Category: impeachment

Vote for Senators who will Vote to Impeach

Calling on the Yellows, Pinks, and Reds of all shades.

VP Sara‘s impeachment is the most critical issue that should guide our choice of 12 senators on May 12. There are many other important issues, yes, but first let’s make sure the Dutertes do not make a comeback (a la Trump) and wreak national havoc anew with their dark and vengeful ways.

Let’s take the cue from VP Sara herself who has endorsed Imee Marcos and Camille Villar — kahit pa kadugo’t kaalyado ni PBBM — just because she needs at least nine (9) votes to acquit her in the impeachment trial.

So far, she can count on four (4) of the 12 senators still in the Senate — Robin, Jinggoy, Alan Peter, and Mark Villar — but only on two (2) re-electionists in Digong’s PDP who are expected to make it to the winning 12 — SWS‘s April survey has Bong Go in 1st place and Bato dela Rosa in 6th. Who knows when the ICC will get them. Meanwhile, that’s 4 + 2 = 6 votes.  https://pia.gov.ph/139544-2/

Sara may also be counting on Pia Cayetano (5th place) of BBM’s Alyansa who is expected to vote a la AlanPeter because they’ve always voted alike (korek me if I’m wrong). That’s 6 + 1 = 7.

She needs at least two more. And here’s where she’s counting on Camille, 11th place, and Imee, in 14th. That’s 7+ 2 = 9.  Exactly the number of votes she needs to be acquitted, never mind evidence of guilt.

But to be sure, she won’t mind getting more than 9 senators on her side, four (4) more, to be exact. With 13 votes — majority of 12 + 1 — Chiz could be replaced by a DuterteDiehard senator, which might explain why Cong Pulong Duterte has also endorsed Gringo Honasan, in 19th place, and Ariel Querubin, 29th (on Digong’s instructions daw). But maybe they’re really counting more on Willie Revillame (IND), now in 13th place, and Philip Salvador (PDP), 17th, na akyat-panaog sa surveys, pasok-labas sa magic 12.

ON THE OTHER HAND

To impeach Sara we need at least 16 Senators who will vote to convict.

So far we can count on four (4) of the Senators still in the Senate — Risa Hontiveros, Chiz Escudero, Win Gatchalian, and Raffy Tulfo. Not sure about JV Ejercito, Loren Legarda, Joel Villanueva, and Migs Zubiri, who could swing either way [again, correct me if I’m wrong]..

Going by the SWS April poll, (not counting Pia and Camille) BBM’s Alyansa has seven (7) in the top 12 —  Erwin Tulfo (in 2nd place), Lito Lapid (3rd), Tito Sotto (4th), Bong Revilla (7th), Abby Binay (9th), Ping Lacson (11th), and Manny Pacquiao (12th).  [Pasók din si Ben Tulfo (IND, 8th) but who knows with these Tulfos, baka swing votes pala?]

I know, I know, the seven (7) are all traditional politicians and artistas, mostly even dynasts, to boot!  But hey, what matters at this point is making sure we get the 16 votes to impeach Sara. We can do it only if we stop with the romantic notion that we are doing right when we ignore the surveys and vote for the ones we like, basta, kahit nangungulelat at pihadong matatalo.

Hindi dapat ismiran o bale-walaín ang Pulse Asia at SWS just because di natin like o type ang inire-report nilang mga kandidatong most-likely-to-win. Pulse Asia and SWS have been doing this a long time, gauging scientifically the inclinations of a representative sample of the electorate at a specific points in time. Historically, their pre-poll survey results have proven consistent with election results.

In April 2022 Pulse Asia’s opinion poll nailed 11 of the 12 senators who made it to the magic 12. Ronnie Holmes promises a last report very early in May. Abangan natin, in case may significant differences with SWS’s April poll. https://pulseasia.ph/updates/april-2022

WE NEED 16 VOTES TO IMPEACH

To recap, there’s at least four (4) Senators still in the Senate who we can count on. And going by SWS, there are seven (7) BBM-Alyansa candidates in the top 12. That’s 4 + 7 = 11.  We need five (5) more.

Let’s choose from the ones who have a fighting chance because they’re not too far from 12th place:  Bam Aquino is in 15th, Kiko Pangilinan in 16th, Benhur Abalos in 18th. That’s three (3) + 11 = 14. We need two more.

Francis Tolentino is in 21st place but he seems to be another swing vote, could go either way. Heidi Mendoza is in 28th, France Castro 30th, Leody de Guzman 32nd, Luke Espiritu 34th.

It would seem that former VP Leni Robredo is on a similar wavelength. She has lately endorsed Manny and Benhur in addition to Bam, Kiko, and Heidi.  Hope springs eternal.

LIST of 14
Choose 12

Benhur Abalos
Bam Aquino
Abby Binay
France Castro
Luke Espiritu
Leody de Guzman
Ping Lacson
Lito Lapid
Heidi Mendoza
Manny Pacquiao
Kiko Pangilinan
Bong Revilla
Tito Sotto
Erwin Tulfo

NOTE. You can remove the artistas Revilla & Lapid, or let go two of the dynasts, and still come up with 12. Plus at least four (4) still in the Senate would make a total of 16, exactly the number we need to impeach the VP. Share the list. Spread the word. #VoteToImpeach 

Llamas exaggerates

This is what he said on Richard Heydarian‘s vlog a week ago, a day or so before the People’s Impeachment Movement (PIM) announced the signature drive.

Ronald Llamas. Nabalitaan ko lang na may mga grupo ng mga religious na balak mag-launch ng people’s impeachment movement. … Kung babagal-bagal ang senado, kung ayaw ng senado na mag-convene, kami ang magco-convene, a people’s impeachment, at itong mga articles of impeachment, mga complaints, paguusapan pa namin, kami na mismo, at baka magpapirma kami ng several million signatures. Dahil sabi ng senate president walang clamor … gagawa ng clamor ang mga religious … balita ko next week. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UY3Av300cnE&t=1830s 

Na-excite naman ako, LOL. I guess because it reminded of Chino Roces’s signature campaign in November ’85 to convince Cory to run for  president should Marcos call snap elections, and Chino and his peeps gathered 1.2M in less than a month — martial law pa noon! — and the rest is history.  I thought that PIM’s launch would signal the immediate start of signature-gathering in church patios and malls and street corners and online websites, as in forthwith, right away.

Alas. The “launch” on the eve of Ash Wednesday was simply an announcement of intent, and their self-imposed deadline for just one (not several) million signatures is June 8, Pentecost Sunday. June 8!!! By then, according to SP Chiz’s proposed calendar, the Senate would have convened as an impeachment court anyway, so what difference would a million sigs make?

Bakit walang urgency, kung “forthwith” ang ipinaglalaban? Anyare?

People were asking na, where do we go to sign? can we offer, volunteer, our spaces to help gather signatures? kailangan kaya may official I.D.s ang mga pipirma? at kung ano-ano pa. Sayang. It was a great idea.

I had imagined that even just a million signatures could be gathered by a well-organized team by the end of March, and the appeal could be for the Senate to convene as an impeachment court early in April, and then to suspend around the 25th, thus giving re-electionists the final two weeks before the May 12 elections to make their final pitches on the ground, and then to resume in June…

And then again, former Senate Prez Frank Drilon said yesterday on ANC’s Hot Copy with Karen Davila that he thinks the religious orgs are “barking at (sic) the wrong tree”. That the appeal should be addressed to PBBM, not SP Chiz.

Drilon. Senate President Escudero cannot start the trial UNLESS the president calls congress to a special session because (it is) the convening of a special session (that) will make the convening of the impeachment trial court compulsory. … But it cannot start today because there is no session. And therefore the remedy is for the president to call a special session. … He can say: I am calling a special session so the Senate can address its constitutional duty to convene an impeachment court. The discretion of the president to call a special session is ABSOLUTE.

Ang problema, while the president has said he is willing to call a special session, he will do so only if or when the Senate requests it, and the senators (except for Koko Pimentel and Risa Hontiveros) are adamant, as in, no way, busy sila sa kampanya. “Too much to ask” of Senators, say pa ni Cynthia Villar. I imagine that the president is on the same page — he dreams of a 12-0 win  — and will not be moved by a million, even several million, signatures?

So far, no update from Llamas on the signature drive — no response to Drilon’s advice — not even just to correct himself. Maybe the attitude is, matatabunan naman agad, no one’s keeping track, so he feels free to exaggerate, lalo na kung sa vlog lang naman. Ayos.

“Forthwith” … a people’s impeachment court?

I’ve made no bones about it, I didn’t mind waiting until after the May elections for the impeachment trial to proceed as long as siguradong the 19th HoR’s Articles of Impeachment continues to hold in the 20th Congress. Because the timing is terrible, what with the very heated campaign season with two powerful dynasties facing off, no holds barred, AND a very divided Senate.

What are the chances that it could be all over even before elections, whether acquit or convict, and what would either outcome mean for the elections? On the other hand, kung hindi agad matapos at itutuloy sa June, July, how would that affect the reelectionists’ chances in May? Madadagdagan pa ang variables nang katakot-takot, better to wait till after elections, was my attitude.

But given the endless “forthwith” discourse, and given the release of Senate Prez’s proposed impeachment calendar, I’m suddenly counting months, March, April, May, June, July, a wait of five months, masyadong matagal nga naman. Hindi na masasabing “forthwith”, not even “as soon as possible”, more like “when convenient” for the senators? And the incumbent senators’ oathtaking in June makes no sense kung wala rin namang uumpisahan hanggang July 30 [korek me if I’m wrong].

And now, this, from the pfundit who’s always worth checking out in case he’s saying something new and not just repeating himself the way he does across platforms:

Ronald Llamas. Nabalitaan ko lang na may mga grupo ng mga religious na balak mag-launch ng people’s impeachment movement. … Kung babagal-bagal ang senado, kung ayaw ng senado na mag-convene, kami ang magco-convene, a people’s impeachment, at itong mga articles of impeachment, mga complaints, paguusapan pa namin, kami na mismo, at baka magpapirma kami ng several million signatures. Dahil sabi ng senate president walang clamor … gagawa ng clamor ang mga religious … balita ko next week.  https://www.youtube.com/

Several million signatures! Alin-aling religious orgs kaya ito? Kasali kaya ang simbahang Katoliko? If yes, kayang-kaya ngang mag-create ng clamor. That would be quite a show. The Senate Prez and the Senators would then have to get their act together, now na. A higher duty calls.

PAHABOL

Christian Monsod:  [The senators] cannot give the excuse that there’s an election campaign. They will be on televisiion while this trial is ongoing and maybe the people can see for themselves what the values and alighnments and politics are of these senators, which is a good lesson for the voters. …

I’d like to see the names of those who say they refuse to meet because they’re on recess. Because … if they happen to be elected, then we will file cases against them … for violating the constitution, and they might not be able to sit. https://www.youtube.com/

Korek si Bam… Ayos si Chiz…

It doesn’t surprise that Bam Aquino is being hit by both anti-DDS and anti-BBM peeps for saying he’s an Independent rather than Opposition, and that he doesn’t think the VP’s impeachment is an election issue. But I must say he makes a lot of sense.

BAM AQUINO. Galing akong Zamboanga, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac. Hindi siya issue nung mga kababayan natin. Ang issue ng mga kababayan natin yung pagkain, yung kakulangan ng tulong sa edukasyon, yung pagkalimitado ng mga trabaho, yung puwedeng makakuha ng ayuda na hindi binibigay nang patas….  Pag umiikot kami, yan yung binabanggit ng mga tao.

So palagay ko yang impeachment, mahalaga siya sa mga partido, mahalaga siya sa mga pulitiko.  Pero pagdating sa taongbayan, ang hinahanap pa rin nila, yung mga taong magtratrabaho para sa kanila, [on] issues na mahalaga sa kanilang pamilya at mahalaga sa kanilang pang araw-araw na buhay.

Pag umabot na tayo sa senate, we will be a judge, at siguro yung nararapat na gawin ay maging fair. Tingnan yung ebidensiya. Huwag kumiling sa kahit anong partido. At siguro nga maganda na may mga independent sa senado, ‘no? Kasi ang nangyayari, kapag may partido ka na, parang nag-judge ka na e, di ba. Pero yung independent, kaya talaga tingnan yung ebidensiya, kaya tingnan kung anong ipe-present ng prosecution at saka ng defense, at gagawa ng desisyon base lang sa ebidensiya, hindi base lang sa politika, o base lang sa kaibigan.

At aprub rin si James Matthew Miraflor, strategic information consultant at The Task Force for Global Health Inc. who sees it as a “smarting up”.

MIRAFLOR. Bam-Kiko as independent rather than opposition. Quimbos doing the Q thing. These liberal politicians (not necessarily from the Liberal Party) are only doing what it needs to survive in an electoral system that operates under patronage principles. It cannot be helped. They need resources from above to sustain their coalitions and machinery; else they lose to someone doing the exact same thing. Hence, they have to make sure that the incumbent coalition is not hostile to them while still keeping their base.

For me, it is a fresh sight to see these liberal politicians finally smarting up and doing what needs to be done to contest political power. This is unlike in the last decade when they were weighed down by a false sense of righteousness; as if they were no longer mere politicians but “statesmen” of some sort, unsullied by the grease of the machine.

Yes, smart to draw a line without being pa-righteous. Smart to eschew talk of impeachment when one might end up one of 24 judges. There are honestly creative ways for a third force to navigate a highly polarized political arena.

Gets ko naman where Sonny Trillanes is coming from, but no one is belittling the issue of impeachment. In fact, we all (except for some DDS) wish the Senate would hurry up — let the chips fall where they may — and it’s a relief to hear from Senate Prez Chiz Escudero, who’s not sleeping on the job naman pala: pre-trial concerns and requirements are being attended to with due diligence (the better to forestall future complaints), the Senate will convene as impeachment court once the 12 new senators have taken their oaths.

At least that’s what I gathered from his presscon this morning. Smart of him to speak and explain directly to the people via media, rather than engage in endless debates with legal luminaries who say the trial should start now na even if the Senate is on recess. Anyway, na sa Supreme Court na pati.

Although say rin ni Chiz, it will be the Solicitor General’s office that will respond to the Supremes’ request for comment to petitions, whether to compel the Senate to move ASAP or to direct the Senate to cease and desist.

Not that the Senate, if truly independent, can be compelled to do anything against its wishes. Especially not by a Supreme Court whose CJ and 12 Associate Justices are Duterte-appointed.  https://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/incumbent-justices/