he slip of some
senators is showing, says Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye. Their continued pursuit
of a Senate investigation into the $329 million national broadband project
clearly shows that they - Peter Cayetano and Panfilo Lacson were singled out -
are out to bring down the Arroyo administration.
Coming from "I have two tapes" Bunye, twisting the truth is
no longer a surprise. Black is white and white is black, and poor Gloria and
Mike are paragons of virtue in their public and private lives.
(Incidentally, Bunye's new deputy, Anthony Golez, is proving
to be a fast learner. Golez said NBN witness Rodolfo Lozada was lying when he
appeared in a dawn press conference yesterday flanked by some priests and nuns.
Golez said Lozada was against appearing before the Senate investigation. So
Lozada must have cooked up his claim of kickbacks and pressure from Mike Arroyo
and former elections chair Benjamin Abalos to recommend approval of the
contract.)
But we suppose we have to thank Bunye for reminding us that
Gloria's reign is not permanent or eternal and that she can be thrown out of
Malacañang.
With the NBN deal, Gloria has lost all the right to the
presidency. She directed former planning secretary Romulo Neri to approve the
deal despite the offer of a P200 million bribe to the latter. Her husband
apparently was the not-so-silent partner of Abalos in the $130 million
overprice. Gloria was at least an accomplice in the frustrated thievery.
And that's only for starters. Gloria, in the cover-up of the
original crime, sought to arrogate unto herself powers that the Constitution
reserves for a co-equal branch. The Supreme Court has already declared as
unconstitutional her expansive claim of executive privilege. The obstruction of
the Senate investigation is continuing.
Policemen abducted Lozada on his arrival from Hong Kong after
he decided to squarely face an arrest order issued by the Senate. The highest
police official, Avelino Razon, claimed Lozada sought "protective custody" and
continues to do so after Lozada gave the lie to his claim.
The Philippines is run by a syndicate of thieves, with the
police serving as its muscle.
Cayetano and Lacson have it right. This criminal ring that pretends to be a
government must be brought down.
