor grow poorer. There are enough resources in the nation for everyone to
have a decent life. But the rich elite, a very small part of the population,
has taken a very large and disproportionate share of the nation’s wealth.
How do we eliminate poverty? By sharing. This is what the first Christians
did. The rich shared their wealth with the poor, and the result was that
there was no one in need (Acts 4:34). This is not just about giving
handouts. Part of sharing is sharing the opportunities to make money, giving
just compensation to employees, giving land to the landless.
The social injustice is perpetrated by the entrenched elite economic and
political families, such as the Cojuangcos, Roxases, Aranetas, Madrigals,
etc. A prime example is the case of Hacienda Luisita, where the farmers have
been deprived of what is rightfully theirs. In fact, they have been killed
for asking for what is due them.
Noynoy is part of this social and economic elite, and cannot be expected to
stand against them in favor of the poor. He has already shown this in the
case of Hacienda Luisita.
4th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand the poor.
Reality check:
The poor make up the overwhelming majority of our people. They make up the
greater part of a President’s national constituency. Thus care for the poor
should be a primary concern of any President.
Perhaps we cannot judge Noynoy harshly, because he has not experienced deep
material poverty. If you have not been poor, you cannot truly empathize with
the poor. That is why social workers at times live with the poor, to somehow
become one of them, to experience what they experience.. He does not
understand how the poor care for their relatives, even to the point of going
into debt, or perhaps, even stealing. He does not understand the nobility of
the poor. As with many who are rich and elite, perhaps he looks on the poor
with disdain, considering them lazy, dirty, of no good to society. This
might be unfair to Noynoy, but did he not in fact show no concern for the
farmers of Hacienda Luisita? He even accused them of being communists when
they rallied for their rights.
The most urgent need for our nation is the eradication of poverty. Noynoy
cannot accomplish this because his heart is not with the poor. In fact, in
desiring to eliminate corruption, would that not benefit the rich
businessmen most? Then they will only grow richer, and the poor poorer.
5th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand that reproductive
health means abortion.
Reality check:
Hillary Clinton, the US Secretary of State, said it again quite clearly:
“You cannot have maternal health without reproductive health. And
reproductive health includes contraception and family planning and access to
legal, safe abortion.” It is the goal of the US government, together with
powerful forces such as the European Union, elements of the United Nations,
billionaire philanthropists, liberal media, homosexualist forces, to force
abortion on the whole world as a human right.
If Noynoy claims to be against abortion but for the RH bill, then he is
either being naive or deceptive. Reproductive health promotes condoms,
condoms fail and result in unwanted pregnancies, then women procure
abortions. That is how it has happened in the US and elsewhere. It is a
clever step-by-step process that the anti-life forces promote. If we accept
the RH bill, abortion will not be far behind.
6th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he believes that EDSA is his birthright.
Reality check:
EDSA was a miracle of God. It belongs to all of us. It was a work of the
Spirit that resulted in the dismantling of the Marcos dictatorship. God used
Ninoy and Cory, but the glory belongs to God and the honor to the whole
Filipino nation.
But Noynoy has appropriated the EDSA spirit for himself and his campaign. He
is using the Laban sign, the color yellow (this is not the color of the
Liberal Party), the songs, the slogans, even what his parents had done. What
a blatant theft of what belongs to us! Now many Filipinos are distancing
themselves from EDSA symbols simply because they are automatically looked on
as pro-Noynoy. What a shame! What a disservice to the nation. Noynoy is
destroying that most loved Filipino treasure that is EDSA.
Further, Noynoy is clueless in thinking that because his parents are
revered, he now deserves to be President.
7th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he thinks his good intentions are enough
to govern the country.
Reality check:
To be an effective President, one needs experience, political will,
intelligence. One cannot just have good intentions. One cannot just be
uncorrupt. One must be prepared, with a working platform of governance. One
must hit the ground running on Day One, and not have to learn the ropes
while in office. One must not just rely on subordinates and hangers on, but
must have a clear vision and know what to do.
Noynoy has no executive experience. His legislative experience includes not
passing any bill at all. He has no performance to speak of. As Congressman
and Senator, he has not made any positive impact on behalf of his
constituencies or the nation. Simply put, he is a non-performer.
8th reason why Noynoy is clueless: he does not understand that to be
effective as President, he has to work with other powers-that- be, and so he
should show respect.
Reality check:
The Presidency does not exist by itself in the political system. In fact,
the legislature and the judiciary are equal partners in governance. Then
there are other economic and social forces.
Noynoy belittled the Church when Cardinal Vidal took him to task for being
pro-RH bill. He threatened the Supreme Court justices with impeachment if
they accepted the appointment of a Chief Justice. He attacks President
Arroyo even if
Spot on mate! May I add that "money weighs more than blood".
It's been over a year, the country is still clouded. Would we ever see or feel a positive change in our lifetime? I sure hope so.
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