Gloria and her ‘mafia’
Posted by: Isa Lorenzo | February 22, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Filed under: Civil Society, Governance, In the News
IF ousted President Joseph Estrada had his “Midnight Cabinet,” President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the cappo di tutti capi, the boss of bosses, who operates the government like a mafia. This was the assessment of a coalition that is calling for her resignation and for massive reforms in government.
“We have weighed the evidence, and reached moral certainty about these ultimate facts: That grand scale corruption attended the NBN-ZTE deal, and that it went all the way up to Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo,” the groups said in a statement.

The coalition includes Action for Economic Reforms, Focus on the Global South, Likhaan, People and Advocacy, faculty members from Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University and the University of the Philippines, and concerned businessmen, professionals and individuals.
The administration’s actions on the NBN-ZTE deal prompted the mafia moniker. The coalition said that it was President Arroyo who issued the special authority designating and authorizing transportation secretary Leandro Mendoza to sign the $329-million supply contract, despite the fact that it was “overpriced;” that she had earlier stated her preference for a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract; and that there was a proposal for such a contract.
After the deal was signed, the executive tried to cover up the direct link between the President and the anomalous deal, according to the coalition, by firing the Presidential Anti-Graft Commission investigator that disclosed the results of the investigation on the contract; claiming that the contract was stolen; invoking executive privilege on testimony and revealing records; and abducting Rodolfo Noel ‘Jun’ Lozada Jr. to prevent him from testifying before the Senate.
Enforcing for her is her “underboss” who controls the “capos” or the captains of corruption crews of loyal soldiers. In a mafia, instructions are handed down through a chain of command, thus protecting the higher ranks form incrimination,” the group added.
It said state capture has been perpetrated by a Filipino mafia headed by the President. The coalition pointed out that the $130-million overprice is bigger than the budget of the entire University of the Philippines system. If these funds were used to help the Department of Education, it could buy 1,390 classrooms, 524,237 school seats, 2,733 teachers, 44,234,813 books, and instructional materials worth P4.3 billion.
Read the full statement.
The group said the country is not lacking in laws or institutions against corruption, but nonetheless ranked 131st among 180 countries in Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index.
“In the complexity of the anti-corruption analysis and measures, what we wish to add is the simplest answer to the problem: Corruption is a question of leadership,” the coalition said. Under the leadership of a non-corrupt president, anti-corruption programs and institutions will be effective, it added. But under a corrupt presidency, “the same programs and institutions only become a protective veil for corruption itself.”
The group is calling for the President to step down, and for the following reforms:
- Set in motion criminal justice initiatives that can pave the way for more cases to be filed against corrupt leaders to send the signal that society will no longer tolerate plunder and mafiosi operations
- Reform the electoral and appointments system to include cleaning up the Commission on Elections (Comelec), monitoring the appointment processes and subjecting them to accountability checks, ensuring the accurate and speedy counting of votes, and passing anti-turncoatism and anti-dynasty laws.
- Immediately pass a progressive right to information law to fully implement our Constitutional guarantee
- Get involved in building a progressive reform party that links the middle classes with the basic sectors, which will eventually have the capacity to demand accountability form leaders, and present alternative leaders.
“We call on the organized and unorganized, who have come to the moral conviction that enough is enough, to act in concert,” said the coalition. “It is time to judge ourselves, our leaders, and our institutions from the viewpoint of establishing honest and democratic systems of governance. We take our first step by putting an end to the regime of the Godmother and her mafia.”
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4 people have left comments
if these reforms which are outlined by the coalition will come true…this will be the beginning of raising the level of consciousness of the people.
the allegory, that those running our government fits the characterization of an organized crime group, is fitting and not without basis.
but unlike the real mafiosis who do real hard-work to maintain a certain lifestyle and thus contribute, even if peculiarly, to the advancement of work-based ethics, Philippine government-based mafia unmake and destroys completely beyond recognition even those little of what is encouraging work left done by its predecessors.
and the vilest part; the citizens, the taxpayers of the Republic shoulder these gangsters perks and salaries.
what could be more sordid than that?
The fact that the Mafia was extrajudicially installed makes it more sordid.
JDV expose vs GMA kinasasabikan PDF Print
Friday, 02 November 2007
Ngayon pa lamang ay nag-aabang na ang kampo ng oposisyon sa kahihinatnan ng banggaan sa pagitan nina Pangulong Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. kung saan nanganganib ang liderato ng huli sa Mababang Kapulungan ng Kongreso subalit posibleng maging mitsa ng tuluyang pagbagsak ng administrasyon.
Bagama’t ayaw pa umanong makialam ng oposisyon sa awayan sa loob ng administrasyon, sinabi ni CIBAC party-list Rep. Joel Villanueva na inaabangan nila ang mga ibubunyag ni De Venecia na mga sekreto ni Arroyo na tanging ang House Speaker at mga loyal allies ng Pangulo ang nakakaalam.
“We will not participate dito sa majority fiasco na ito. Pero ibang usapan if the Speaker will talk about the so-called secret deals and the details of GMA meddling with the legislative affairs of this government,” ani Villanueva.
Naniniwala si Villanueva na kapag nagwala na si De Venecia ay ibubuko na nito ang mga sekreto ni Arroyo na posibleng maging dahilan para mag-impake na ang Pangulo.
Ayon sa kongresista, matagal na magkaalyado sina De Venecia at Arroyo kaya inaasahan na maraming alam ang House Speaker na mga “lihim” ni Arroyo simula noong 2004 presidential election.
“Tiyak marami siyang alam na hindi pa natin alam. Baka ‘yun ang inaantay natin na susi,” pahayag ni Villanueva na ang tinutukoy ay ang posibleng pagbagsak ng tuluyan ni Arroyo.
Umaasa si Villanueva na magsasalita na si De Venecia lalo na kapag tuluyan na itong pinatalsik bilang Speaker ng Kamara sa pagbabalik trabaho ng Kongreso sa Nobyembre 5, 2007.
IMPEACH GLORIA, NILALARO NI JDV
Samantala, pinagdududahan naman ng ilang kongresista na posibleng may kinalaman si De Venecia sa impeachment complaint na ihahain ng United Opposition sa Lunes.
Kapalit ng impormasyong ito, sinabi ng isang kongresistang hindi na nagpabanggit ng pangalan na maugong sa kanilang hanay na may papel na ginagampanan si De Venecia sa ikalawang impeachment complaint laban kay Arroyo.
“Hindi maiiwasan na magduda talaga ang marami sa amin sa Congress na baka laro din iyan ni Speaker (De Venecia) dahil naiipit na siya sa away nila ni Presidente Arroyo,” anang impormante ng TONITE.
Ayon sa impormante, alam ni De Venecia na mahina ang naunang impeachment complaint na isinampa ni Atty. Roel Pulido na kanyang iniwasang iendorso at dahil naipit umano ay ipinasa na lamang nito ang kanyang constitutional duty kay House Deputy Speaker Raul del Mar.Dahil napilitang iendorso sa House committee on rules bago nagbakasyon ang Kongreso noong Oktubre 12,2007, nawalan umano si De Venecia ng bala kay Arroyo.
Upang magkaroon umano ng panibagong bala si De Venecia, kailangang mayroong makapaghain ng panibagong reklamo at ang ihahain ng UNO ang makapagbigay ng bagong laman sa Speaker.
“Bigla kasi nagdesisyon ang UNO na mag-file ng kanilang reklamo eh alam naman nila na minsan lang sa isang taon puwedeng kasuhan si Presidente,” pahayag ng impormante.
Dahil dito, duda ang mga kongresista na posibleng payagan na ni De Venecia na amyendahan ang impeachment rules pagbalik ng mga ito sa Nobyembre 5 upang maisama sa Pulido complaint ang ihahaing reklamo ng UNO.
JDV OUT NA BAGO, MATAPOS ANG TAON?
Samantala, para kay Palawan Rep. Abraham Mitra, kung mayroon man pagkilos upang patalsikin si De Venecia ito’y imposible aniyang mangyari sa pagbabalik sesyon ng Kongreso sa Lunes subalit maaaring bago umano matapos ang kasalukuyang taon.
“I don’t think there will be something on Monday. Kung meron man, mag-uumpisa pa lang ‘yung mga kwento-kwento dyan. Maybe it’s not the right time yet. Magpa-Pasko na kasi pero baka bago matapos ang taon, baka wala na siya (JDV),” ayon pa kay Mitra.
Hindi binanggit ni Mitra kung ano ang basehan niya sa kanyang prediksyon sa halip sinabi lamang na may mga miyembro ng koalisyon ang dismayado kay De Venecia bunga na rin ng naging expose ng anak nito kung saan idinawit ang First Couple sa broadband scandal.
Source: Abante Tonite by Bernard Taguinod with Eralyn Corvera Prado